Camcorders Brand Overview
For MDS Battery Ltd
Introduction
The worldwide digital camcorder market has grown from zero in 1995 to near-saturation as we approach the end of the millennium’s first decade. MiniDV (more commonly referred to as “DV”) is the cassette tape-based format that has earned the camcorder its stripes in the marketplace, though things are changing at such a tremendous pace that tape is fast giving way to even newer formats. These include models that enable recording of home movie clips to truly tapeless media like tiny embedded Hard Disk Drives (HDD) and even high-capacity Memory cards like SDHC and Memory Stick DUO. Whether we like or not, tape-based formats are on their way out, but perhaps even more surprising is that DVD camcorders have a limited shelf-life, too.
Industry research indicates that what we refer to as the traditional
camcorder market is itself in decline, and this appears to be
pushing the major brands into their search for the Next Big Thing.
Clearly, a new generation of users is orientated towards recording
video clips with their mobile communications devices and sharing
them with the world via social networking websites like YouTube
and MySpace, and it’s within this context that we can see how
important is the role to be played by solid-state video recording
devices. That’s still a little way off, of course, and with such
a large volume of so-called legacy recordings on both tape, disk
and solid-state video formats there’s life in the digital camcorder
for several years to come.
The Big Four
In this overview of the main camcorder brands, we’ve attempted to provide a kind of potted-history of the role played by the four major brands in the recent history of digital camcorders as applicable to the consumer market. Whilst it’s true that you can buy camcorders from a wider range of brands than are represented here, it’s fair to say that the so-called Big Four – namely Sony, Panasonic, JVC and Canon – have played the most significant role in bringing digital home movie making to the mass market. Others, like Sharp, Sanyo and Hitachi, have each played their part too, but it could be argued that their contribution has complemented rather than spearheaded the kind of technological development we have come to associate with the digital camcorder as we now know it.
That said, we should also recognise that companies like Sanyo have introduced new technologies in the form of true solid-state recording, such as with its successful range of Xacti pocket cams, and “hybrid” HDD/DVD recording, as evident in models offered by Hitachi. However, it’s also fair to observe that whilst the concepts behind the introduction of these products are worth noting, the quality of output – in terms of video and audio – is often less impressive.
The High Definition Future
Given the ever-increasing demand for high definition television displays in our homes, it’s clear that HD is on everyone’s agenda and explains why camcorder manufacturers are racing to bring us a new generation of camcorders that offer true 1080i/720p high definition standards at ever more competitive prices. After an initial rush to bring us HD using camcorders that record to tape (as in HDV), the really big push is enable high capacity recording of high definition on internal hard disks – although the real objective is undoubtedly to give consumers the ability to shoot HD onto solid-state Memory Cards. Panasonic, Sony and also Canon are all investing fortunes in AVCHD – the latest high definition recording format that could well revolutionise the way we shoot, edit and share digital video.
Regardless of the success or otherwise of this new recording system, there’s no doubt whatever that we’re witnessing the rapid demise of established formats like DV and perhaps even DVD. The future’s bright – and you’ll be watching it in high definition.
Sony Camcorders
Sony’s ground-breaking DCR-VX1000 MiniDV camcorderhelped to displace older analogue formats like VHS and 8mm video back in 1995 and, in doing so, signalled a new era in home video. Low-cost, high-quality digital video recording and playback was at last within everyone’s reach.
The success of the VX1000 among professional users led to the creation of DVCAM, a format that used a higher specification picture encoding to tapes that were physically similar to MiniDV. For the early part of the decade, it was common for Sony to release key models in both MiniDV and DVCAM formats – such as the DCR-VX2100 (MiniDV) and the DSR-PD170 (DVCAM) models.  
In addition to MiniDV, Sony has offered products that use other digital formats. Digital8, for instance, applies the same recording system to identical tapes used by Video8 and Hi8 models, and offered upgraders the ability to record MiniDV style movies whilst also enabling them to digitally reproduce their older recordings in the same camera or transfer them to an editing computer using FireWire (“i.Link”). Although a very good format, it was also a stop-gap, and as Sony later began to drop the analogue-to-digital conversion feature in new Digital8 models, the format’s attractiveness subsided to the point where it is now virtually obsolete. The same is true of MICROMV, which was introduced in 2001 with the launch of the DCR-IP5.
This short-lived format used a compressed video system called MPEG2, just like DVD. However, MICROMV served only to confuse the market and has since been dropped. 
Since 2005, Sony has been encouraging new users to save video sequences to HDD (Hard Disc Drive) or even memory cards rather than tape. The SR32 and SR52 HDD Handycams each possess 30 Gigabyte HDDs to record instantly-accessible compressed video, and are representative of the way the market is quickly shifting in favour of tapeless video formats. Similarly, the company’s DVD106 and DVD109 Handycams are examples of easy-to-use, low cost camcorders that record to the smaller 8cm DVD discs. 
High Definition
The most important growth area in home video is undoubtedly high definition. In 2004 Sony opened up this new market with the original semi-pro HDR-FX1E HDV camcorder, enabling full specification 1080 line HD recording to MiniDV-style tape cassettes and enabling output as either HDV or standard DV. Although the HDR-FX7 now leads the consumer HDV pack, Sony has further pushed the envelope with several consumer Handycam models that record not just to HDV tape but also to discs, internal HDDs and solid-state memory cards. These tapeless HD formats use the new AVCHD high definition format which results from heavy compression using the highly-efficient MPEG4/AVC H.264 system. 
Today’s consumer has the choice of three media for AVCHD recording and playback. Firstly, the HDR-UX7 is a model that saves HD movies to DVD disc. The HDR-CX6 (claimed by Sony to be the world’s smallest HD camcorder) saves its clips to Memory Cards (such as 8GB Memory Stick DUO), whereas the HDR-SR5, SR7 and SR8 models use 40GB, 60GB and even 100GB hard disc drives respectively to store video and stills internally.
Summary
Sony’s 2007 Handycam line-up gives a clear hint of the direction in which the market is heading. DV tape and perhaps even HDV will disappear as we approach the end of the decade in favour of tapeless formats. Of those, we’re likely to see a fall-off in demand for DVD camcorders in favour of models that record to HDD and Memory Card. Only the latter gives true solid-state recording, however, and as storage capacities increase significantly this will undoubtedly grab the lion’s share of the market.
JVC Camcorders
As one of the longest-established camcorder brands, as well as being the inventor of VHS in the early 1970s, JVC quickly followed Sony into the digital camcorder market in the mid-1990s. Prior to this, large-format beasts such as the GF-S1000 full-sized S-VHS camcorder quickly gave way to smaller models that utilised a cut-down version of analogue VHS which allowed home movie-making to be a more portable and less conspicuous option, with playback of the VHS-C format (as it is known) in regular VHS players requiring the use of a special adaptor. It’s worth noting that despite the march towards total digital domination, S-VHS and – in particular – S-VHS-C has held its own remarkably well in the consumer camcorder market.
The company has tended to avoid experimentation with new formats like Sony’s Digital8 and MICROMV and has, until recently, stuck with tape-based MiniDV as its primary digital format. However, despite the reasonable level of quality and reliability of its products, JVC has never been in quite the same league as Sony, Canon or Panasonic where consumer camcorders are concerned. Its models have always been economically priced but have lacked the robustness or even the feature set of their competitors’ key models. Good examples of this are with models such as the GR-DVL 9800 (2000) and the GR-DVL150 (2001); these models lacked the image quality and handling characteristics of the more popular brands. Even the eye-turning GY-DV300 so-called “pro-sumer” model received bad trade reviews for its poor ergonomics and image quality – despite the attraction of 3CCDs, manual controllability and professional-quality XLR audio input features.
Where JVC has made its mark is in its early commitment to tapeless recording technology that utilises the same video compression standard as DVD – called MPEG2. As far back as 2003 the company introduced what it claimed to be the world’s first high definition camcorder in the form of the GR-PD1.
This “hybrid” camcorder allowed recording of MPEG2 high definition signals in addition to standard DV tape recordings, paving the way for the HD revolution that was to come later in the form of the JY-HD10. Then, in early 2004, when other makers were busy extolling the virtues of DVD and HDV tape-based high definition, JVC introduced two revolutionary camcorders – the GZ-MC100 and GZ-MC200 – that recorded MPEG2 compressed video clips to tiny 1.8” removable MicroDrives. 
Not long after, the company threw almost all of its weight behind its “Everio G” Hard Disk Drive products; the “G” signified the inclusion of anti-gravity sensors designed to shut down the HDD heads in the event of the camera being dropped.
As it scales down its production of DV camcorders completely, JVC’s success with HDD is evident in the increasing catalogue of models that now utilise 60GB HDDs, 3CCD imaging chips and SD card slots for both stills and compressed movie clips. The GZ-MG575 is a perfect example of the kind of product from JVC that will undoubtedly see off tape-based formats and even DVD as a camcorder format. Furthermore, they make the job of creating DVD copies a snip thanks to built-in software and USB 2.0 connectivity.
Summary
There’s no doubt that JVC’s strategy has been a high-risk one; not only has it completely avoided DVD as a camcorder format but it was arguably the first company to scale down its DV production in favour of tapeless formats designed to appeal to a new generation of users who want neither tape nor disks and who prefer the portability of MPEG recording. Its claim to have introduced the world’s first true HD 1920 x 1080 pixel camcorder – the excellent 3CCD Everio GZ-HD7 - further strengthens its position in what is undoubtedly a volatile and risky marketplace. 
Panasonic Camcorders
Despite the dominance of the Sony brand, Panasonic is a name synonymous with very high standards when it comes to camcorder technology, and regarded by many as the leader in its field. The brand’s strength in the consumer video market is due in large part to the company’s early backing for the VHS format in competition to Sony’s Betamax in the consumer arena. As with its Matsushita Group partner, JVC, this risky strategy paid off for the company formerly known as National Panasonic; VHS and S-VHS led the home movie-making revolution throughout the late 1980s and early 90s with Panasonic’s product range growing both in size and in stature – even if some of their full-sized VHS camcorders (like the AG-185) were ugly in the extreme!
It was the entry of the superb AG-EZ1 DV camcorder that turned heads in Panasonic’s direction. Its 3CCDs, image stabilisation and superb stereo audio attracted semi-pro users looking for a camcorder that could shoot inconspicuously and which could accept an external microphone. It didn’t have an LCD screen – but its viewfinder was large and the cam was a joy to use. Shortly afterwards, the NV-GS5 proved to be a winner among first-time camcorder users, voted best in its class in many magazine reviews at the time, as was the excellent little 3CCD NV-DX100.
It was its ability to shoot 24-frame Progressive Scan footage that gave the pro-sumer AG-DVX100 the ability to compete head-on with the likes of Sony’s DCR-VX1000 and, later, DCR-VX2000 camcorders, however. Loved by the digital moviemaking fraternity for the way it could shoot video at the same 24fps frame rate as cine film (as well as standard video frame rates of 25fps in PAL or 30fps in NTSC) and offering an unprecedented level of manual control, the DVX-100 remains a firm favourite to this day among those looking for that certain “film look” in their video footage.
Since 2002, Panasonic has launched a steady number of digital camcorders aimed at beginners and serious home video enthusiasts, with many superb models featuring Leica Dicomar lenses and Optical Image Stabilisation that is probably the best in the business plus a range of manual control features that continue to form the topic of discussions in web forums and user groups the world over. Occasionally, the company launches a product like the NV-GS400 which, with its 3CCDs, large LCD screen and full complement of manual controls, set the standard against which others were judged. Sadly, it didn’t last long enough and there’s no doubt that the company could have sold many more than it produced. It was around 2003 that Panasonic brought a range of DVD camcorders to market, too; using the small-format 8cm –R, -RW and even DVD-RAM disks, camcorders like the single CCD, 30x optical power zoom VDR-D100 and VDR-D150models have secured an important new market for users looking to record on the same medium as they use to play back in the home. 
Summary
With both MiniDV and DVD facing extinction as far as consumer camcorder formats are concerned, all eyes are set on tapeless – and even solid-state – high definition capabilities. To that end, Panasonic has joined Sony in developing AVCHD, the latest HD format that involves the use of an efficient MPEG4-based compression format called AVC/H.264. The introduction, early in 2007, of the HDC-SD1 and HDC-DX1 SD card and DVD AVCHD models respectively have spearheaded the next major phase in the history of the camcorder, and it’s clear that the growth of solid-state media in particular will quickly bring about the demise of tape and DVD formats altogether. The increasing popularity for combined HDD/SD (High Capacity) hybrid cams like the excellent SDR-H250 is proof that, as we near the end of the decade, the life of tape and even DVD is indeed limited. 
Canon Camcorders
Canon is synonymous with high-specification lenses for use in both stills and cinema photography, so it was no surprise that its entrance into the DV market in the latter half of the 1990s was pitched at the serious professional and semi-pro user rather than consumers. As a mark of its position as a lens-maker, Canon’s entry product – the ground-breaking XL1 DV camcorder – featured a removable lens and a range of accessories designed to serve its intended market. The XL1 was arguably the first “professional” DV camcorder to come with a price tag that brought an unprecedented level of manual control and connectivity to a new generation of videomaker.
Quickly accompanied by the XM1, a camcorder that shared some of the XL1’s design and operational characteristics but aimed at the home user who had a bit more money to spend, and superceded by the XL1S, Canon truly carved a niche by offering superb quality 3CCD images with good manual controls and ergonomic design. The XM2 soon followed, and – like the XL1S – gave a nod in the direction of 16:9 widescreen by offering anamorphic widescreen which results from optically squeezing a wide image into the 4:3 space on the CCDs for later unsqueezing at play back stage. 
Somewhat confusingly, Canon has insisted on naming models according to the territory in which they are sold; what was known as the XM2 in PAL regions was the GL2 in NTSC regions like north America; European “MV” models such as the MV900 series are branded “Elura” in the USA and Canada. As the company moves its focus over to high definition, we’ll see a higher degree of consistency in its nomenclature, however.
Canon’s commitment to DV has been considerable. Early in the decade it was already aiming models like the MV400 series camcorders at entry-level home users, even if all subsequent series (right up to the MV800 series models of 2004/5) have been prone to noisy operation. Camcorders in these ranges have, however, proven popular with schools thanks to a strategic partnership with Apple Computer that helped to popularise digital video in the education curriculum. Canon has offered two parallel MiniDV ranges – those prefixed MV (with the MV700 and MV800 models being the most popular) and aimed at those looking for budget-priced features, and those prefixed MVX (such as the MVX3i which was introduced in 2003), which generally have 3CCDs and improved functionality as befits the more serious video enthusiast. 
Summary
With such an extensive range of DV camcorder products in its catalogue, it’s perhaps surprising that it took so long for the company to enter the DVD camcorder market with the DC10 and DC20 entry-level (and budget-priced) models. Since early 2005 the company has added several DVD camcorders to its line-up – the DC201 and DC230 widescreen models having been added in Spring 2007 - but it’s with high definition that we can expect to see major growth. After entering the HDV 1080i market with the XL–H1 (seen as the HDV replacement for the XL2 pro DV camcorder), Canon then gave prosumers the excellent XH-A1 and XH-G1 HDV models, which are considered by many to be upgrades of the XM2/GL2 models. More recently (2007), the addition of the excellent HV20 HDV/DV camcorder – which uses CMOS imaging chips rather than CCDs – and Canon’s first AVCHD camcorder, the DVD recording HR10, are further evidence that high definition is gaining prominence in the company’s product array. With a commitment to AVCHD (albeit on DVD), it’s likely that Canon is watching its competitors carefully in assessing the viability of truly solid-state high definition recording in the consumer marketplace.
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