The XDCAM format uses multiple compression methods : MPEG-2 when recording in MPEG IMX, DV25 when recording in DVCAM and MPEG-4 when recording in a low resolution proxy stream. The XDCAM HD variant of XDCAM records MPEG-2 long GOP at up to 35 MBit/s (HQ mode).
Most standard definition XDCAM camcorders can switch from IMX to DVCAM with the flick of a switch, although both DVCAM-only and IMX-only models are available.
MPEG IMX does not use temporal compression, which makes it suitable as an editing format. At 50 Mbit/s it offers visual quality that is comparable to Digital Betacam, and is still suitable for many TV productions, primarily ENG, where the practicality of a non-linear format outweighs Digital Beta's superior colour resolution (10-bit vs. IMX's 8-bit) and lower compression ratio. It is also a popular choice for Reality TV.
The DVCAM mode allows the user to record twice as much footage and maintains a large compatibility with a large amount of low end NLE's. MPEG IMX can record at a bitrate of 30, 40 or 50 Megabits per second, while DVCAM records at 25 Mbit/s. The low resolution proxy is recorded at 1.5 Mbit/s with 64 kbit/s for each audio channel. The CIF resolution is used for the proxy recordings.