Thursday, August 30,2007 @ 10:35am
Sanyo unveils smallest-ever wide 1080i camera
Sanyo today claimed to set records with the Xacti HD1000, its newest and most powerful compact camera. By producing a new processor that consolidates the work of two chips into one, the company has produced what it says is the world's smallest camera that can encode widescreen 1080i video; the main body is barely larger than its 10X lens and includes a swiveling, 2.7-inch LCD that tucks into the handle to save space. This resoltution comes without sacrifices, Sanyo boasts: the camera records at 60 frames per second and can take 4-megapixel still shots in the middle of video capture.
Other new touches include a Face Chaser mode that keeps people in focus similar to the face detection of still cameras, a fast start that readies the Xacti for video in as little as two seconds, and a manual mode that allows fine-tuning of aperture, exposure, shutter speed, and color correction. Media is recorded in AVC (H.264) video to SDHC cards rather than tape, assisting the fast start and generating large amounts of video with a small footprint. An 8GB card will hold 85 minutes of maximum-resolution HD and 5 hours, 14 minutes of standard NTSC video, Sanyo estimates.
The camera will also be one of the least expensive HD cameras available when it ships in September, selling for $800 without bundled memory but including copies of Nero 7 Essentials and Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5 SE to help Windows users play and author movie projects.
