Camcorder News

June 27, 2008 - DXG announced the DXG-567V HD this week, a rival to the Pure Digital Flip Mino. The DXG-567HD certainly has a familiar architecture to its uber-popular rival, with an ultra compact body, fixed lens, and retractable USB arm. The DXG-567V HD takes one big step forward with 1280 x 720 HD recording. The introduction of HD in the super compact, super cheap market is sure to raise the bar, if the camcorder manages to deliver on performance.

It has been a busy period for the under-$200 camcorder category recently, with the introduction of the third generation Flip, along with Creative’s Vado Pocket Video Cam ($99.99 MSRP) and others. DXG has priced the DXG-567VHD to match the Flip Mino, which places Pure Digital in a tight spot regarding consumers who now have the option to spring for HD without paying more. It may prove difficult, however, to match the sheer momentum that the Flip has enjoyed since its second-generation model, the Flip Ultra, became the dandy of Oprah and other celebs.

The DXG567V HD is equipped with a 1/2.5-inch CMOS sensor with a 5MP resolution, recording to either 32MB of built-in Flash memory or SD/SDHC cards up to 8GB. The Flip Mino has a 1/4-inch CMOS chip and records exclusively to 2GB of built-in flash memory. The DXG-567V HD records H.264 video at 1280 x 720/30fps, 720 x 480/30fps, and 320 x 240 in the .MOV file format. The Flip Mino’s maximum resolution is 640 x 480 and files are recorded as AVIs. The DXG-567V HD also has built-in video upload software, one of the primary features that sparked popularity in the Flip camcorder family.

The DXG-567V HD has a fixed 2x digital zoom lens with a focal length of 3.0mm and a 7.27mm aperture. It features a 2.0-inch LCD screen with a 480 x 240 pixel count, manual focus, and runs on two AA batteries. The Flip Mino has a 1.5-inch LCD screen and is powered by a non-removable internal battery that charges via USB. Keeping the footprint as close to cell phone-sized as possible, the DXG-567V HD measures 60mm x 21mm x 107mm (2.36" x 0.81" x 4.21") and weighs 90g (3.17 oz.) without batteries. This is slightly larger than the Flip Mino.

The DXG-567VHD is available in black, red, pink, and blue and is currently available nationwide for $179.