JVC announces three new Everio camcorders

JVC has announced three new models for their Everio range of HD camcorders - the entry-level GZ-HD10, the GZ-HD30 and the GZ-HD40. All three models feature a newly-developed CMOS sensor, JVC's first departure from the CCD array.

The $799 GZ-HD10 is a relatively gimped entry-level model, which only records AVCHD format video at 1440 x 1080 resolution, and has a 40GB hard drive. The $999.95 GZ-HD30 and the $1,299.95 GZ-HD40 are where things get interesting.

The GZ-HD30 and GZ-HD40 can record in AVCHD and MPEG-2 TS formats. AVCHD can be burned for playback on Blu-ray players, while MPEG-2 TS is considerably more useful to video editors. Final Cut Pro users with AVCHD cameras can vouch for the painful conversion times when importing AVCHD content.

The GZ-HD30 can record 10 hours of footage in the highest bitrate 1080i on its 80GB HDD, while the GZ-HD40 can handle 15 with its 120GB HDD. The only other difference is size and weight - with the 120GB HDD adding a little of both to the HD40.

There's a heap of other useful functionality on board, like a microSDHC slot for storage expansion, in-camera editing, 0.6 second power on, and a mere 0.08 seconds between pressing Record and actually recording.

Expect all three models to arrive in the US in August.

JVC Everio GZ-HD30 is the smallest 80GB camcorder yet [HD Cheaply]