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December 06, 2006

Panasonic Enters the Consumer HD Market with HDC-SD1 and HDC-DX1

By David Kender
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The Panasonic HDC-SD1 and HDC-DX1 Specs Comparisions | Panasonic HDC-SD1 and HDC-DX1 Photo Gallery

December 6, 2006 - On the chilly piers of Chelsea in New York today, Panasonic announced two new high definition camcorders, the HDC-SD1, an SD-card based model, and HDC-DX1, a DVD model. The product launch came as little surprise to industry insiders. Virtually identical models were already announced in Japan one month ago. Both will capture in the AVCHD compression format, which was co-developed by Panasonic and Sony. The latter company has already capitalized on the new format with their own models, the HDR-SR1 and HDR-UX1. Today’s announcements are Panasonic’s first entrance into the consumer HD market.

'By 2007, HDTV sales are projected to make up 70% of all new TV purchases in the US,' stated Bert Desmond, Vice President of the Optical Group at Panasonic.  Those owners, Desmond speculated, will soon no longer settle for standard definition video from their camcorders.
 
Since AVCHD’s launch in May, Panasonic’s first HD models have been eagerly anticipated. The company chose to ignore the tape-based HDV format, which found great success with Sony and has been recently adopted by Canon. Sony also took the lead in utilizing AVCHD, though according to retailers, sales of the HDR-SR1 and HDR-UX1 have been slow due to editing workflow issues. A number of NLE manufacturers have signed on for AVCHD licensing, but the actual software has yet to hit shelves.

Both the HDC-SD1 and HDC-DX1 offer a number of features that should make for some stiff competition with the Sony models. Microphone inputs, HDMI connection, component and composite jacks, a 3.0" LCD screen with a 251K resolution, a 0.44" EVF with a 183K resolution (according to Panasonic Japan), 12x optical zoom, 5.1 channel sound, a still flash, and optical image stabilization are also included.
 
 
 

The Panasonic HDC-DX1. Above left, the HDC-SD1
Both camcorders will also feature a 3-CCD array, each measuring 1/4" with a gross pixel count of 560K (520K effective pixel count). Data speed will be limited to a maximum of 13Mbps. Sony’s two AVCHD camcorders have maximum speeds of 12Mbps and 15Mbps, alternately. All AVCHD camcorders so far have fallen short of the codec’s 24Mbps potential.

The camcorders carry over most of the manual control and handling features from past Panasonic models.  At the press conference today, Vitti stated that one-handed operation was a design goal.  The joystick is once again rear-mounted, though it has a lower profile than before and handling may prove less adept.

New features on the HDC-SD1 and HDC-DX1 include Focus Assist, for instant digital zoom, Composition Guidelines, and new battery information, which tells a user approximately how many minutes remain. 
 
The HDC-SD1, though preceded by two SD-card based camcorders , the SDR-S100 and SDR-S150, takes a dramatic break in design. Rather than an upright design, the HDC-SD1 has a streamlined, horizontal layout. Video and stills are recorded to SD and SDHC cards (a 4GB SDHC card comes included). The limited capacity of SD cards in their previous models has been addressed here by the new recording format. AVCHD is far more efficient than standard definition MPEG-2, and it can hold up to 40 minutes of the highest quality video on a 4GB card.

As hard disk drive (HDD) camcorder rise in popularity, selection, and capacity, some consumers may be left wondering why Panasonic would continue to push the relatively small capacity medium of SD and SDHC cards. Akihiro Nakatani, Director of Video Camera Business Unit, Panasonic AVC Networks, cited portability and quick start-up times as the main reasons for their commitment. Nakatani also cited projections that 8GB SDHC cards will hit the market in early 2007, with 16GB cards in the near future. Capacity is clearly a strong factor in a consumer's  purchasing decision, and that fight is being won by HDD. The average HDD camcorder currently offers 30GB of storage, with some as large as 60GB.
 
The HDC-DX1 is similar in design but with a raised hump on the right side to accommodate the DVD loading mechanism. Compatible DVD formats include DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-R DL (Dual Layer), and DVD-RAM. Arguably, one of AVCHD’s smartest features is that it can be written onto existing DVD formats, and it does not require new types of DVD discs.
 
In conjunction with the HDC-DX1, Panasonic also announced their own brand of single-sided dual layer DVDs, which offer a 2.86GB capacity. Up to 40 minutes of HD video from the HDC-DX1 can be stored to the disc. Single packs of the new DL disc have an MSRP of $14.99, and 2-packs retail for $29.99.

Both camcorders feature a 12x optical zoom lens, F1.8 - 2.8, f=3.0-30.0 mm, and a 43 mm filter diameter.  The shutter speed ranges from 1/60 - 1/8000 in video and still mode.  In addition to the 13Mbps maximum data rate, both camcorders also offer lower-quality shooting modes of 9Mbps and 6Mbps.
 
The HDC-SD1 will retail for a suggested price of $1499 and the HDC-DX1 for $1399. Both are slated for a March release.

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