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CAMCORDERINFO.COM EXCLUSIVE
Canon USA will announce a high definition HDV camcorder tomorow, Wednesday September 14th at the Canon EXPO event in New York at 10:30 AM. The new model will be very similar in shape, style, and features to the XL2 MiniDV camcorder. A reliable source close to Canon has given CamcorderInfo.com exclusive information about the model, its feature set, and its pricing. Although the announcement was under tight secrecy, Canon Europe displayed a model of the HDV camcorder at their booth at the International Broadcasters Conference in Amsterdam.

According to the source close to Canon USA, the new model will fall somewhere in the price range from $10,000 - $12,000, with a lens. The new camcorder will use the HDV (high defintion video) format. The camcorder will record only in the 1080 interlaced lines of resolution HDV specification of the format and will not have support for 720 lines progressive shooting. It should be noted that this source has provided CamcorderInfo.com with information in the past, and there information has always been accurate and correct. The information provided by the source will almost certainly match the final model, unless Canon changes the camcorder in the next three to four days.

Photos by Mikko Wilson / STENDEC Media

According to the source, the HDV version of the XL2 will be the only HDV product Canon is announcing at the Canon Expo. While the Expo starts with a keynote from Canon Inc. CEO Fujio Mitarai, the formal announcement of the HDV XL2 will not come until Wednesday morning.

One of the features most watched for on prosumer camcorders is the inclusion of 24P, and that was the major update that Canon delivered with the XL2, the replacement for the popular XL1S. Although Sony has been criticized for the lack of 24P on their first HDV camcorder, according to the source close to Canon, the new camcorder will not have 24P support.

The source did say that the camcorder will have a 24 frames per second 'feature,' however it will not be true 24P. Whether this means that it is a portion of the 24P that is included on the XL2, such as just one of the 2:3:3:2 or 2:3 pull down modes, or whether the camcorder includes a 'fake 24P' mode like Sony's Cineframe feature is unknown. In the hours following this news piece users around the web have begun to criticize Canon based on this news; some users seem to even be in denial - a testament to the dedication and loyalty of XL2 and XL1 users to the Canon brand.

The model is currently on display at the International Broadcasters Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam at the Canon booth. Although the model is on the show floor, it is covered by a glass display box and many of the buttons and descriptions are covered in black. The model on display looks nearly identical to the Canon XL2, indicating that this is clearly a professional camcorder. When asked about the model, Canon officials at the Expo said that they could say nothing and more information would be announced at Canon Expo on Tuesday.

CamcorderInfo.com is still reporting this story and will have more details as they become available.