Sony HVR-A1U User Manual
Digital HD Video Camera Recorder
HVR-A1U
2
Expanding New HD Shooting
Opportunities with an Unprecedented Level
of Compactness and Mobility
– the HVR-A1U HDV 1080i Camcorder
In response to the ever-increasing demands for HD program production, Sony launched the
new high-definition recording system adopting the HDV 1080i specification of the
HDV
TM
format – the HVR-Z1U camcorder and HVR-M10U VTR – in 2004. Upon that
introduction, these products have rapidly acquired a huge reputation from a wide range of
customers due to their outstanding picture quality, stunning performance, and
cost-effectiveness. Sony has now expanded the HDV line-up by introducing the HVR-A1U
camcorder to meet further evolving needs for HD acquisition.
The HVR-A1U is an extremely compact and lightweight handy-type camcorder, ideal for
applications where space is at a premium or extreme mobility is required. This camcorder is
equipped with a newly developed 1/3-inch type, 2.97-megapixel (total) CMOS sensor and an
all-new Enhanced Imaging Processor
TM
that optimizes the performance of the CMOS sensor,
providing outstanding high-definition picture quality.
In addition to HDV 1080i recording and playback, this camcorder offers the DVCAM
TM
/DV
recording and playback capabilities that are provided on current Sony DVCAM models.
A down-conversion capability of its 1080i recordings is also provided for a flexible choice of
production systems in HDV, DVCAM, or DV format.
Furthermore, the HVR-A1U incorporates a variety of convenient and professional features such
as XLR audio input, time code capability, various automatic shooting modes,
and still picture recording.
Available at an extremely affordable price, the HVR-A1U will be another powerful option for HD
field acquisition by all video professionals, bringing further broadened shooting opportunities.
HDV 1080i Specification
1
The HDV 1080i specification of the HDV format features
1,080 effective scanning lines (interlace scanning system) and
1,440 horizontal pixels. It adopts the MPEG-2 compression
format (MP@H-14 for video), which uses 8-bit digital
component recording with a sampling rate of 4:2:0. MPEG-1
Audio Layer II is used as the audio compression format,
allowing for two-channel recording with a sampling frequency
of 48 kHz/16-bit. The HDV 1080i specification provides high
picture quality that can be used for HDTV program
production.
1 The HDV format also defines the HDV 720p specification, which features 720
effective scanning lines (progressive scanning system) and 1,280 horizontal
pixels.
Compatible with Existing and
New DV Videocassette Tape
As a member of the proven DV family of formats, the HDV
format has, from the outset, been developed for compatibility
with all grades of DV videocassette tape. This allows
operators to use high-grade DV videocassette tapes for
applications where high robustness is critical, or consumergrade videocassette tapes for more economical operations.
For heavy-duty applications, a new high-grade mini cassette
tape has been developed; the DigitalMaster
TM
PHDVM-63DM.
This tape is compatible with the HDV, DVCAM, and DV
formats.
Long Recording Time
The HDV format adopts the same track pitch and tape speed
as the DV format, thus offering the same recording time
– a maximum of 63 minutes when recording on a
DigitalMaster mini cassette tape.
Direction of tape travel
10 μm
Sub Code sector
MPEG-2 PES sector
(Video + Audio + Search + AUX)
ITI sector
Direction
of head motion
1/4 inch
(6.35 mm)
ITI: Insert and Track Information
PES: Packetized Elementary Stream
Track Pattern of the HDV 1080i Specification
3
HDV FORMAT
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