JVC Updates Hard Drive Everios Adding Direct DVD Burning by Robin Liss Published on Jan 5, 2006 9:00 AM

David Kender contributed to this article.

Las Vegas, CES, January 5, 2006 - JVC's Hard Drive based Everio camcorders have been updated by the company. While the four new camcorders have not undergone many changes from last year's models, JVC has announced a Direct to DVD burning system that allows users to copy footage off their Everio camcorder onto a DVD disk without the use of a computer.

“Now, consumers can enjoy the benefits of hard drive recording – hours and hours of video capacity, direct access to scenes, easy re-sequencing of scenes, and instant scene deletion – and a quick and easy way to put their footage onto a DVD,” said Dave Owen of JVC.

The new $200 Everio Share Station CU-VD10 connects to the top three Everio hard drive models. The Share Station connects to the camcorders via USB 2.0. It transfers the .MOD files directly to a DVD-R or DVD-RW disc. The Share Station includes an LCD screen so users can select which clips to transfer to disc. Transferring one hour of footage takes the burner about 45 minutes at 8x write speed.

The Direct to DVD burning may be the missing link in the Everio hard drive based camcorder chain. The major setback of all Hard Drive camcorders has been the difficulty with archiving footage. With a DVD camcorder it is simple to shoot to disc and tuck it away, viewing it when the need arising. However, up until now, it has been difficult to have that same archival ease with a DVD camcorder. Direct to DVD burning offers an easy archive solution for the new camcorder format.

The entry level GZ-MG21 offers a new, large 32x optical zoom and a 1/6-in. 680K pixel CCD, and includes 20GB of hard drive recording capability. The MG27 also features a 20GB hard drive but adds a 2.7-in. widescreen LCD with improved widescreen shooting capability. The MG27 is also able to connect to the Everio Share Station, something which the GZ-MG21 cannot do. The next model up, the GZ-MG37, has the same feature set as the GZ-MG27 but with a 30GB hard drive.

The top model GZ-MG77 also includes a 30GB hard drive but the CCD is upgraded to a 1/3.9-in. 2.2 megapixel CCD capable of stills at 1632 x 1224 pixel resolution. The zoom on the GZ-MG77 is downgraded to a 10x optical. The GZ-MG77 also includes JVC's low light technology which they claim reduces noise by 30%.

All four models feature a four-way joystick controller on the LCD screen, a move which Canon also made this year. The camcorders feature PictBridge compatibility, SD card slots, and JVC's Data Battery which displays battery time and recording time to the second without fully powering up the camcorder.

The GZ-MG21 is replacing last year’s GZ-MG20. The differences are few. It features the same 20GB hard drive and the same imager specs (1/6-inch 680K CCD). The zoom has been increased from 25x optical to 32x. The GZ-MG27, which is closest in specs to last year's GZ-MG30, has a smaller, 20GB hard drive (in comparison to the MG30's 30GB drive). 

The GZ-MG37, possibly meant to replace the GZ-MG30, does have a 30GB drive and the same 1/6-inch 680K CCD. Last year's GZ-MG70 has been replaced by the new MG77. It features a smaller CCD, down to 1/3.9-inch from the MG70's 1/3.6-inch. The gross pixel count has remained the same, at 2.2 MP. The maximum still image size has remained the same, at 1632 x 1224. The lens has been modified from an f/1.8 to f/1.2. All other changes to this, and the other models, are largely cosmetic, such as the move of the joystick to the LCD panel.

Yesterday, Sony announced their first hard drive camcorder: the DCR-SR100 (Review, Specs, $999), which is the first competitor to JVC in the hard drive based camcorder market. The DCR-SR100 is priced significantly higher than the Everios at $1,100. It offers a similar feature set to JVC's top model GZ-MG77, with a 30GB hard drive. However, it produces higher resolution stills with a 3 megapixel imager. The major competitive advantage that JVC offers over Sony now is their direct to DVD transfer.

The GZ-MG21, GZ-MG27, and GZ-MG37 will all be available in February for $600, $700, and $800, respectively. JVC has not announced pricing on the GZ-MG77, but it will be available in March.