HITACHI DVD-Cam DZ-MV100A

First DVD Video Camera

We’d been dreaming about it, and in fact Hitachi have finally come up with the goods: the first video camera using DVD technology will (finally) be available before the end of 2001.

The DZ-MV100A, which uses a DVD-ram mini disc of 8 cm diameter, will allow the user to record up to 60 minutes in high definition, or 2 hours in “normal” mode. These double-sided DVD-RAM mini discs, with a capacity of 2,8 Gb, are already proposed on the market by Maxell: rewritable 100 000 times, they cost around 46 Euros each.

Once taken out of the video camera, the DVD Ram is able to be inserted into a DVD RAM drive, in the knowledge that it’s possible to connect the camera to a computer, via USB, and it will be recognised by the computer as an external disc drive. This being said, don’t expect to be able to screen "baby burbling in the pool" directly via a player in the living room for the moment, as you’ll have to wait for the year 2002 to see the first players on the market. These will accept the new VRO (Video Recording Object) format which will be something akin to the classic VOB (Video Object) of pre-recorded DVD’s for sale in the shops.

Including a CCD High resolution captor (1280 x 960 pixels max. resolution), the DVD-cam can thus also serve as a digital still camera, presenting the incredible advantage of being able to stock up to 2000 photos in JPG format (or the equivalent of more than 20 Sony memory sticks of 128 MB, for pictures of the same resolution).

Video Editing: numerous video editing functions are directly available on the camera itself, such as the cutting or combining of scenes, selective deleting, indexation and the individual adding of titles to each scene… as well as the adding of a play list. Furthermore, the ULEAD Video Studio software is supplied as a free added bonus, allowing for the transformation of your computer into a home editing suite.

Last (but not least): the machine includes a Dolby Digital Decoder allowing for the reading of audio information contained on future mini DVD-videos.

The DZ-MV100A DVD-Cam should be sold for around 2 440 Euros.


PS: for more ample information, you can download two PDF files (technical specifications and user's manual).