JVC demonstrates 4K camcorder, transports us from Vegas to New York

We've always known that 'Full HD' 1080p video is just another stop on the road to ultra-high-definition TV. At JVC's stand at the CES 2011 trade show, the company demonstrated a 4K prototype camcorder that suggests we'll be reaching UltraHDville sooner than we might think.

The camera, which offers an image resolution of 3,840x2,160 pixels, shoots 8.3-megapixel frames at a rate of 60 frames per second. This is only possible because JVC has developed new processors that are more than twice as fast as previous models. As a bonus, these new chips use less power and are cheaper to make than the processors in current JVC camcorders. 

We were blown away by how such a small camcorder could produce such an incredible picture. The camera is the same size as any semi-pro HD model from JVC's current range. Although it's not going on sale yet, it certainly looked like a finished product to us.

What amazed us most, though, was how crystal-clear the picture is. You can see how detailed it is by looking at the second image in our photo gallery above (a photo of an image displayed on a TV). The quality is so high that it looks like we popped to New York to snap some guy crossing the street.

That's not to say the camcorder's perfect, though. We noticed some colour fringing on certain objects, for example. Overall, however, the smoothness of the picture and remarkably crisp images are truly exciting. We really felt like we were looking out of a window when we viewed the images.

JVC first showed a prototype of this camera in 2007, so it's been quite a few years in the making. We can only hope that it goes on sale soon and that we can start throwing away all those rubbish Full HD TVs that are blighting our living rooms.