http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/d...802/hitachi.htm - AV Watch
http://av.hitachi.co.jp/cam/products_bd/index.html - Hitachi Japan

Hitachi "DZ-BD70 / BD7H"
H = 30GB HDD

1/2.7" 5.3MP CMOS
15Mbps AVCHD Max
10x Optical

Takes BD 8cm 1hour
30GB HDD 4 hours.

My god it is bad looking... and big too. I wonder if Hitachi can pull this one off?

Like the sensor size --- don't like the still image resolution

Don't like AVCHD, but OTOH, 15Mbps is on the upper end of quality compared to most other AVCHD cameras (many seem to top out at 9Mbps)

Concede the "side-wheeler" riverboat look is strange...

Big problem I see is the disks. I was at Compusa yesterday to get some DVD+RW's and they had some blue ray disks at $24.95 per disk. Not only very expensive compared to other media but I sure wouldn't want to mess one up at that price. I'll stick with my SR7's little 60 gig HD and transfer them to the computer and burn to regular DVD's at a much cheaper price like about 2.50 for 5 DVD's.

I will take the look of this camcorder over camcorders that stand vertical.

Very nice to up the ante by giving you a HDD and Blu-Ray drive in case you run out of room. If I go on vacation some $10 discs are a nice backup to have ( I am guessing they will be priced that much.)

Don't be fooled by the specs. Performance is so bad that the specs mean nothing!

Here is what I posted under the review of this camcorder on this site:
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Well, I bought a Hitachi DZ-BD7HA. What a huge disappointment. The quality was so bad I had to return the unit. Low light performance was absolutely terrible. Your probably thinking a very dark room – wrong. I am talking about an average lit room! The image was grainy as hell with very dark shadows, etc. Furthermore, if your fortunate enough to have a very bright day you end up with a clear picture with noticeable artifacts. This camcorder should never have left the factory.

My only regret was not reading the review done by camcorderinfo.com. That review was very good in hindsight. I wish the camcorder had worked out as it did have some great features. Unfortunately I bought a HD camera for quality movies and this camera could not deliver.

I can’t stress enough to wait for another model or manufacturer to come out with a good blu-ray camcorder.

P.S. – If you still want this camcorder I say good luck on trying to find any 8cm BDR discs. Practically non-existent.

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