Digital Betacam has become the format of choice for the production of highest quality standard definition programmes. There is an installed base of over 99,000 products worldwide and the format is readily accepted by the world's most prestigious broadcasters. Digital Betacam camcorders, VTRs and players are in daily use around the world for productions where the ultimate standard definition quality is a critical requirement.

The DVW-970P camcorder is the most recent addition to the Digital Betacam family. It is the latest in a long line of broadcast camcorders and emphasises the continued commitment by Sony to the Digital Betacam format and its users.

This third generation Digital Betacam camcorder is widescreen switchable and uses a new generation of Power HAD EX™ CCDs to guarantee exceptional picture quality. Familiar ergonomics, robust construction and reliable operation are key features of the DVW-970P.

The ability to select between 50i (interlaced) and 25P (progressive) recording provides additional creativity to the production team, allowing the optimum picture "look" to be selected for each production.

• Digital Betacam was the first recording format from Sony to use data compression of the digital video signal. A very mild compression ratio of around 2.1 was chosen to ensure very high qaulity pictures, especially for productions requiring complex multi-generation editing.

• Widescreen operation for future-proof acquisition

  With widescreen production now the norm rather than the exception, the ability to record 16:9 pictures ensures a long shelf life for your programme.

• Great track record of international use

  Digital Betacam camcorders and VTRs have been used to produce thousands of great programmes since the format was introduced in 1993. Over 96,000 units have been sold, and camera operators shooting with Digital Betacam have the confidence of knowing that the world's most prestigious broadcasters will accept their pictures.

• Peace of mind even in the toughest environments

  Sony has an unrivalled track record in the manufacture of camcorders for broadcast production. The same meticulous design techniques have been applied to the DVW-970P, guaranteeing a great combination of performance, ease-of-use and reliability.

16:9 / 4:3 Switchable FIT CCD
FIT CCD has a smear level of -140 dB, which means virtually immeasurable in a practical camera

12 bit Advanced Digital Signal Processing (ADSP)
Allows enhanced dynamic range, better tonal reproduction and the addition of many other software features

TruEye processing
The TruEye processing feature manages video signal data according to three factors- brightness, hue and saturation- so that with a wide dynamic range signal, colour can be reproduced as faithfully as by the human eye , by eliminating the hue factor distortion.

Optional SDI output board.
Allows the rear video out socket to be either analogue composite or SDI, selectable by a menu.

Optional Picture Cache memory board.
Now you need never miss a picture again, this board stores up to 8 seconds of audio and video in solid state memory. Thus an event up to 8 seconds previous to the time when you pressed the rec start button is available. It is selectable to be 1, 2, 4 or 8 seconds, for example a store of 4 seconds gives effectively an instant start from standby off position.

Internal 50 watt stabilised light system.
This stabilised internal light system can be powered from the camcorder's lithium-ion battery. The light can be switched on/off either manually or automatically, where the light goes on when you start recording and off when you stop recording.

Turbo gain up to 48 dB.
Allows working down to 0.2 lux, better than the colour capability of the human eye.

Auto trace white system.
The ATW function makes it possible to automatically adjust the white balance as lighting conditions change. This function is useful when shooting in rapidly changing lighting conditions (for example, when moving from an indoor to an outdoor location). Conventional Auto white balance is also available both instead of and in addition to ATW operation. White B preset position is assigned for ATW operation by selecting either ATW or AWB B in the VF menu.

Dial in colour temperature.
You can now programme the camera to a certain colour temperature, and then light to that, rather than using preset positions or auto white balance with gels to offset the balance. Also added is an offset function to slightly warm or cool a picture irrespective of the auto white setting, since the offset is removed before auto white and then added back in again when auto white is completed.

Built in film gamma curve
The F gamma represents the average transfer characteristic of various film stocks, and has a shallow slope in the dark areas leading to slight lifting of the very dark areas, and flattens off the highlights, to give a higher dynamic range. Programmable S gamma is also available.

Multi matrix feature.
This allows any colour to be grabbed, and its hue and saturation to be altered within a range of around 20 degrees, and the saturation almost to nil. In this way many "in camera" effects can be made.

Cameraman programmable menu system.
This allows every cameraman to make his own menu structure, by copying any single menu item from any other page and pasting it into your own page, which can then be stored on a setup card.