Sony PDWU4 XDCAM Professional Disc Drive

Sony PDWU4 XDCAM Professional Disc Drive

Overview

Compact, high-performance XDCAM drive

Extending the benefits of Professional Disc to IT users, the PDW-U4 is a portable, easy-to-use drive that can be used with a PC or Mac to view media files (using free Sony software). It also offers full read/write access with compatible non-linear editing systems. Succeeding the PDW-U1 and PDW-U2, the PDW-U4 supports four/three/two/single-layer XDCAM Professional Disc media. Used with four-layer media (write-once) it offers up to 128 GB capacity on a single disc. 4-channel dual DCHS drive technology approximately doubles system performance compared with the PDW-U2.

Note: The PDW-U4 will be available from January 2021.

Features

Handles all XDCAM file formats
The PDW-U4 handles media files in XDCAM HD422, XDCAM HD and XDCAM SD formats. PC data files can also be recorded to a User Data folder on the same Professional Disc media.

Supports high capacity quad-layer Professional Disks
The PDW-U4 supports quad-layer write-once (PFD128QLW), triple-layer (PFD100TLA), dual-layer (PFD50DLA) and single-layer (PFD23A) Professional Discs, offering high capacity and new workflow capabilities, with over four hours of recording at HD422 50 Mbps (using PFD128QLW).

High speed read/write
The PDW-U4 offers speeds 2.0x (read)*/1.7x (write) faster than the PDW-U2, thanks to the newly developed 2x DCHS (Dual Channel Head System).

*Media file writing performance depends on speed of PC proxy creation.

Direct PC access via USB
Files on Professional Disc can be accessed directly by a PC connected to the PDW-U4 via USB 3.2, 3.1, 3.0, or 2.0. USB 3.0 or higher is recommended to maximize performance.

USB Type-C power delivery
Connecting the PDW-U4 directly to a PC or Mac supporting USB Type-C power delivery (more than 20 V 3 A 60 W) allows operation of the drive without needing an AC adaptor.

Compact design
The light, compact PDW-U4 shares the same proven design heritage and ergonomics of the PDW-U1 and PDW-U2. The drive can be operated either horizontally or vertically.

Specifications

General

Power Requirements	DC 19.5 V (AC adaptor supplied)
Power Consumption	30 W
Operating Temperature	41F to 104F (42F to 104F)
Storage Temperature	-20C to +60C -4F to +140F
Humidity	20% to 90% (relative humidity)
Mass	2.1 kg 4 lb 10 oz
Dimensions (W x H x D) *1	67.4 x 164 x 259 mm (excluding protrusions) 2 3/4 x 6 1/2 x 10 1/4 inches (excluding protrusions)
Recording/playback format (video)	XAVC (Infra 100 Mbps) MPEG HD422 (CBR, 50 Mbps) MPEG HD: - HQ mode (VBR, maximum bit rate: 35 Mbps) - SP mode (CBR, 25 Mbps) - LP mode (VBR, maximum bit rate: 18 Mbps) MPEG IMX (CBR, 50/40/30 Mbps) DVCAM (CBR, 25 Mbps)
Recording/playback format (audio)	XAVC: 8 ch/24 bits/48 kHz MPEG HD422: 8 ch/24 bits/48 kHz MPEG HD: 4/2 ch / 16 bits / 48 kHz MPEG IMX: 8 ch / 16 bits / 48 kHz or 4 ch / 24 bits / 48 kHz DVCAM: 4 ch / 16 bits / 48 kHz
Recording/Playback Format (Proxy Video)	MPEG-4
Recording / Playback Format (Proxy Audio)	A-law (8 ch / 8 bits / 8 kHz)
Recording/playback time (XAVC-I 100 Mbps Audio 8 ch)	Approx. 21 minutes (PFD23A) Approx. 46 minutes (PFD50DLA) Approx. 92 minutes (PFD100TLA) Approx. 120 minutes (PFD128QLW)
Recording/playback time (MPEG HD422 50 Mbps Audio 8 ch)	Approx. 43 minutes (PFD23A) Approx. 95 minutes (PFD50DLA) Approx. 190 minutes (PFD100TLA) Approx. 240 minutes (PFD128QLW)
Recording/playback time (MPEG HD 35 Mbps / VBR Audio 4 ch)	65 minutes or longer (PFD23A) 145 minutes or longer (PFD50DLA) 290 minutes or longer (PFD100TLA) 360 minutes or longer (PFD128QLW)
Recording / Playback Time (MPEG IMX 50 Mbps Audio 8 ch / 16 bit or 4 ch / 24 bit)	Approx. 45 minutes (PFD23A) Approx. 100 minutes (PFD50DLA) Approx. 200 minutes (PFD100TLA) Approx. 240 minutes (PFD128QLW)
Recording/playback time (DVCAM 25 Mbps Audio 4 ch)	Approx. 85 minutes (PFD23A) Approx. 185 minutes (PFD50DLA) Approx. 370 minutes (PFD100TLA) Approx. 450 minutes (PFD128QLW)

Media Drive

Media Type

Professional Disk Drive (x1)

Input / Output

USB	Super Speed USB (USB 3.2) (x1)

Supplied Accessories

Supplied Accessories

Operation manual (1) XDCAM Drive Software (1) XDCAM Browse Software (1)

Notes

Note	[*1] The values for dimensions are approximate.