Sony announced its new flagship broadcast camera, the HDC-5500, describing it as the world’s first 2/3-inch 4K HDR three-CMOS camera system with global shutter.
   

Sony’s touting the camera’s high sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio, as well as its wide dynamic range capabilities for HDR acquisition. It’s controllable via a 19-inch 3U half-rack CCU supporting IP via SMPTE ST2110 and NMOS IS-04/05 as well as 12G-SDI baseband. Direct 4K output is available from the camera head, and a wireless side panel is available as an option.

Rob Willox, Sony Electronics director of marketing, said it’s being aimed at entertainment TV production, where producers will appreciate its ability to reduce moiré patterns and better handle strobing light effects (thanks to its global shutter).

If you want to shoot in 4K or at high frame rates with the HDC-5500 (or the smaller HDC-P50) you’ll need to enable it via what Sony’s calling a “portable license” that can be transferred among cameras in a company’s fleet as needed. Yearly license keys are activated and deactivated through Sony’s cloud servers, and separate licenses will be required for high frame rates and 4K.

Sony said NEP Australia is the first HDC-5500 worldwide, but also noted that Game Creek Video has ordered 48 of them. That’s the largest single order in the history of Game Creek Video, per founder and President Pat Sullivan, who took the stage at Sony’s NAB 2019 press conference.

The HDC-5500 is expected to ship in May.