Samsung Enters the DVD Market with Four New Camcorders

by David Kender
Published on Jan 5, 2006 8:00 PM



Las Vegas, CES, January 5, 2006 – Today at CES, Samsung announced the release of four new DVD camcorders, making a sizable, first time entrance into the DVD market. Two of the models feature 680K (340 effective) 1/6-inch CCDs: the SC-DC164 and the SC-DC165. There are also two 1.1MP 1/5-inch CCD cams, the SC-DC564 and the SC-DC565. Samsung has, as of yet, been unable to confirm the size of these CCDs.

There has been some confusion as to how many camcorders Samsung was actually going to release. Their press information stated six DVD camcorders in total. Aaron Novak, the Marketing Manager for Camcorders, corrected that number, stating they would release only four. The reason two of the models (the SC-DC163 and SC-DC563) have been dropped, he stated, was a lack of interest by retailers. Their MiniDV line has experienced cuts for similar reasons, while their Sports Cam has quintupled to five new models.

Samsung has joined a long list of nearly every major manufacturer in producing DVD camcorders. Though Novak stated that they were "trying to go after the Sony market share," the specs indicate that they have a lot of catching up to do. Last year's Sony DVD403, and this year's new DCR-DVD505, have pushed the medium to new heights. Samsung's camcorders may possibly compete against the lower-end models, but Sony name recognition with consumers is unmatched.

The SC-DC564 and the SC-DC565 both feature 26x optical and 1200x digital zoom. The two top models also both have a 2.7-inch widescreen LCD. Stills are recorded to a 4-in-1 card reader that accepts SD, MMC, MemoryStick Pro, and MemoryStick cards, at a maximum still resolution of 1152 x 864.

Stepping up from the DC564 to the DC565 adds a flash and analog-in for analog to digital conversion.


Samsung SC-DC565

On the lower-tier camcorders, the SC-DC164 and DC165 have a 33x optical and 1200x digital zoom, and a 2.7-inch widescreen LCD. Both models capture stills at 800 x 600.

All four camcorders feature the 4-in-1 card reader, PictBridge technology, the ability to record MPEG-4 video to the still media card, and use electronic image stabilization.


Samsung SC-DC165

While there is limited information currently, we are working on getting more. The SC-DC164 retails for $449, and will ship in February. The SC-DC165 will retail for $499, the SC-DC564 for $549, and the SC-DC565 for $599; all will ship in March.