JVC brings 1080p pocket camera to the US
updated 08:10 am EDT, Tue October 13, 2009
JVC Picsio pocket HD cams make NA debut
JVC on Tuesday exported its first-ever pocket camcorder to US shores. The Picsio GC-FM1 is one of the few cameras its size to record in 1080p (albeit 4:3) at a full 30 frames per second with image stabilization. It also has a 720p, 60FPS shooting mode and a toggle to switch to 8-megapixel still image shooting. All movies are captured in H.264 (AVCHD) in a format that can be immediately sent to iMovie, iTunes or YouTube without being transcoded first.
The camera aims at giving more control than a camera like a Flip Mino HD with a dedicated directional pad and discrete buttons. Expansion is also an emphasis as the Picsio uses SDHC cards instead of fixed storage, but it still has HDMI output for a full-resolution preview.
Black, blue and pink versions of the GC-FM1 should be in stores soon, if not today, and sell for $200 each.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: May 2005
4:3???
4:3????? Something ain't right here. Hi-def standard does NOT support 4:3 aspect ratio for picture (only 16:9). Most video editing apps wouldn't even know what to do with a 4:3 video inside a HD timeline.
After checking the manual (on the linked site), it seems that 4:3 applies only to stills, and video is captured in proper HD aspect and resolution.