They rsquo;re also launching the HV20, a 1080 camcorder that uses HDV tape, in the US and Australia, with the HR10 claimed to be the smallest HD camera in the world as at Feb 2007. The quest for high definition has gone into top gear over the past few years as television screens finally escaped from their standard definition constraints, allowing people to use their shiny new flat-screen TVs as computer monitors and playback devices for HD games consoles, Blu-ray and HD DVD players and HD camcorders.
Both of Canon rsquo;s new camcorders are able to record in what is known as Full HD at a resolution of 1920 x 1080, with both able to output in 1080i or 1080p (with 1080p at 24 frames per second), depending on the television screen it is plugged into.
To record HD video, you need a storage format with enough space to handle the large amounts of data that HD video produces. In terms of discs, yet another video format has emerged ndash; AVCHD ndash; which gives those mini-DVD discs seen in DVD camcorders over the past few years enough space to store video in high definition through the use of a new compression standard, which is, of course, AVCHD.
With tapes, you need HDV ndash; a high definition version of Mini DV tape ndash; for the best HD recording results.
Both the HR10 and HV20 use a 10x lsquo;Genuine Canon optical zoom lens rsquo;, sport a Full HD 1920 x 1080 CMOS image sensor and the AVCHD video format. Both also have an ldquo;Instant AF focus system rdquo; and ldquo;Super Range Optical Image Stabilization rdquo; to help provide rock solid images at any focal length.
Both cameras offer a range of outputs including the now standard HDMI for a simple, single cable connection to HDMI-equipped TVs.
Canon rsquo;s AVCHD capable HR10 camcorder will sell in the US from August for US $1199, while the HV20 is available now and retails for US $1099. No Australian availability for the HR10 has yet been announced, however the HV20 is available this month from Australian retailers at a price of AUD $1999.
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