Expert Camcorder Comparison Guide and Reviews

High Definition Camcorder - Benefits of The Sony HDR-FX1

July 6th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

A Comparison Between the Sony High-Definition Camcorder And JVC’s Products

Back in September of 2004 the Sony Corp. announced the introduction of its high definition camcorder, which highly accelerated growth of this unique segment of the electronic home entertainment market. The name of this new high-definition camcorder was HDR-FX1 which had a frame rate of 60 interlaced frames per second and used 1080 lines horizontal resolution and recorded to standard MiniDV tapes.

The specifications for a high definition camcorder were in agreement with other similar manufacturers such as Canon, JVC and Sharp. Additionally, the high definition camcorder has supporting software for editing video from heavyweights such as Adobe and Apple.

The Sony HDR-FX1 camcorder is the first in terms of technicality but the HDR specifications are derived from compression standards first introduced by JVC camcorder HDV specs. JVC’s first camcorder known as the GR-HD1 which the consumer could use before Sony camcorders had entered the market also had a companion camcorder known as JY-HYD10U and it was based on the technology used in all of JVC’s professional line of camcorders.

The difference between the JVC digital camcorder and Sony high definition camcorder is in the way that shooting is done. With JVC camcorders, shooting was done with 720 lines of resolution at a rate of 30 progressive frames every second, whereas the Sony camcorder shot at 1080 lines of resolution at 60 interlaced frames every second. However, both rates contain the same amount of information, where JVC offers progressive scanning and Sony offers a higher resolution picture.

The two brands have the same method of compressing information into a MPEG2 signal which can then be saved on standard MiniDV tapes. In addition, both brands also can record standard DV signals as well as HDV signals. With the HDR-FX1 comes three 1/3 inch 16:9 1.12 Megapixel gross CCDs, with each CCD measuring 960 x 1080 pixels and the pixels themselves are oblong and not square thus allowing the camcorder to shoot 16:9 aspect ratio video.

Anticipated street price of the Sony HDR-FX1 should be approximately $3500, which is roughly $1000 less than when the first Mini DV camcorders were initially put on the market and at this price, Sony can start competition with models of professional caliber offered by other manufacturers. In addition to the fact that the Sony high definition camcorder is competitively priced is that its new real-time HD codec engine can decode and code the HDV singles.