Panasonic Announces SDR-S100, SD Recording 3 CCD Camcorder

 

Today, Panasonic announced the world’s first 3 CCD SD (secure digital) recording camcorder, the SDR-S100. Calling it “a genuine video camera,” Panasonic is adding legitimacy to the flash media camcorder market. The new camcorder includes a 2GB SD card for recording MPEG2 video and features 3.1 megapixel stills.

 

The SDR-S100 features three 1/6-in. CCDs. Each CCD has 800K gross pixels with 640K effective pixels per CCD in 4:3 mode and 540K effective pixels per CCD in 16:9 mode. The new camcorder features a 10x optical zoom and Panasonic’s Optical Image Stabilization. Billed as a take anywhere rugged camcorder, the model is extremely small, measuring just 49.9 mm x 96.7 mm x 80.4 mm and weighing just 242 grams. The camcorder weighs less than half of the PV-GS250 (Review, Specs, $1299.99), a similar Panasonic MiniDV model.

 

 

Flash media camcorders have been plagued by quality problems and have not received legitimacy by the established camcorder world. Most models have suffered from low resolution, low frame rates, and poor video quality. Panasonic’s camcorder however borrows technology from their existing MiniDV line, attempting to dramatically improve the video quality.

 

The image processing on the SDR-S100 has also been upgraded, as image processing is a vital part of quality on MPEG2 camcorders. The camcorder features a new MPEG2 Engine Codec which uses image tracking to better encode high motion video, something that is often a problem with the MPEG2 format. In addition, the SDR-S100 uses variable bit rate encoding instead of constant bit rate encoding; variable bit rate encoding varies the amount of information that is capture with each frame. The engine is upgraded from what Panasonic has used on their DVD camcorders in the past. This means more efficient encoding which results in more video being able to fit onto the SD cards.

 

JVC and now Panasonic are the only manufacturers aggressively behind non-tape or non-DVD format recording camcorders. In September 2004, JVC changed the camcorder landscape by announcing their Everio series of camcorders, which record video to a Microdrive. Although the method of storing video in the JVC camcorders is on a mini hard drive, the camcorders are capable of recording video to flash-based CompactFlash cards as well. For comparison's sake, the mini hard drive offers the same benefits as flash media.

 

 

In February 2005, JVC updated their Everio line with a 3 CCD model, the Everio GZ-MC500. The GZ-MC500 is likely to be the closest competitor to Panasonic's SDR-S100 because both camcorders are in a close price range, they are both very small, and they both record to non-traditional media.

 

 

The SD recording format offers many advantages over tape-based media formats. The biggest is the compatibility with computers. Because of its popularity, many laptops and desktops include SD card slots. This enables users to take the card right out of their camcorder and place it into a computer and immediately have access to the video for editing, transferring to DVD, or emailing. Because there are no moving parts in an SD card, many of the problems native to tape such as dropouts, problems in extreme temperatures, and head cleaning are reduced or removed.

 

Recording Times

Picture Quality	XP	SP	LP
1GB SD Card	12 min	25 min	50 min
2GB SD Card	25 min	50 min	100 min

 

SD media however also has downsides, the biggest of which is its price. 2GB SD cards cost about $150 - $170. Because of their high cost, at the current time consumers will not be able to archive their video on SD cards; rather, they will need to transfer the video to another format to store it. Currently, no SD card is available at a capacity larger than 2GB. The other major downside is because of the 2GB capacity limit, users are limited in the length of the video which they can record.

 

Still capabilities are natural for the SDR-S100 since the most common use of the SD format is in digital cameras. The SDR-S100 can record stills at a resolution of up to 2048 x 1512 pixels. The camcorder achieves that resolution by using Quad-Density Pixel Shifting to combine the resolution of the three CCDs.The SDR-S100 also includes a flash and PictBridge technology.

 

The use of SD technology for Panasonic is very logical considering the recent product developments of Panasonic Broadcast’s professional camcorder line. Panasonic Broadcast has been promoting a flash media format called P2 as its next generation of camcorder media. P2 cards are an array of four SD cards. According to Panasonic, some of the technology used on the P2 system has been passed down to the SDR-S100.

 

One of the biggest weaknesses of the SDR-S100 and MPEG2 video in general is how difficult it is to edit. While Panasonic has included a very basic video editing program called MotionSD Studio, the functionality of the program is limited. Additionally, it is unknown how compatible the video from the SDR-S100 is with third party non-linear editing programs.

 

Other added features of the SDR-S100 include a feature which powers the camcorder on as soon as you open the LCD. In addition, because of its small size, Panasonic is pitching the SDR-S100 as an ambidextrous camcorder, designed for both left- and right-handed shooters. The camcorder also is the first Panasonic model to feature an automatic lens cover. A quick start feature will turn the camcorder on in just a second and a half.

 

Current Panasonic MiniDV camcorder owners will note however that the SDR-S100 lacks many features which have made Panasonic's existing MiniDV 3 CCD camcorder models popular. The SDR-S100 lacks any microphone input so users must rely only on the on-camera microphone. In addition, while the SDR-S100 offers the same level of manual control that other Panasonics are known for, the camcorder does not have a focus ring. The camcorder has however swapped out Panasonic's joystick for control with a four-way navigation button.

 

The Panasonic SDR-S100 will be available in October for $1,199.95.