Hitachi Combines DVD and HDD in DZ-HS303by John NeelyPublished on Aug 4, 2006 10:00 AM 
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August 4, 2006 - Late this week, Hitachi announced the DZ-HS303, the first camcorder to combine DVD and HDD video recording media. In addition to accepting 8cm DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and DVD-R discs and SD memory cards, the camcorder has an onboard 8GB hard disk drive. Why the dual recording method? Hitachi pitches that it allows you to seamlessly shift recording to the hard drive when a DVD reaches capacity. It also offers dubbing from the hard drive back to a DVD disc.
The new camcorder is part of the Japan-only Wooo line, and boasts impressive imaging specs on paper. The 1/3” CCD imager has 3310K gross pixels and 2180K effective pixels in 4:3 video recording mode, and 3.05 megapixels in still mode. The lens has a focal length of 6.1-61mm, a maximum aperture of F1.8-3.0, and a filter diameter of 37mm. With a 10x optical zoom and a 2.7” LCD, numerous manual control options, and onboard features like a video flash and external microphone jack, the DZ-HS303 offers an unusually extensive array of features for a consumer DVD camcorder. There also appears to be some in-camera editing capabilities for footage on the HDD, which you can then export out to a DVD.
Two other manufacturers produce HDD-based consumer camcorders. JVC introduced the media a few years ago, and spawned multiple models in their Everio product line. Sony recently entered the market, announcing their first model in January of this year, and then three more just weeks ago. The drive capacity on those HDD-only camcorders is typically much larger than the 8GB drive on the The DZ-HS303, ranging as high as 60GB on Sony’s forthcoming DCR-SR80 (Review, Specs, $699.99). Hitachi’s DZ-HS303 is scheduled for a Japanese release on August 30, and has an expected MSRP of about ¥130,000 (approx. US$1138).
