JVC Adds to 1080/50i and 60i Output to GY-HD200

by David Kender
Published on Apr 12, 2008 1:20 PM

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April 12, 2008 – JVC announced a new feature enhancement for its GY-HD200 professional camcorder ($5995 MSRP) prior to the start of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas, NV. Going forward, the camcorder will offer the ability to output 1080/50i and 1080/60i through the FireWire (IEEE 1394) connection. The 1080i signals do not record to tape, but they are outputted in realtime. This upgrade now allows the GY-HD200, in combination with a hard disk drive recorder such as the JVC DR-HD100, to record in either 720p or 1080i in native QuickTime or M2T files.

The new enhancement is not a firmware upgrade. This is a physical modification that must be performed in the factory, and the product name has been updated to GY-HD200UB to reflect the change. JVC has stated that those customers who purchased a GY-HD200 since February 1, 2008 will be eligible for an upgrade. All others owners will apparently have to make do with 720p or purchase replacement camcorders.

“[The enhancement] is to appeal to the request that JVC has received from potential end-users that like the form factor, performance, and capabilities of the camera, and needed the 1080i capability in their workflow,” stated Craig Yanagi, National Marketing Manager, Creation Products, JVC Professional Products Company.

The upgraded GY-HD200UB is available immediately, and ships with a 16:1 Fujinon lens for $5995. The body without lens retails for $5695.