Among a number of camera launches, Kodak this morning unveiled one of the first pocket camcorders to record at 1080p. The Zi8 can capture at a full 1920x1080 at 30 frames per second, producing movies that show at the full resolution of a Blu-ray movie. It can also capture at 720p using a fast 60 frames per second and is unique in having a microphone jack to support more professional-sounding audio.

The camera also claims superiority in a handful of other areas, such as built-in electronic image stabilization, a larger than usual 2.5-inch LCD, and the option of shooting 5-megapixel, 16:9 aspect ratio still photos. Storage is based solely on SDHC cards and with a 32GB card could hold as much as 10 hours of HD encoded in H.264. HDMI also lets it output to a TV at full quality.

Kodak ships black, blue and red versions of the Zi8 in September for $180, or lower than the $200 of the 720p-only Flip Ultra HD.