Out in Japan: High-Def Home Movies

If you're looking for a way to liven up home movie night that doesn't involve inappropriate nudity or risk of injury, what about upgrading to high-definition video? Sony's first consumer-oriented HD camcorder, already available in Japan, is slated for a November U.S. launch with a price tag of about $3700.

The HDR-FX1 offers a 3.5-inch LCD screen and a 12X optical zoom. In HD mode, it can capture MPEG-2 video at 60 frames per second using the new HDV (high-definition video) compression format at 1080 by 1440 interlaced resolution. (HDV has support from major video-editing-software creators, including Adobe and Apple.) The camcorder provides two lower-resolution modes, as well. Video is stored on MiniDV cassettes. The bundled battery pack can power up to 65 minutes of continuous HD shooting; together, the camera and the battery weigh 5.1 pounds.