avchd

Canon today unveiled two new AVCHD camcorder models that will be available in Japan in September for the Japanese equivalent of about $1,300. The iVis models--the overseas version of the Vixia brand--will include an addition to the HF line of flash-based camcorders and a replacement for the HG10 hard-disk based unit.

The HF11 is a higher-end line mate for the popular HF10; it adds a higher bit-rate 24Mbps recording mode and an increase to 32GB built-in flash memory, up from 16GB. The hard-disk-based HG21 has the same innards as the HF10/11 and gets a boost to the 12x … Read more

Updated 6/23/08 with information about the sensors.

In an interesting turn, JVC's newest hard-disk-based HD camcorders--the Everio GZ-HD40, GZ-HD30, and GZ-HD10--will support AVCHD in addition to its traditional MPEG-2 formats. This is a great idea, at least for the interim, since it theoretically provides you with more flexibility in your video-editing options--especially if its AVCHD files aren't supported right out of the gate--and allows it to deliver high bit rate video beyond the 24Mbps maximum for AVCHD. Plus, the camcorders include FireWire (i.Link) interfaces, which many of today's models have dropped, for dealing with … Read more

As it inevitably had to do, Sony today announced the flash-memory version of its HDR-SR11 hard-disk-based HD camcorder, replacing the older CX7. A tad smaller than the CX7 by one or two tenths of an inch in every dimension, it uses the same 12x zoom lens and 5.6-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor that drives the SR11 (and its line mates, the SR10 and SR12). Since it's smaller than the SR models, it uses the same 2.7-inch LCD as its predecessor.

Going head-to-head with Canon's HF10, the HF10 still looks like a slightly better deal based on specs … Read more

In an effort to improve upon the light sensitivity characteristics of its prosumer AVCHD camcorders, Panasonic has switched to a new three-chip MOS system dubbed "3MOS" for its newly announced HDC-SD100 and HDC-HS100 models. The company claims the new sensors provide about twice the photo-sensitive area as the CCDs used by its last-generation model, the HDC-SD9. However, Panasonic did not indicate the resolution of the chips; it's likely relatively low, as most three-chip solutions tend to be. As I guessed, the chips are fairly low resolution--520,000 pixels for 16:9 video--and they're tiny, 1/6-inch … Read more

Latest updates in bold.

After 20 years in the biz, I've lost count of how many times I've heard, "The software hasn't caught up with the hardware." Usually, however, it simply means you have to wait a bit before recognizing the speed benefits of your expensive 64-bit, dual-core system, or find games that show off the long-shader support in your graphics card. With camcorders, however, it means you can't use your video.

Personally, I don't consider a camcorder as mainstream if you have to search the Web and troll forums to find software … Read more

Last year Sony introduced the NSC-GC1 Net-Sharing CAM, a pocket-sized camcorder that captures video at up to 640x480-pixels and 30 frames per second. Now, they've introduced a high-end version called the Handycam HDR-TG1 that can capture full 1920x1080-pixel high-definition video in AVCHD format, which it records onto MemoryStick Pro Duo flash memory cards. Its $900 price tag left my jaw on the floor, but there are some nifty features included for a camcorder this size and it does include a 4GB Pro Duo Mark2 memory card in that price.

Though it measures 1.3 x 4.7 x 2.… Read more

The HD format war may be over, but don't tell Corel. The company's WinDVD 9 software plays both Blu-ray and the now-defunct HD DVD format--perfect for those few Windows PCs with HD combo drives, such as the HP Pavilion Slimline S3330f. The software supports the full range of features for both formats, including their next-gen audio soundtracks (Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD), Blu-ray Profile 1.1 (picture-in-picture commentaries), and--while it lasts--Web-enabled "In Movie Experience" features on HD DVDs.

WinDVD 9 is available Tuesday in three versions. The entry-level version ($50) handles standard DVD movies, along with … Read more

At an intimate press conference yesterday, Panasonic Broadcast revealed a few of the forthcoming products that it plans to debut at the NAB show this April. The high point--at least for us--is the introduction of the AG-HMC150, an AVCHD SD card-based addition to its affordable pro HD options, which includes the DVCProHD-based AG-HVX200.

Leveraging the design of the older, standard def AG-DVX100, the HMC150 will incorporate a trio of new 1/3-inch CCDs with native 16:9 aspect ratios, and support all the various 1080 and 720 progressive and interlaced options. It will use a broader 28mm Leica lens, also … Read more

Back when all video was recorded to tape, archiving was somewhat simple. If you used a decent grade tape, you could store it for a while and then dub it if you worried about the ravages of time. Now that more video is being recorded to hard-drives and flash memory, computer-phobic videographers find themselves in a slight pickle. To accompany the company's latest HDD and flash camcorders, Canon has introduced the DW-100 DVD Burner. The DW-100 will be able to burn both standard definition DVDs and AVCHD DVDs. The latter can be played back on those Blu-Ray players that … Read more