Name: JVC Everio GZ-HD40
Category: digital video camera
Price: Open price (about JPY150,000)
Release date in Japan: Early July, 2008

With a 120GB internal hard drive - the same storage capacity as many laptop computers these days - the Everio GZ-HD40 is good for up to 50 hours of full high-definition (1920x1080i) movie recording. That's the longest HD recording time of any shipping camera, says JVC.

The tech behind that achievement includes a 2.68-megapixel CMOS sensor and the "Dual AVCHD/MPEG-2 Codec HD Signal-Processing LSI for Video Cameras", the latter being another world's first, according to JVC. You choose the codec to use: AVCHD (1920x1080) for recording time of up to 50 hours but at a relatively low bit rate; or MPEG-2 TS (1920x1080 or 1440x1080) for recording time of only 10 hours but at a higher bit rate allowing more editing possibilities.

There's more to like than just the ability to record the equivalent of a couple dozen feature-length films. Push the record button, and the GZ-HD40 starts capturing the scene in a twelfth of a second - an impressive speed which JVC says is also unmatched by anyone else. (Think that rounds out JVC's claims of "We're #1"? Oh, no, not yet; the company also wants you to know that this is the smallest hard disk-toting hi-def camera you can buy, weighing only 455g.)

Additional niceties include a 10x optical zoom, microSD/SDHC slot, and an "Auto Grouping" feature to organize your footage. (Good navigation is a necessity when you've got to sift through 50 hours of video to find a key scene.)

In addition to the JPY150,000 GZ-HD40, JVC is releasing a junior model, the GZ-HD30 with 80GB hard disk, for about JPY130,000. Also on sale in July: the CU-VD50 DVD writer, an AVCHD/MPEG-2-capable disk writer to burn your camera footage onto DVDs without need for a PC. It's expected to go for about JPY50,000.

More info: http://www.jvc-victor.co.jp/dvmain/gz-hd40/ (Japanese)

Technorati Tags: cam video