The new consumer format promises to give video recordings a four times boost in image quality, without makers having to make substantial changes to the mechanisms of camcorders.
The format, tentatively named HDV, was unveiled by Sony, Sharp, Canon and JVC last Friday and allows for recording and playback of high definition video on standard digital video (DV) cassettes used in today's camcorders, the firms said in a joint statement.
The HDV format includes both the widely-accepted 720p (progressive) and 1080i (interlace) specifications, they said. The group said they will actively promote these specifications to the industry and plan to finalize the HDV format by September.
According to Japanese daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the new format will allow consumers to record movies at a resolution four times higher than current consumer digital video cameras.
The preliminary 720p specification has already been incorporated into JVC's GR-HD1 camcorder which was released earlier this year.
High-definition TV products are slowly gaining ground, with the advent of high-definition television broadcasts, a system which is being used in countries such as Japan, U.S. and UK. In addition, the introduction of high-end video recorders such as Sony's Blu-ray Disc Recorder have also contributed to the demand for high-end television.
The HDV format uses the popular MPEG2 compression, coupled with the existing DV format, to record videos. "Because the new format employs the same cassette case, tape speed, and track pitch as the DV format, it can utilize mechanical parts based on the DV format," the firms said.
Because compressed video cannot be uncompressed fast enough to allow for smooth fast-forward and rewind--an effect seen in domestic DVDs--a special low-resolution uncompressed track will have to stored separately to allow for unjerky forwards and rewinds.
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Posted by grey eminence on Tuesday, July 08 2003 12:49 PM