CES 2008

Canon's new DW-100 DVD burner

(Credit: Canon)

Back when all video was recorded to tape, archiving was somewhat simple. If you used a decent grade tape, you could store it for a while and then dub it if you worried about the ravages of time. Now that more video is being recorded to hard-drives and flash memory, computer-phobic videographers find themselves in a slight pickle. To accompany the company's latest HDD and flash camcorders, Canon has introduced the DW-100 DVD Burner. The DW-100 will be able to burn both standard definition DVDs and AVCHD DVDs. The latter can be played back on those Blu-Ray players that support the AVCHD codec. Controls are kept simple, with only a few buttons on top of the burner. When used with Canon's Vixia HF10, HF100, or HG10 camcorders, the DW-100 can also connect to a TV through the camcorder and act as a player. Canon expects to sell the DW-100 for about $270 when it hits stores this April.

Canon Vixia HF10

(Credit: Canon USA)

Late to market with its first SD-based camcorders--Panasonic and Sony both announced third-generation models this week--Canon nevertheless makes up for lost time with a couple of attractively specced models for 2008. They join the modestly revved HV30 HDV model and the currently shipping HG10 and HR10 under the Vixia brand umbrella for HD camcorders.

At the top of the product line, the HF10 incorporates 16GB built-in flash memory--the largest capacity we've heard about thus far--and a slot for SDHC removable flash. According to Canon, it records AVCHD video at a maximum bit rate of 17 megabits per second, and can hold up to 6 hours of video, thought that's probably at the lowest bit rate. The new models capture at 1,920x1,080 compared with 1,440x1,080 for older AVCHD camcorders, and support 30p progressive capture.

Canon Vixia HF100

(Credit: Canon USA)

The HF100, its less expensive sibling, lacks the internal memory: SDHC recording only. Otherwise, the two are identical, using the same 1/3.2-inch 3.3-megapixel sensor, 2.7-inch LCD, a new 12x zoom lens, a redesigned mini accessory shoe and Canon's SuperRange optical image stabilization.

Canon Vixia HV30

(Credit: Canon USA)

Changes to the HV30, the replacement for the HV20, are more subtle. It has a sleeker-looking black body, for one, and now supports 30p progressive mode and the high-capacity BP-2L24H lithium ion battery. If you can find the HV20 for less than the HV30's $999 price, it's not really worth waiting until the end of February when it's expected to ship.

The HF10 will cost $1,099 and the HF100, $899, when they ship at the end of April.

Sony Handycam HDR-SR12

(Credit: Sony Electronics)

It seems like Sony's saved the zing in its camcorder announcements for its AVCHD products, which generally offer significant enhancements over last year's. For one, all the models (like their DVD equivalents) finally support true 1,920x1,080 recording, albeit at the same bit rates as the previous 1,440x1,080 capture. They also mark the addition of Memory Stick Duo support for video--a feature of lesser importance for the hard-disk models than others--which Sony dubs "Hybrid" recording.

The two top-of-the-line models, the SR11 and SR12, both incorporate Sony's highest-resolution 1/3.15-inch 5-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor and the Face Detection capabilities which debut in the 2008 camcorders. Other specs include a 12X zoom lens and 3.2-inch LCD. The two models differ only by hard disk size: 60GB for the $1,199 SR11 and 120GB for the $1,399 SR12. Both are slated to ship in March.

Sony Handycam HDR-SR10

(Credit: Sony Electronics)

Replacing the SR5 at the $999 price point, the SR10 keeps the same 2-megapixel CMOS sensor and 2.7-inch LCD of its predecessor, but ups the zoom to 15x. It too should ship in March.

Unfortunately, though the hardware's making some advances, as far as I can tell, the software still remains behind the times.

(Credit: Panasonic)

Panasonic kicked off its CES digital imaging announcements with two new high-definition camcorders. Eschewing both tapes and DVDs, the Panasonic HDC-HS9 and HDC-SD9 record 1080/24p video directly to SD/SDHC cards.

According to Panasonic, the HDC-SD9 is the smallest, slightest 3CCD 1080/24p camcorder yet, weighing in at less than 0.7 pound. It writes AVCHD video to SD and SDHC cards, storing up to 6 hours of high-def footage to a 16 GB card. With the company's newly announced 32 GB SDHC card, the space doubles to up to 12 hours.

The 3CCD HDC-HS9 can also record footage to SD and SDHC cards, and adds a 60 GB hard drive to provide even more shooting time. While it's not quite as small or light as the SD9, the HS9 can record up to 23 hours of AVCHD video directly to its hard drive, Panasonic claims.

Both camcorders feature Panasonic's Optical Image Stabilization system, 5.1-channel surround sound with a zoom microphone function, and face-detecting auto-exposure systems. They also include Panasonic's Intelligent Shooting Guide and Intelligent Shooting Selection Playback, two features that Panasonic claims can detect various shooting errors like out-of-focus shots or rapid panning, and either warn users about them or skip them entirely. Finally, both models are also Viera Link compatible, letting users connect them directly with Panasonic's new Viera series of HDTVs.

The Panasonic HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9 ship in March, with suggested retail prices of $800 and $1100, respectively.