128 Chapter 8 Working with Sony XDCAM Formats
Frame Rate
XDCAM supports 25 and 29.97 fps.
XDCAM HD and XDCAM EX support the following formats and frame rates:
Â1080i60, 1080p30
Â1080i50, 1080p25
Â1080p24
XDCAM EX also supports the 720p format at 23.98, 25, 29.97, 50, and 59.94 fps.
XDCAM HD422 supports the 720p format at 50 and 59.94 fps.
A VFR shooting mode is also available on certain XDCAM HD camcorders. You choose
a playback frame rate (24p or 30p) and a recording frame rate (from 4 to 60 fps in
single increments). Because no duplicate frames are recorded, you can immediately see
the results of your VFR footage in-camera without special processing. For example, if
you shoot at 60 fps with a playback speed of 24 fps, the resulting video appears to be
40 percent slower than real time.
Note: XDCAM HD records variable frame rates above 30 fps (“overcranking”) by halving
the vertical resolution to 540 lines per frame. However, once you capture your footage
in Final Cut Pro, its frame dimensions appear as you expect at 1440 x 1080 pixels.
Scanning Method
XDCAM supports interlaced scanning. XDCAM HD and XDCAM EX support both
progressive and interlaced scanning, depending on the HD format you are using.