XAVC

XAVC is a Sony-branded family of video recording formats and codecs introduced for professional and consumer cameras to enable high-resolution video capture and flexible production workflows. The format is designed to support modern imaging needs, including 4K and high-bitrate recording, while offering options suited to different production requirements.

The XAVC family comprises several variants optimized for various use cases. XAVC Intra (All-I-frame) provides full-frame quality by encoding each frame independently, while XAVC Long GOP uses inter-frame compression to achieve higher efficiency for longer recordings. XAVC S is a consumer-oriented variant commonly used in more compact cameras and camcorders. Depending on the variant, recordings may use different wrappers and containers (such as MXF, MOV, or MP4) and may employ encoding standards from AVC/H.264 to HEVC/H.265, with various color-space and bit-depth options to suit professional or consumer needs.

In practice, XAVC has been adopted across a range of Sony cameras, including professional camcorders and cinema-oriented models, as well as some consumer devices under the XAVC S umbrella. The format is supported by many video-editing and post-production systems, often with native or widely available plug-ins and codecs. Its design aims to balance image quality, compression efficiency, and workflow compatibility, making it a common choice for high-resolution production across different tiers of equipment.