Sony & Panasonic intro HD camcorder format - AVCHD - using 8cm DVDs

[Bob Crabtree]

Sony and Panasonic have announced the specs for a new high-def consumer camcorder standard using mini (8cm) DVDs, rather than the Mini-DV tape used by the HDV camcorder standard launched in late 1994. The new standard, AVCHD, encompasses hi-def recording in six different formats, plus standard-resolution PAL and NTSC. The companies say that they're getting ready to license AVCHD to other makers but don't give any indication when the first products are likely to arrive in store. For reasons that will be clear below, though, the launch could take place very soon.

In Europe, AVCHD camcorders are expected to offer two main hi-def recording options. One has 1080 horizontal lines, with images refreshed as 50 interlaced half-screens (or fields) per second, a format abbreviated to 1080/50i. The other is of a lower-resolution - 720-line - but with 50 full screens refreshes progressively per second (720/50p). The same two resolutions will be used in the USA but running at 60 interlaced half-screens and 60 full screens per second (1080/60i and 720/60p). See the section below - Interlaced and progressive explained - to better understand the significance of these two variants.

Full details (well, as full as are available, plus a bunch of speculation) in this HEXUS.headline.

[nvening]

so when are bluray 8cm camcorders out?

[Bob Crabtree]

so when are bluray 8cm camcorders out?

Do behave!



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