IBC Show Report

LIVE FROM IBC 2004 in AMSTERDAM
There have been some small developments in the prosumer HD world here at International Broadcasters Convention (IBC) 2004, but no major product introductions have come out of the show.

JVC had no new major announcements for prosumer HDV. However, they were showing in a private room the same HDV prototype which was shown at the National Association of Broadcasters earlier this year.

Panasonic also only showed a prototype HD camcorder. The model on display was the same one which was shown at the National Association of Broadcasters, an HD camcorder recording MPEG2 to their P2 flash media format. Officials from Panasonic did not have much information about the camcorder but said it would be available some time in 2005.

Sony was showing a professional version of the HDR-FX1. The model does not have a name yet, and basically looked like a darker black version of the HDR-FX1 announced earlier this week. The only discernable, major difference is the inclusion of two XLR audio inputs, and a second manual audio dial control wheel. Sony would not officially say if the camcorder has 24P. However, we got a sense that it would not include this feature. With no official price available, a range of around 6,000 euros was suggested. Sony was also showing an HDV deck, though they did not have a model number or information on its availability.

We'll have pictures of the Sony and Panasonic camcorders in a few hours.