Camcorders
Until recently, choosing a top-end camcorder was fairly simple. Models were similar in size, had features in common and used the same recording format - Digital Video (DV) cassette. Now Hitachi and Sony have complicated the market by launching models that use two new formats.
Hitachi is championing the DVD-RAM/R format it launched last year. Coming in June are three models that record on to mini 8cm DVD discs. Last year's models only recorded on to the rewritable DVD-RAM format - discs that won't play back in most DVD video players. For this year's models, DVD-R compatibility (a write-once disc that will playback in almost all current DVD video players) has been added.
The DVD format has several advantages over DV. Each time a segment of footage is shot, the camcorder adds it to the disc's table of contents, with users able to identify where they are on the disc via a snapshot of the opening scene.
Hitachi is also proposing that buyers use the top-end model, the £1,300 DZ-MV270E, as a kind of DVD burner. Users record their footage on to DVD-RAM, then transfer it to a PC via USB (a PC editing package is available) and then burn it back on to a DVD-R disc. The camcorder can also be used to archive TV programmes on DVD. Other features include a 3.5in LCD screen, 1/4-in 1.1 megapixel CCD, USB 2.0 connector for faster video transfer and the option of shooting Jpeg still images on to disc.
The £1,000 Hitachi DZ-MV230E is similarly specified, though it has a smaller LCD screen, and no USB 2.0 compatibility, while the budget £800 Hitachi DZ-MV200E has an 800 pixel CCD. Neither has the DVD-burning facility.
The DVD format's Achilles heel could prove to be its limited storage time. Each 8cm DVD-RAM or DVD-R disc can only hold up to 20 minutes of top-quality DVD footage - or 30 minutes if a little quality is sacrificed. This can be doubled if twin-sided discs are used. DVD-R discs are around £10 each, with DVD-RAM ones £24.
Meanwhile, Sony has extended its range of MicroMV camcorders. MicroMV, which first appeared in autumn last year, uses an Mpeg2-based recording system. Cassettes are much smaller than their DV counterparts, enabling Sony to produce the tiniest-ever camcorders.
Due in June, Sony's latest MicroMV model, the £1,500 DCR-IP55, combines a megapixel CDD with an integrated web browser and Bluetooth compatibility. Wireless connection to a Bluetooth mobile phone lets users email still images or short Mpeg videos.
PC connection is via an iLink (Firewire) in/out socket, or a USB port, which enables the camcorder to double as a webcam. The DCR-IP55 also comes with Movie Shaker Version 3.1 editing software. Other features include a Carl Zeiss lens, 10x optical zoom and a 2.5in LCD screen.
Sony is also rolling out its Bluetooth compatibility and emailing facility in a new DV format camcorder. Due next month, the £1,400 DCR-TRV50 has a 1.5 megapixel CCD, and shares many of the DCR-IP55 MicroMV facilities - touch- screen control, USB streaming and a Carl Zeiss lens.
Also scheduled for this month is JVC's latest take on the miniature DV camcorder - the £1,100 GR-DVP7.
The successor to last year's GR-DVP1 (the smallest DV model on sale), the new camcorder has many of its predecessor facilities including a 1.2 megapixel CCD, digital still image function, and Mpeg4 video compatibility. New for this year is a USB connection that adds webcam functionality.
At the other end of the market, Sharp will launch the VL-NZ100H point-and-shoot model next month. Features include a 300x digital zoom, DV in/out connector and a still image function that uses a Secure Digital card for storage. No prices are given yet. It joins Sharp's top-ender, the £1,200 VL-AX1H, featuring a 1.33 megapixel CCD, digital still camera function, 23x optical zoom and iLink socket.
All-in-one Apple
Apple chief executive Steve Jobs loves his surprises, and he sprung another one this week with the launch of a new all-in-one Mac.
The eMac will spearhead a fresh drive into schools and colleges for Apple after the company has seen its share of the education market - one of its traditional strongholds - dip in recent years.
The eMac, which takes its design cues from the first edition iMac, sports a larger screen than its consumer cousin - a 17in CRT display rather than the 15in flat panels in the new "lamp" design iMac - and, as a result, will have a more modest price tag.
The new machine, which will be sold to education customers only, starts at £729 for the CD-Rom 700MHz G4 model, with a 40GB hard drive, and rises to £1,114 for the combo version, with a similar spec but a CD-RW/DVD-Rom drive and special stand as well.
All will have Ethernet and 802.11 wireless networking capabilities, and will be available from June.
Meanwhile, those with rather deeper pockets might be excited to hear about enhancements to Apple's G4 PowerBook line. Apple says the screens - already wide by laptop standards - now sport improved resolution of 1280 by 854 pixels, up by 23%, while the machine's processors now run at up to 800MHz. There is also a new integrated Digital Visual Interface (DVI) port, which means PowerBooks can now digitally link up to Apple's free-standing flat panel displays and third party DVI digital projectors. Prices start at £2,149 for the 667MHz, DVD/DS-RW version with 256MB memory, and rise to £3,259 for the 800MHz model, which has 1GB of memory. All are available now. (NM)
Linux on a handheld
It is not a new idea, but Sharp is the first consumer electronics company to try to sell it to a wider market. The Zaurus SL-5500, launched in the UK this week, has a "hideaway keyboard", CompactFlash and SD memory card slots, a 240 x 320 pixel colour screen, and weighs 212g. Like Compaq iPaqs, it is based on a 206MHz Intel StrongArm processor with 64 megabytes of memory. Unfortunately it comes at an iPaq-style price: £449.99 (inc VAT). While it will appeal to geeks who have tired of running Linux on their iPaqs, the Zaurus does not yet have the software and add-on support that makes rival PDAs more useful. (JS)
