MUMBAI: With more than 60 per cent of US households expected to have high definition television (HDTV) sets in 2005, the demand for HD production equipment is rapidly rising. Sony is looking to take advantage of this in a big way.

At this week’s National Association of Broadcasters (Nab) convention in Las Vegas Sony Electronics is ready to meet this demand, with more than 50 per cent of its professional broadcast products on display featuring HD production capabilities.

Under the theme of HD Highway the new Sony professional products at Nab include cameras, camcorders, optical disc technology, production switchers, non-linear editors, tape recorders and videotape, for use by TV and motion picture directors, network and affiliate news organisations and post-production facilities.

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Sony Electronics president broadcast and business solutions John Scarcella said, “Sony broadcast and professional products are helping to drive the growth of HD consumer entertainment in every form, from the digital production of TV shows and movies, and even to digital projection in your local movie theatre. Applications for these products stretch beyond broadcast and video and into all aspects of everyday life, from medical and education to corporate and government uses.”

For broadcasters, Sony’s XDCam Professional Disc system, uses blue-laser optical media to capture footage instead of tape. Sony has announced that the ten owned and operated networks of ABC Television will adopt XDCam technology over the next 18 months for their newsgathering and production processes. This announcement comes on the heels of CBS Television’s decision to adopt XDCam technology for its network news division and 16 owned-and-operated stations.

Other high-profile XDCam customers include the E! Entertainment Network and five stations within the Gray Television Group. Also on display at Nab will be a technology demonstration of a high-definition version of Sony’s XDCAM system. For the growing digital cinema industry, Sony is showing its SXRD digital projector. This product is capable of displaying images at nearly four times the resolution of current HD displays, and higher levels of contrast than competing technology.

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Sony claims that its SXRD technology is driving the introduction of digital cinema to the American mainstream. In the coming months Landmark Theatres takes delivery of six Sony projectors. The theatre chain will eventually convert all of its 59 theatres to digital projection. Sony’s HD production equipment is also prominent throughout the current TV prime time schedule. More than 50 new and returning shows have been shot digitally with Sony’s CineAlta line of acquisition and recording products.