Sony Sneaks in Summer Upgrades on Nearly All HDD Camcorders

June 11, 2007 - Sony managed to drop some unexpected camcorder releases on the public late last week. Rather than offering entirely new models, Sony is offering capacity upgrades to several of their HDD camcorders. In addition to the 100GB HDR-SR5C reported on Friday, Sony Style is taking orders for upgraded versions of all standard definition and some high definition models. The company's sales website is also touting a "new model," the HDR-SR8, which appears to be identical to the HDR-SR7 with an upgraded 100GB HDD. "This is an exclusive, custom-to-order offer through Sony Style," stated Yolanda Hunt-Boes, Corporate Communications for Sony. The upgraded models will not be available through third party retailers.

The naming convention may be tricky for consumers to parse. The definitive list of upgrades is as follows: The DCR-SR42 and DCR-SR62 can be upgraded from a 30GB to a 60GB HDD, becoming the SR42A and SR62A. The DCR-SR82 can be upgraded from 60GB to 100GB becoming the DCR-SR82C. The DCR-SR200 and DCR-SR300  can both be upgraded from 40GB to 100GB.

In the high defintinition category, the HDR-SR5 can be upgraded from 40GB to 100GB to become the SR5C. Finally, the HDR-SR7 can be upgraded to the HDR-SR8, which has a 100GB capacity. The SR8 was announced for European markets in the spring. It will become available in the US as of July 9th, as is the SR5C. All standard definition upgrades are available now through Sonystyle.com.