New Camcorders from Hitachi

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Quite a few goodies were announced at Hitachi Australia’s Roadshow earlier this week, including three new camcorders – two of them recording to DVD and the other a follow-up to Hitachi’s first hybrid DVD/HDD camcorder. I’m a bit underwhelmed with the offering, though. No HD recording, and only 30GB for the hard drive model? The latter isn’t such a big deal as it doesn’t record in HD anyway, but camaaaan, Sony’s already released a 100GB HD camcorder! Press release

July 2007
Releasing the World’s first DVD CAM back in 2000, DVD has become the preferred camcorder format for a while and Hitachi has delivered consistent improvements and enhanced functions in each generation, until the 7th, launched earlier in 2007. In December 2006, Hitachi was the first to launch the Hybrid DVD/Hard Disk Drive (HDD) Camcorders ” an entirely new camcorder category that allows users to shoot for hours, edit in minutes and share in seconds. In 2007, Hitachi camcorder range includes both camcorder categories: DVD CAM and Hybrid.

Combining the convenience of the DVD format, for easy sharing and archiving, with the capacity of a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), the revolutionary Hybrid technology simplifies and speeds up the home movie making process. Users can shoot, select and burn to DVD and then share, with a few simple clicks of a button – all from the one camcorder. In June 2007 Hitachi made a successful addition to its camcorder category with the introduction of the DZ-HS500 featuring a 30GB HDD built-in Hitachi HDD.

The DZ-HS500 features a 30GB HDD and is compatible with most DVD formats
Small, lightweight and exceptionally versatile, the new DVD/ HDD Hybrid Camcorder is compatible with most standard DVD formats and can be used to record and edit footage before burning to DVD ” without having to install software or connect to a PC or other hardware devices. The Hitachi Hybrid allows camcorder users to shoot for a total of up to 23 hours in standard mode. Unwanted scenes can be edited out on the recording, to maximise effective use of recording space and get the best results by saving only those scenes you want to keep and share.

Easy double speed “˜One Touch dubbing’ button
The “˜One Touch Dubbing’ button feature enables either the entire movie contents or individually selected movie scenes, stored on the HDD, to be burned onto the most common DVD formats through the Multiformat drive. The double speed dubbing enables you to save time and make one more DVD copy if you like. Also, with the 4 way dubbing function, you can choose to dub your movies by scene and by date. Single or multiple copies of recorded footage can be shared with friends or family and the process is carried out, quickly and seamlessly, within the camera ” no additional software or PC connection is required. The finished DVDs can then be played back in domestic DVD players or other devices.

Unique editing and viewing features on the DVD CAM and Hybrid categories
Hitachi’s 2007 camcorder range includes a “˜quick to shoot’ setting so you don’t miss capturing the moment. When a great shot comes along, Hitachi DVD CAMs and Hybrid camcorders are ready to go in one second flat from the new “˜Sleep’ mode, less time than that required by previous models and other brands. An additional benefit of the “˜Sleep’ mode is that it reduces power consumption by 1/3 to 1/2 so you can operate the camcorder on one battery for longer periods of time.

Capturing still pictures to immortalise precious memories and important events is also hassle free with Hitachi’s unique Photo Capture mode. Simply select any desired scene on your footage and create a photo of that image. The still images can be captured and stored on SD or MMC Memory cards for you to print.

In addition, Hitachi camcorders offer true 16:9 Widescreen support, ensuring final images are never cut or cropped when played back on a TV or flat panel display.

With Hitachi camcorders and especially with the Hybrid DZ-HS500, it has never been easier or more practical to capture special and everyday moments and share them, with a few or with many. Simple to use, convenient and hassle free, the Hybrid HDD/DVD camcorders are a new kind of camcorder that take the effort out of movie making and DVD creation, so you are guaranteed to shoot for longer and share faster.

DZ-HS500 Hybrid HDD/ DVD Camcorder
“¢ Super Multi DVD-RAM/-R/-RW/+RW Recording
“¢ 800K CCD
“¢ 30GB HDD Capacity
“¢ Up to 22hrs recording (Std Mode)
“¢ Burn direct from HDD to DVD onboard
“¢ 2 x speed dubbing
“¢ 30 x optical zoom
“¢ 1 second recording
“¢ 4 way dubbing capability
“¢ 16×9 wide mode recording
“¢ SD Memory Card capability
“¢ Electronic Image Stabilizer
“¢ Trigger Button for Still Images
“¢ PC Software Kit Included
“¢ AV In /Out
“¢ RRP $1199

DZ-GX5100 DVD CAM
“¢ Super Multi DVD-RAM/-R/-RW/+RW Recording
“¢ 1.3 ” mega pixel CCD
“¢ Only 1 sec quick start
“¢ Photo Capture Mode
“¢ USB 2.0 High Speed
“¢ 2.7 Widescreen’ Color LCD
“¢ Finalize Button
“¢ Windows/Mac Compatible
“¢ 16×9 wide mode recording
“¢ SD Memory Card capability
“¢ 15 x Optical Zoom
“¢ 800 x Digital Zoom
“¢ Electronic Image Stabilizer
“¢ Trigger Button for Still Images
“¢ PC Software Kit Included
“¢ AV In/Out
“¢ RRP $999

DZ-GX5060 DVD CAM
“¢ Super Multi DVD-RAM/-R/-RW/+RW Recording
“¢ Only 1 sec quick start
“¢ Photo Capture Mode
“¢ 2.7′ Widescreen Color LCD Screen
“¢ SD Memory Card capability
“¢ Finalize Button
“¢ USB
“¢ AV OUT
“¢ 800K CCD
“¢ 16×9 wide mode recording
“¢ 30 x Optical Zoom
“¢ 1500 x Digital Zoom
“¢ Electronic Image Stabilizer
“¢ RRP $609

Product Page [Hitachi]