JVC this afternoon picked PMA as the venue to launch the Everio X line of camcorders. Starting with the GZ-X900, the range stresses both HD video capture as well as unusually strong still image photography in the same device. The X900 can record widescreen 1080i video in AVCHD format but is also capable of shooting 9-megapixel native images and can shoot consecutive images at up to 15FPS. A mixed shooting mode also lets the camera take 5-megapixel shots while recording 1080i movies, potentially taking still photos up to the SDHC card's storage limit at the slowest 4 frames per second.

Both photo and movie modes take advantage of a Konica Minolta 5X, optical-stabilized lens and an HDMI output with x.v.Color support. The camera body itself is also comparatively small at 4.9 inches long and weighs just under 0.7 pounds.

Although JVC only bundles Windows software with the X900, the files are usable by Macs and can be sent to most modern video editing software or to H.264-friendly sites like YouTube with relatively few changes. The inaugural Everio X ships in June for $1,000.