What about Sharp?
 

They say the HDV consortium consists of the big 4 heavy weights, Sony, Canon, JVC/Victor and Sharp.

This year Sony has the FX1 which was its first HDV camera into the market, Later they released the Z1 which is its professional varient and later came back with more! the HC1 which is the smallest HDV cam and its pro sibling the A1.

JVC has released the HD1 and HD10 with now a ProHD model HD100 which looks sweet for progressive 24 frames.

Canon will also release the XL-h1 in a couple of weeks but this is my question, If the industry calls Canon a tortoise for being a wee bit late into the HDV scene then what do they call sharp?

Is there something good that they've been secretly making? I know in the past they were working together with JVC for 720 varient of HDV til Sony swept Sharp off their feet with the 1080 version. What are they planning?
Are they goin to stick to consumer or go beyond and give some pro models out for us. Any suggestion in which direction Sharp will go?

Lets stick to HDV guys and try to ignore the DVCpro side of things ok

I always got the impression that Sharp's interest - as far as the HDV consortium is concerned; was not as a camera or optics manufacturer, but more of a producer of the viewing devices that HDV would be mostly viewed on.

The HDV image certainly looks better on my newer generation Sharp 83cm Aquos LCD than on anything else HD capable I've viewed it on!! I suspect that if Sharp ever does consider releasing a HDV camcorder, it'll be heavily based around components from the other members. Could even end up just being re-badged Z1 or XL-H1 componentry!!

My guess (and hope) is that Sharp will probably release an HDV camera that is going to be around the $500 range, now that will be something!


Anhar

And staying within the bounds of reality: it'll be a variable frame rate (up to 60 progressive fps), multi-format 1080p, interchangeable lens, HD-SDI 100Mbit 4:4:4 uncompressed unit - with the tape drive for HDV only added as a cosmetic doffing of the hat to the other dolts in the HDV consortium, who could have... should have, released such a camera at such a price point themselves!!

There was me thinking the days of acid trippin' were over...

Oh, I'm sure they will do exactly that. Just not sure when. I mean, Sony already has one on the street in the $1600 range; give 'em another year and Sharp should have little consumer models in the $500-$600 range.

$500-$600 for a HD level camera designed to be used by people of small stature? Oh... I see the camera will be a little one for consumers!!

Nice dream: maybe 10 years at that price point. There's still a hell of a lot of DV camcorders they'll need to sell first!!

The price bracket is what will get squeezed first. The comparative difference between the cheapest camera able to give Joe Blow a nice picture on his television, relative to the most expensive that a bit better off Joe could afford - is reducing. Doesn't mean that a HD camera will ever be cheaper than a DV camera until DV is well past it's use by date; but the price gap if you want to jump from DV to HDV is gonna be so small that HDV will eventually overwhelm DV.

You reckon that's going to happen by the end of next year?...

I reckon that yes, with the HC1 already carrying a street price around $1600, that there's plenty of room for even less-expensive consumer models. At this time last year Sony's first HDV camera was introduced. From there they've already cut the price of entry in half; a Sharp model (presuming they actually enter the market) could be signficantly less expensive as well.

Further to this, here in the UK the Whole HDTV thing is being pushed really hard in the main stream, there was even a news report shown the other day regarding the "format war" over Blu-ray and HD-DVD. Just about every highstreet electronic shop always have HD sets on display everwhere.

My theory (from a while back) is starting to come true, I suggested that HD would came to the UK, but it would piggy back LCD TV's and when you look at the HDTV on display vast majority of them are either LCD or Plasma, or the DLP rear projection sets.

Anyway my prediction is that HD will sell well in the UK, then mama and papa will want a "HD camera" to shoot there family videos on, thats where Sharp can really cater for, of course its not going to have ANY pro features it will be totally consumer, point and shoot.


Anhar

Seems to me that HDV is the perfect way for camcorder manufacturers to sell another generation of equipment at the usual range of prices, following a typical pricing curve for a new format. It shouldn't take more than another year or two now for someone to release an HDV camera around $1000, and then it's just a matter of time to march the price down to current DV camera levels.

Can anyone tell me when was the last time SHARP released a professional camcorder? Remember one in the DV arena? I think they'll stick to consumer models around the $900 - $1,200 range.
-EDWIN

Exactly -- except that their camcorders are much less expensive; their current lineup is $350 to $650. So by next Christmas I'd expect them to have the same basic product but in HDV models, and probably $500 to $1000.