JVC lays out new camcorders, DVD/VCR recorders

In its second major wave of CES announcements, JVC has pulled the wraps off several new camcorders, and a collection of DVD/VCR combo devices. The camcorders are led by the 7.4-megapixel Everio GZ-MG730, which holds a 30GB hard drive, and uses a CCD sensor with a primary color filter. The main feature is said to be its double-use as a still camera, since it not only incorporates flash, but also shutter and aperture priority modes, exposure bracketing, backlight and spotlight compensation, and a histogram view.

The remaining four Everio hard drive cameras are limited to a 680,000-pixel resolution, and do not have still picture modes mentioned. They do however have 35x optical zoom and illumination lights, plus in the case of the higher-end GZ-MG360 and MG365 models, doubled hard drive space (60GB). The lowest-end GZ-MG330 is available in three different colors: red, blue and silver.

The two new MiniDV camcorders, the GR-D850 and D870, also feature 35x zoom and illumination lights. The D870 though is the only camera update with Dual Recording -- the ability to snap stills while shooting video -- and Live Slow, which merges slow-motion footage with live audio.

The DR-MV100B and DR-MV79B are DVD/VCR combo recorders, and are capable of upconversion to 1080p through an HDMI output. The two can also read the DivX codec, a relatively rare feature on recorders that can be useful for burning archives. The MV100B alone is equipped with an ATSC tuner, allowing it to record over-the-air HD on a timed schedule.

Finally, the HR-XVC11B/12S is a straight-forward DVD/VCR combo, whose only major feature is the ability to run timed recordings, as with the above units. No dates or prices have been published for any of the camcorders or recorders.

Filed under: gadgets, digital imaging
Other story tags: DVD, camcorders, VHS, VCR