Camcorder News

The new Hitachi DZ-BD9 Blu-ray camcorder

Hitachi today announced the release of the DZ-BD9H and the DZ-HD90 Blu-ray camcorders, the follow-ups to the DZ-BD7 and DZ-BD70. The physical design has remained the same, but Hitachi promises increased sensitivity in low light and a 10 percent increase in resolution thanks to the new "Picture Master Full HD" processor.

Though claiming a redesign in the imaging chip, the new Blu-ray camcorders appear to have identical specs to the first generation models: a 1/2.8-inch CCD with a gross pixel count of 5,300,000 and an effective video pixel count of 2,070,000. The DZ-BD9H and DZ-HD90 record in full 1920 x 1080 in their highest quality.

The DZ-BD9H records to either black 8cm Blu-ray DVDs (BD-R Ver.2.0 or BD-RE Ver.3.0) or an internal 60GB hard disk drive (HDD), while the DZ-HD90 only has the 60GB HDD. Video on both camcorders is outputted in a MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format.

When recording in full 1920 x 1080 (at an average 15Mbps), the 60GB drive can store up to nine hours of video. Lower quality settings, including 1440 x 1080 at 11Mbps or 7.5Mbps, allow for greater recording times. The DZ-BD7 offers the ability to record in standard definition MPEG-2 (720 x 480) at 9Mbps or 6Mbps.

The LCD has been improved since last year. Though it remains 2.7 inches with a 211,000-pixel resolution, the company states that the screen is 1.4-times brighter than on previous models. Connections include HDMI, USB, component-out, composite/S-video-out. A separate Blu-ray disc burner unit is available for use with the DZ-HD90. Data can be transferred from the HDD to the burner via an eSATA connection, an unusual port for a camcorder that should prove faster than traditional USB connections.

An SD/SDHC card slot is available for still capture. In addition to the 2400 x 1800 still size from last year, the new models offer a 16:9-aspect ratio 2400 x 1350 resolution.

The DZ-BD9H and the DZ-HD90 have so far only been announced for Japan. AV Watch is reporting retail prices of 180,000 yen (approx. US$1689) for the DZ-BD9H and 140,000 yen (approx US$1314) for the GZ-HD90. Hitachi’s corporate site does not verify these prices, but does state that the camcorders will ship on February 7.

(More details)