Hitachi Announces DVD-RAM Camcorder

[Jerry Jones]

Wow. Could this be the end of tape?
http://216.246.51.179/html/2000/June/news/hitachi.htm

[Jerry Jones]

Here are the pretty pictures:
http://www.hitachi.co.jp/New/cnews/E/2000/000608B.html

[DrMordrid]

What I think would kill tape in no time: cams that record on flourescent multi-layered data cards at 20-30 gigs/card (credit card sized).

Dr. Mordrid

[dchip]

248,000yen or about $2300 for the unit and about another $2300 for the DVD RAM drive for PC. It's difficult to imagine where this thing would fit into the NLE scheme with our current PC's. If competition heats up (and it always does with new technology) then hopefully, by the time that thing hits U.S. and G.B., we all can upgrade reasonably. It does sound like exciting technology. 720,000 pixels and totally random access is very cool.

[Brian Ellis]

At 5 grand a go and having to lug round a recorder AND a camera and having to connect them, it doesn't sound like they're going to sell 100,000 units in the first week, does it? And how will the disks perform in high and low temperatures? Living in a climate where the temps do go up to 45 C and more regularly, this is an important question. In summer, I can't burn a CD-R unless I've had the aircon on for a couple of hours beforehand.

As usual, call me a sceptic.

------------------
Brian (the terrible)

[Jerry Jones]

I don't think you *have* to "lug around a recorder" in addition to the camcorder and I don't think you *have* to "connect them."

The verbage that I'm reading indicates random access playback is available from the camcorder itself.

>b. Unlike a tape-based
>camcorder, there is no
>need to rewind the tape
>to see what you've recorded.
>Any part of any recording
>can be replayed virtually
>instantaneously.

>After you have finished
>recording, all you have to
>do is press the Play button
>and the camcorder automatically
>replays any recordings that
>haven't yet been viewed.
http://www.hitachi.co.jp/New/cnews/E/2000/000608B.html

[dchip]

What angered you there, Brian? I was only saying it's looks like an interesting offering from Hitachi. No doubt camcordings future is going look something like it. I agree with you, though, the price for a full setup that takes full advantage of the technology is pretty steep. Still, recording (I almost said taping) directly to MPEG-2 (if I understand correctly what this thing does) has got to be some darn great video.

[Brian Ellis]

Dchip

Not angered, just sceptical. At the start of prosumer mini-DV, the first cameras were the Sony 3-CCD and a 1-chip cut-down version of the same, then the Pana 3-CCD, with the staggered luminance technology. The latter, which I bought, and still use 5 years after, cost about $1800 (in Singapore, about twice as much elsewhere) at that time and I thought that was bloody expensive. The initial popularity of mini-DV did not start until sub-$1000 cameras arrived. I suspect it will be the same with DVD, but the price problem is that much greater, even assuming the temperature problem has been solved.

There is something that I haven't caught onto here, but let it be admitted I don't know anything about DVD. In the photo, I assume the DVD cartridges are those things in front of the cameras. As they are bigger than the cameras, how come you don't have to lug round a recorder? Or have I missed out on a basic point?

Now, just to show my ignorance completely, I understand that DVD systems have a coding which would prevent me, assuming I have a system made for the European market, from buying a DVD in 'Strilia or Malaysia, even though they use PAL, and playing it at home (or vice versa). How would that work with this?

------------------
Brian (the terrible)

[Jerry Jones]

The disk cartridges you see in front of the camcorder are regular sized DVD-RAM cartridges.

They don't go into the camcorder.

Look to the right of the camcorder. You will see a mini-cartridge. This is explained in the text:

>1. Uses 8cm DVD-RAM disks...
>1.46GB per side

These "mini-cartridges" can be inserted into DVD-RAM drives as can standard-sized DVD-RAM cartridges.