SxS PRO Memory Cards from SONY

XDCAM EX is Sony's second XDCAM implementation. Implemented in the PMW-EX1 camera, it offers a similar recording profile to XDCAM HD, but records on SxS PRO Memory Cards.

The SxS PRO memory card is designed for professional camcorders.  The biggest advantage of the format is the ExpressCard compliancy and the fast transfer speeds.

The SxS memory card specification uses flash memory and complies with the ExpressCard industry standard, and the card connects directly to computer systems through the high-speed PCI-Express bus. ExpressCard has been rapidly adopted by PC manufacturers to replace the native PC Card form factor, giving the SxS memory cards broad support in post-production hardware.

The SxS PRO card is based on the “SxS memory card specification”, which enables high-speed data transfer. The SxS PROcard offers a more efficient workflow by reducing transfer times of large data files such as high-definition video with speeds of 800 Mbps. The card’s compact size is ideally suited to the lighter and smaller camcorders needed for mobile videography, and gives users more opportunities to shoot in a wider range of conditions.

The primary difference in the implementation of the XDCAM HD codecs in XDCAM EX are that 1080 images are sampled with a full 1920x1080 2-D array. The codec is employed at either 25Mbit/s for SP mode, or 35Mbit/s for HQ mode. Additionally the recorded media is carried in an MP4 file wrapper, versus XDCAM's MXF file wrappers.