JVC Bows 3D Camcorder Using New High-Speed Processor
LAS VEGAS -- JVC on Thursday took the wraps off what it called “the world’s first consumer camcorder to offer 3D recording in Full HD.” The GS-TD1 uses a new high-speed image processing engine developed by JVC and dubbed “Falconbrid.” It will ship in March at “just under $2,000,” Karl Bearnarth, senior vice president of JVC’s U.S. division, said at a news conference.
The new processor can produce two simultaneous full HD images -- although JVC said it processes left and right eye images at 1920 x 1080i, as opposed to 1080p, which is how “full HD” is defined by some companies. The images are processed using a single chip as part of a newly developed LR Independent Format, it said. The new camcorder also offers shooting modes including the widely used “Side-by-Side Format” for AVCHD (3D) and conventional AVCHD (2D) shooting, it said.
The new camcorder uses a JVC 3D Twin HD GT lens that the company said “sets a new standard in high-resolution lenses with extra-low-dispersion glass for crisp, high-contrast images, as well as multiple aspherical lenses for fine image reproduction.” Other features include a 3.5-inch 3D touch panel LCD that displays 3D images without the need for 3D glasses, plus 3D optical 5x zoom, Optical Axis Automatic Stabilization System for disparity control to give depth to 3D images, and JVC’s Biphonic technology for dynamic 3D sound and Automatic Parallax Adjustment “to optimize the 3D-video comfort zone,” it said.
One other new HD Everio camcorder offers 3D capabilities, the GZ-HM960, shipping in February at $949.95. It offers a 2D-to-3D output function that JVC said turns any 2D footage into 3D. As with the other model, output can be viewed without glasses on the camcorder’s 3.5-inch 3D LCD monitor or by connecting the camcorder to an external 3D TV, JVC said. Both camcorders use updated Everio MediaBrowser software that now enables files to be uploaded easily to social media sites including Facebook and YouTube, JVC said.
JVC is also exhibiting prototypes at CES of a 4K2K camcorder and a high-speed multipurpose camera, both incorporating JVC’s new LSI for high-speed image processing, said President Yuta Ito. He didn’t specify when the devices will ship or their prices. “We will see the reaction from the market” first, he told Consumer Electronics Daily.
The company said its new high-speed engine enables “ultra-high-resolution 4K2K images” that are about “four times the resolution of full HD.” It also “achieves low power consumption and enables lower system costs by incorporating all image-processing technologies for HD shooting, including camera-signal processing and video/still image codecs,” JVC said.
JVC’s 2011 HD Everio camcorder line is made up of 10 models, starting with the entry-level GZ-HM30 at $229.95, which will come in black, blue, red and silver SKUs. Features found on most models include 40x optical zoom and touch-panel LCDs. Several models also offer HD and SD dual format recording, so users can select between maximum quality and maximum compatibility, JVC said. The two top-end models feature JVC’s new GT Lens, which it said was optimized for the large 1/2.3” back-illuminated CMOS sensor included in the camcorders. The two also feature a new image-processing engine, 3.5-inch full screen touch panels with 920,000 pixels, “superior anti-shake in wide mode with Enhanced Advanced Image Stabilizer,” and Bluetooth wireless technology for connection to wireless devices, JVC said.