Hitachi prepares 1080p Blu-Ray camcorder

The Japanese division of Hitachi is preparing what should be the world's first camcorder to record directly to Blu-Ray. Currently without a codename, it will record to three-inch BD-R/RE discs, each capable of storing 7GB -- substantially less than the 25 to 50GB of full-size Blu-Ray, but still more than comparably-sized DVD media. DVD discs inserted into the camera will only allow playback.

Critically, the device should actually be able to take advantage of Blu-Ray, due to a 5.3-megapixel CMOS sensor that captures images in 1080p. The camera is further equipped with AVC/H.264 MPEG-4 encoding for better HD compression, and MPEG-2 serves as an SD fallback. Hitachi is unsure of the exact release date for the camcorder, but it should be out in Japan between fall and the end of the year. [via Impress Watch]