Sony unlocks 4K on its PXW-X70

Sony has announced an optional, paid firmware update that will provide 4K QFHD recording for its PXW-X70 camera, with 24p, 25p or 30p speeds and at 60Mbps. To make this possible, you will need to have firmware version 2.0 installed, this one free and which comes with a few HD-facing improvements.

Proxy Recording

It captures a smaller video file, with a lower bitrate than normal XAVC, while keeping the timecode exactly the same. This speeds up other processes such as editing or sending files.

FTP Transfers

To send XAVC and AVCHD files over the Internet by storing them remotely on an FTP server.

Streaming

It allows the transmission of live images, being able to select the required transfer rate (between 9Mbps and 3Mbps) to suit the environment used.

Wired LAN connection

When the wireless LAN is not available, we can use the Internet with a wired connection via the VMC-UAM2 USB adapter and the CBK-NA1R network adapter.

These same HD features available with the 2.0 firmware update will also be added to the Sony X200 model, along with the MI Shoe for the UWP-D wireless microphone system and HVL-LBPC battery.

The upgrade that will enable 4K is called CBKZ-X70FX and will cost €485 excluding tax. Firmware 2.0 is scheduled for release in June.

Finally, Sony has said that it is looking for ways to find support for a higher rate at 60Mbps for 3840×2160 resolution in XAVC-L.