Pro Media Delays – Latest News and Updates
Sony HDCAM SR: Limited Availability, but Improving - November 10, 2011
Sony is recovering from the March 2011 earthquake/tsunami damage to their Japanese factory. But, they are not fully recovered. While HDCAM SR is shipping from Sony, supplies are far from pre-tsunami levels.
Still, prices are beginning a descent to reasonable levels. At times we will have product at more normal pricing, but inconsistent supplies can result in price spikes. This is particularly true if your need is urgent. If you can plan ahead and allow some time to fill your order, you are much more likely to see improved pricing.
BCT-6SR is available immediately. In stock now.
BCT-40SR is available immediately. In stock now.
Sony Return to Production Planned, April 28, 2011
In a press release today http://bit.ly/j4uMgJ, Sony announced that Blu-ray production should resume in late March 2011. Magnetic tape production should resume around the end of July 2011. No details were released regarding the production schedules of specific formats or when end-users can expect delivery.
Maxell Production Update — March 24th, 2011
From a letter released by Maxell today, we've learned their production facilities in Japan are undamaged and now operational.
Delays can still be expected, however, as Maxell increases production and hires additional staff to meet growing demand. Maxell believes the majority of their products will be supplied without interruption.
Taiyo Yuden / JVC Update — March 22nd, 2011
Taiyo Yuden's Japan facility has sustained some damage, but they are currently making repairs. For now, TapeOnline has most models of Taiyo/JVC media in stock.
Pro Media Alternatives — March 21st, 2011
With the ongoing shortage of Pro Media, here is a list of suitable format alternatives.
DVCAM
Panasonic AMQ tapes are interchangeable with all DVCAM decks and cameras. They even come packaged in the same style plastic case as DVCAM.
HDCAM
Maxell HDCAM tape may be more readily available in the coming weeks. Their tape is readily interchangeable with Sony HDCAM tape.
Betacam SP and Digital Betacam
Maxell also offers alternatives to these common formats. Both Maxell Betacam SP and Maxell Digital Betacam can be interchanged with Sony branded tapes.
HDCAM SR vs. D5
While D5 and HDCAM SR tapes are not interchangeable, D5 is an alternative, offering uncompressed 10-bit storage with 4:4:4 color space.
Recycled Media
Consider using recycled or "evaluated" media. Evaluated tape has been erased by a machine similar to a tape deck that runs at high-speed to both erase and then read the tape for errors. It's guaranteed to be free of defects.
Quantities are still limited with all brands, but these alternatives will come into play as time progresses.
Pro Media Delays — March 18th, 2011
The earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan have had a devastating impact on the major suppliers of professional recording media. Fuji, Maxell and Panasonic have all had some reduction of capacity due to earthquake damage.
Sony has sustained the worst damage. Their Sendai factory, the sole facility for the production of most of the high-end products including HDCAM and HDCAM SR, was flooded by the tsunami.
We have no word on when the Sony facility will be up and running. Maxell and Fuji will be back online sooner and possibly shipping increased inventory of formats such as HDCAM, XDCAM and Digital Betacam within a month or so. HDCAM SR, however, is produced exclusively by Sony and only at the Sendai plant. It could be many months before HDCAM SR returns to production.
Additionally, many factories producing component parts of high-tech products were located in the Sendai area. Short supplies of these key components will soon be affecting production of items like hard drives, memory cards and blank CD and DVD discs.
In the meantime, we are scrambling to fill in the gaps. Our inventory is quickly being depleted as news of shortages spreads. We've literally had inquiries and orders placed from all over the world. Finding new inventory is spotty and expensive.
Currently, we are accepting orders, but you should expect potentially long delays when purchasing pro media. If you have any questions you're always welcome to call us at 1 (877) 893-8273 or email us at info@tapeonline.com. We'd be glad to talk to you and take care of you the best we can.
We'll update this page with new information as we receive it. Thank you for understanding as we all continue to respond to this unprecedented event. Above all, please keep the people of Japan in your thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely,
The TapeOnline.com Team
