Fisher Introduces a Pocket CameraCorder

by Mark Bassett
Published on Nov 17, 2003 12:00 AM



A division of Sanyo, Fisher Company debuts the new FVD-C1 Pocket CameraCorder. The combination unit, is a high-resolution MPEG-4 camcorder and digital camera with a 5.8x optical zoom lens, and memory card storage. Priced at $899, the device uses postage stamp-sized 512 megabyte SD memory cards to store 30 minutes of full-motion video at 30-frames-per-second with a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. In camera mode the device can capture up to 491 images at a resolution of 2,048 x 1,536 pixels.

''The Fisher Pocket CameraCorder, offers a cost-effective, technology-driven, pocket-size solution for individuals and families wishing to have the best of both worlds -- digital still photography and full-motion digital video'' said Isaac Levy, vice president, sales and marketing for Sanyo Fisher Company's Audio Video Division.

The device has a built in 1.5-inch TFT LCD color monitor for playback, and connects to a PC by way of a docking station with USB 2.0. The docking station also includes AV cables for playback on a television monitor. The FVD-C1 ships with a full-suite of digital editing and authoring software developed by Ulead. The software is meant to build on the FVD-C1's numerous in-camera editing capabilities.

With a weight of just over five ounces, the CameraCorder uses a proprietary, low power consumption MPEG-4 chip to record at the 2Mbps bit needed to capture over half an hour of DVD-like full-motion, 30-frames-per-second video on a 512MB SD memory card. The FVD-C1 is compatible with Quick Time 6.3 for video playback in MPEG-4 format.

Already in the Race

Panasonic and Gateway are early competitors in the race for the smallest digital camcorder. Panasonic entered the market with the $999, SV-AV100. The camcorder has a 10x zoom, weighs in at five ounces, and uses MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 compression. A 512 SD card can store 10 minutes of video at 320 x 240 pixels.

Gateway computers has developed a similar camcorder, the DV-S20 Pocket Multi-Cam. At just 4.3 ounces and 1.2 inches thick, the multi-cam has a 2.5x digital zoom that captures stills at 1,600 x 1,200 pixels. A 512 megabyte SD card stores two hours of video at 22 to 25 frams per second, or 5,600 pictures.