JVC GZ-HD3 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Sep 17, 2007 5:35 PM 
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Compression (6.0)
There are two primary compressions for consumer high definition video: HDV, the older, tape-based format, and AVCHD, the newer format which can be recorded onto DVD, hard disk drives (HDD), and flash memory cards. There is a third stream, as well, an MPEG-4 variant often used by lower-priced ultra-compacts like the Sanyo VPC-HD2 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $585.36). Between these three compressions, nearly all the HD camcorders can be categorized.
Then, there’s JVC. For whatever reason, JVC has chosen not to use any of the above formats. For its two consumer HD camcorders, the company has developed its own variant on the MPEG-2 Transport Stream (MPEG-2 TS), which no other manufacturer is currently using. The problem with forging your own path is that finding compatible editing software can be difficult. We’ll get more into that topic in the Editing section below.
Compression options are one of key differences between the GZ-HD3 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1279.00) and the GZ-HD7 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1529). The GZ-HD7 is able to record at a maximum quality of 1920 x 1080 with a variable bit rate (max. 30 Mbps / average 26.6 Mbps). The GZ-HD3 has a maximum quality of 1440 x 1920 which is then stretched to 1920 x 1080 for playback. This is the same method as HDV and some AVCHD camcorders. This setting, called XP in the camcorder’s menu, shoots 1440 x 1080 with the same variable bit rate (max. 30 Mbps / average 26.6 Mbps).
The next quality setting down is SP, which records 1920 x 1080 with a lower variable bit rate (max. 22 Mbps / average 19 Mbps). The lowest setting in high definition is called 1440 CBR, which shoots 1440 x 1080 at a constant bit rate of 27 Mbps.
As far as quality goes, it’s difficult to judge the compression apart from the rest of the camera system. So far, only two camcorders have been released with MPEG-2 TS. However, both these camcorder shared characteristic compression artifacting. It was generally better than the AVCHD, which seems to have the highest artifacting of the major formats (aside from cheap MPEG-4 camcorders). None compared to HDV, which heretofore has the cleanest looking video by far.
The GZ-HD3 does not offer the ability to record in standard definition.
Media (8.0)
The GZ-HD3 comes equipped with the same 60 GB HDD as the GZ-HD7. This should be plenty of space for most shooters. Maximum recording times vary depending on the video quality setting. In the XP mode, the camcorder records approximately 300 minutes. In 1440 CBR, you’ll also get 300 minutes. In SP mode, you can fit 420 minutes.
The 60 GB capacity compares favorably to competing camcorders. The Canon HG10 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1299.99) has a 40 GB HDD. The Sony HDC-CX7 and Panasonic HDC-SD1 (Review, Specs, Recent News, $1119.99)/SD5 both record to flash memory cards with much smaller capacities. HDV camcorders record to tape, which only allows for 60 minutes. Clearly, the HDD format has a strong appeal for those who are primarily concerned with long shooting times.
Like the GZ-HD7, the GZ-HD3 can also record to SDHC cards up to 4 GB. This allows for roughly 25 minutes of video recording.
Editing (5.5)
The GZ-HD3’s multiple recording qualities create varying degrees of compatibility with editing software. The easiest by far is the 1440 CBR setting, which is compatible with anything that can accept HDV files – that includes most of the popular editing software today.
In order to work with video recorded in the XP and SP settings, you’ll probably need to convert video with the included software bundle, or even settle for doing all post-production editing with that bundle. The in-the-box software includes PowerCinema NE for Everio 1.1, PowerProducer 3 NE, and PowerDirector 5 NE Express. As we detailed here in the GZ-HD7 review, this is among the best included software of any camcorder. While slow, it certainly performs all the basic tools to import, edit, and output a finished home movie.