JVC to Release 3CCD HDD Video Camera

Apr 14, 2005 14:40

Victor Co. of Japan, Ltd. (JVC) will launch the GZ-MC500, a new Everio series video camera product, which records MPEG-2 format video files onto a 1-inch CompactFlash type hard disc drive (HDD), in the second half of June 2005. The HDD video camera features a CCD solid-state image pickup sensor (CCD sensor) dedicated to each of the red, green and blue colors. This will be Victor's first so-called 3CCD compact video camera aimed at general consumers. The camera can also take an approximately 5 megapixel still picture using the same three CCD sensors. The company positions the GZ-MC500 as an upper end model of the GZ-MC100 and GZ-MC200 Everio series released in November 2004. Pricing is open, but street pricing is expected to be around ¥170,000. The video camera will use the 4GB 1-inch CompactFlash Microdrive HDD for storage. In the highest resolution mode, 720 x 480 pixels at an encoding data rate of about 9Mbps, the product can record approximately 60 minutes of video onto a 4GB HDD.

The built-in lens unit consists of 7 elements and 10 lenses, including 3 non-spherical lenses, and is capable of 10x optical zoom (8x for a still picture). The unit records video files at F1.8-2.4, and still images at F1.9-2.4. The three CCD sensors pick up images from light taken in through the lens unit and dispersed by a prism. Each of the 1/4.5-inch CCD sensors has a total resolution of 1.33 megapixels. Video shooting uses 0.69 megapixels, while still image shooting uses 1.23 megapixels. The lowest luminance is 18lx.

Tomohisa Takei, Nikkei Electronics

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