New HDV Camcorders
 

I don't know if this is real or not, but a user over at DV.com (mary) posted this:

Sharp Corporation announced in an internal memo of January 20, 2004, three revolutionary digital camcorders: ViewcamZ HD-Z3000, HD-Z2000 & VL-Z900 miniDV and HDV camcorders with Wide-image mode.

Sharp, the world leader in high definition (HD) display technology and wide aspect ratio display technology is expanding its high end TV and video product line with three revolutionary camcorders. The two top models include HDV recording, the third one native-type 16:9 CCD chip recording. The HDV camcorders use the most advanced low power consumption ultra high quality MPEG2 encoder, which was just developed by Sharp.

Features:
„h 2 of the camcorders will use new HDV recording
„h Free-angle viewfinder and Wide image mode recording (at 16:9
ratio image).
„h The monitor is new 2.5-inch system LCD panel with 215,000-dots
with brighter view.
„h Full manual controls on the HDV models
„h Spread-LED light (to be mounted on accessory shoe)
„h Built-in optical stabilizer on the HDV camcorders and built-in digital type image stabilizer on the standard definition camcorder.
„h 10x optical zoom lenses.

Sharp ViewcamZ HD-Z3000, professional-grade HDV model
Specifications:
CCD: three 1/3-inch 1-megapixel (each). Effective (each CCD) 921,600 pixel for HDV, 690,000 pixels for 16:9 movie mode and 340,000 pixels for 4:3 DV mode
Recording Modes: 720/60i, 720/30p and 480/60i for NTSC model, 720/50i, 720/25p and 480/50i for PAL model
Minimum illumination: 5 lux
Microphone: stereo type, XLR jacks for external microphones
Sales: April 17.
Price: NTSC model Y600,000 ($5,003), PAL model Y700,000 ($5,836) expected.

Sharp ViewcamZ HD-Z2000, higher-grade HDV model
Specifications:
CCD: 1/3-inch 2-megapixel (total). Effective 1megapixel for HDV, 690,000 pixels for 16:9 movie mode and 340,000 pixels for 4:3 DV mode
Recording Modes: 720/60i, 720/30p and 480/60i
2 megapixels for still image
Minimum illumination: 10 lux
Microphone: stereo type, stereo mini-jack for external microphone
Sales: April 17 at open price.
Shop price: Y250,000 ($2,085) expected.

Sharp ViewcamZ VL-Z900 high-grade digital model
Specifications:
CCD: 1/4-inch 1.33-megapixel (total). Effective 690,000 pixels for movie and
1.25megapixels for still image
Minimum illumination: 15 lux
Microphone: stereo type
Sales: February 15 at open price.
Shop price: Y100,000 ($833) expected.



I don't have a link...so maybe this belongs somewhere else?

Thanks, Glenn!

MPEG2, Ugh. :-((

This same info was also posted here:

http://dv.com/jive3/thread.jspa?thre...01258&tstart=0

Perhaps someone could post the Sharp link to this info?

Yeah, that's where I got the info from....however, the post sounds alarmingly similar to that Joseph fellow lol.

Press releases from Sharp
 

This is the official press releases from Sharp World:
http://sharp-world.com/corporate/news/index.html

There is no announcement about any HD camcorder.

The Z900 is announced on january 20 with another inexpensive consumer cam (z300).

HDV junk cams?
 

Oh no...I never thought they'd start putting out HDV cameras WORSE than the JVC ones.

This sucks if it's where the HDV format is going - consumer junk. It's possible that the HDV JVC cameras are and will be the high-end models for the time being.

If Sony and Canon do this I'll be ticked off. They better step up to the plate with a decent HDV cam.

Murph

After looking at those posts on DV.com I agree with Glenn; IMO "Mary" must be Joseph George...

Re: Press releases from Sharp
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Jean-Philippe Archibald :

There is no announcement about any HD camcorder.
-->>>

That's correct -- there has been no announcement. Joseph (oops, I mean "mary") said that it was an "internal" memo, so take it with a huge grain of salt -- a salt lick, preferably.

Who is Joseph George?

Joseph George is a hired henchman by an unknown company to promote various HD products. He often changes his name to disguise his identity. I actually feel like a fool for posting this now lol. But hopefully his “internal memo” has a grain of truth in it.

Christopher-"Oh no...I never thought they'd start putting out HDV cameras WORSE than the JVC ones"

Although I think the memo is complete bunk, why do you say they would be worse than the JVC's? 3chip and full manual control sound better to me?

Ken

Beware any such "insider info" coming from unconfirmed sources. I could sit here all day using my imagination to make up all kinds of insider info. Without a legitimate press release, it's just bogus dis-information which does a serious dis-service to our readers. We don't allow that sort of nonsense here, but it's difficult to stop well-meaning members from posting links from other message boards. Glenn said himself that he wasn't sure if it was real -- no harm done.

Yeah, sorry about that Chris, I forgot that News in this forum requires an actual link...just got suckered in is all lol.

Most of the "rumors"
 

..start out being poo pooed and then end up being true in one form or another...everyone knows the hd camcorders are coming.

But I wouldn't buy a Sharp anything anyway.

Why not? Back in 1986 (I remember because of Expo 86 in Vancouver), everytime you went to see a movie, the first thing that came on was an ad from Sharp. It went like this: Sharp products for sharp minds. :-))))))

If the cameras are good, and affordable, I have no problem buying from Sharp. Or anyone else for that matter. Quality + value, not brand name is what matters to me. I'm a total mecenary when it comes to electronics and software.

Just remember..
What do Sony, Panasonic, Walt Disney, and a hot stripper have in common?

No matter how beautiful, inspiring, titalating, professional, outstanding, creative, humourous,sexy ,etc...they are...

They don't want you,
just your money.
Dealt with it.

Beers with Murph...in Vegas.
 

I agree. Hopefully, we'll hear some annoucements soon or NAB 2004 the latest.

Anyone else going to NAB in April? We should get together for a beer in Vegas!

Murph

Yea i agree with the last post, although thats capatalism for you!!
(please that was a light hearted joke, please lets not slip into some ugly politics, its the wrong forum for that!)

Any way, i guess i'm really frustaded at the moment, i really feel like that whole manufactures are really not giving us what we all REALLY, DEEP DOWN WANT and thats FULL SIZED (35mm) IMAGE SENSORS FOR VIDEO, and i know about Dalsa but they are just adding too more frustation, just a nice picture of a prototype THAT *still* has yet to produce anything, no news/ updates just market news ...


I'm really losing hope in ever seeing such things at the current rate, its al about profit really,

DAY DREAM MOMENT:

IF only there was a way to get a direct video stream from that Canon digital still camera (the one with the full 35mm CMOS sensor) then just cature the data directly on a PC/ laptop (maybe with some light compression)..... any electronic reverse engineer wizkids around?


END OF DAY DREAM.

The 'ol donkey and carrot situation, you now so close, yet so far..... just another thing we want that we just not ALLOWED to have, like electric cars, and ZERO POINT ENERGY.

Sure they'll give them to you
 

..but it will cost you 100k. Is that what you want?

HDV even with crappy mpeg2 compression, will translate well enough to get to the big screen...if the script, look, and acting is there.

Hey Joe, every business should be forced to have that saying posted at the door below their sign....we'd probably all think twice before buying most things.

Bottom line - the HDV Revolution has begun. But, it's like the Civil War, WWII and most wars instead...it's starting slow...and it'll build until everyone is involved.

Murph

> IF only there was a way to get a direct video stream from
> that Canon digital still camera (the one with the full
> 35mm CMOS sensor) then just cature the data directly on
> a PC/ laptop (maybe with some light compression).....
> any electronic reverse engineer wizkids around?

Sorry, which model camera is that?

Surely you must have heard about it!! :-)

Its the Canon EOS 1Ds

Here is a nice review :

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0209/02092404canoneos1ds.asp


OR check out Canon's webiste they have some sample pictures you can download including full uncompressed pictures taken from this Baby!!


Cheers!!

------- Anhar Miah

In the new issue of American Cinematographer there's an article about a new Arri prototype camera that uses a single 35mm-sized sensor (single sensor to avoid color fringing in 3-chip cameras). The CMOS setup they're using is rated at 6 megapixels according to the article and has 60 db of dynamic range (translating to over 10 stops of latitude). 10 Gbit/sec data storage rates, though, kind of dictate what level of hardware will be needed for realtime editing of a stream like this. Not to mention that Arri has never been known for bargain basement pricing. Still, it's quite a prospect. I can't wait to see something shot with it.

I started a thread on this camera here yesterday. I was thinking of posting in here as well, but this cameras not HDV, and well, it's not strictly "Towards a Film Look Using DV" either. Maybe we should open an HD (beyond the DV format) area.

> but it will cost you 100k. Is that what you want?

If it can cost us $7k for a top of the line photo cam then it can cost roughly the same for video. The main difference is in the data processing, which is the least expensive part of the camera. So it's just their decision to sell a $100k camera for uncompressed HD. If a camera with Canon's optics and CMOS sensor does 1920x1080@30fps with MPEG2 that's enough to make us all really happy, and they can probably do it now for less than $10k if they want. They would have to run the tape a little faster to get that res onto MiniDV, even with HDV's MPEG2... run the tape at DVCAM speed, and get the extra bandwidth for real HD resolution (instead of the lower HDV implementation that JVC has given us at SP tape speed).

I would not be surprised to find Sony and Canon racing to get there first. They both have the capability... then again I wonder where Canon got the CMOS sensor for the still camera from...

Canon makes their own still camera sensors.

I don't doubt all the big names in Japan are planning pro-sumer -or whatever- 720p HD cams, but I think there still could be another year or more wait before anything comes to market. The JVC is no runaway best seller so there's no big incentive for anyone to rush.

The more letters they get asking for an affordable HD, the sooner those fires may be stoked under the chairs of Sony, Canon -or Sharp. Try writing to the Office of The President, of each company.

The HD editting and writing hardware/software is here. Cineform's Connect DV can do the HD capture. The new 3ivx codec supports HD formats. I can encode still image HD content into 3ivx via Vegas4; and, the quality is excellent. I can put the video on HD-DVD with Mpeg4 capability and play it to my new Sony HDTV. The cameras to support the infrastructure are all that remains to be put on the consumer shelf. I' m holding my breath for the announcement of the new Canon XL2.

What is the 3vid codec. It seems to be part of 3ivx, but their web site doesn't say so.

oops...sorry...in fact I meant 3ivx...thanx for the catch

<<<-- Originally posted by Anhar Miah : Surely you must have heard about it!! :-)

Its the Canon EOS 1Ds

Here is a nice review :

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0209/02092404canoneos1ds.asp

-->>>

Nice camera, but for a few grand less, consider the EOS 1D Mk 2. Both can shoot at 8 stills/sec sustained, depending on the capacity & speed of the flash card or micro drive. When you scale the megapixels per second (roughly 64 MP/sec) vs 22 MP/sec for 720p 24 f/sec HD, you can see we are more than there. All we need is real-time compression for the storage medium, because that seems to be the fundamental limitation right now. Canon definitely has the imaging technology and lenses, but they just have to get other parts in play, video conversion and storage.

Charles Papert posted an interesting rumor about a new Sony HDV camera on http://steadicamforum.com/. It would be great if this product could be delivered this year, while the weather is warm, i.e., before winter rolls around again. I'd seriously bite for a street price of $12K. Provided it had manual controls and the ability/capability to do follow focus.

I did indeed, and in fact that info had appeared as an unsubstantiated rumor on this site originally (I found it on some other sites, and since it isn't exactly earth-shattering news, I felt it had some validity).

However, it is an HD camera head, not an HDV camcorder, and even as such is meant to be a special use broadcast camera. It really doesn't impact this market noticeably. I'm becoming a bit of a nag about making sure we are using the correct format nomenclature so there aren't misperceptions about these things; DV, HDV and HD are all very different animals!