TOKYO--Multimedia's the focus here in hot products and gadgets this month. There are several interesting camcorders, a video recorder that does about everything, a video player that plays about everything, and a couple of cool cell phones.

And just to get serious for a moment, there's a new system from the research labs that could provide a few seconds warning that an earthquake is about to hit. That might not be a concern, depending on where you live, but in cities like Tokyo and Taipei the danger posed by shifts in the earth's crust is very real.

Sony Hard-Drive Camcorder

Ditch the cassette tape; Sony's latest camcorder records straight to its hard disk. The DCR-SR100 contains a 30GB hard drive and records video in MPEG-2 format. There are three quality modes: HP records at 9 megabits per second; SP records at 6 mbps; and LP records at 3 mbps. Depending on the mode, this works out to between 7 hours and 20 minutes or 20 hours and 50 minutes of recording time, according to Sony. With the video on hard disk it's just a quick USB 2.0 transfer to your PC; then it's available for editing. In Japan, it will go on sale March 3 and cost $1170. It will carry a $1100 price tag in the U.S., where it will launch in early March.

Panasonic Multimedia Player

At first glance, the Panasonic DVD-LX97 looks like a standard portable DVD player, with a 9-inch wide-screen LCD and a bay for the discs. But look a little deeper into the features, and it gets interesting. In addition to DVDs, the device plays CDs, MP3 CDs, and VideoCDs, and it can play audio and video from Secure Digital Cards. There's a built-in tuner for Japan's soon-to-launch mobile digital TV service. It also includes a low-power FM transmitter so you can listen to the audio output through an FM radio, which might be useful when you're at home or in the car. The DVD-LX97 will go on sale in Japan on March 15 and will cost about $760. There are no plans to sell it overseas.

Sanyo Hard-Drive Camcorder

In late February, consumers in Japan will be able to get their hands on Sanyo's Xacti DMX-HD1. The digital camcorder records 720-line high-definition video in MPEG-4 straight to an SD card (which is not included), and it has a 10X optical zoom.

Students of high-definition video will remember that 720 lines is the lower of the two HDTV standards--the other is 1080 lines--so the Xacti DMX-HD1 qualifies as an HD camcorder although there are higher-quality cameras on the market. However, if it's size that is important to you, then the diminutive Xacti will be hard to beat: It weighs about 8.2 ounces. It will cost $1014 in Japan--no details of overseas sales are available.

Samsung T-DMB Phone

When Samsung Electronics unveiled its mobile digital TV cell phones for South Korea last year, all gadget fans around the world could do was look on with envy.

The T-DMB (Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) service has now expanded via test broadcasting to Germany and France, and so Samsung is launching such a cell phone in Europe. The handset has a 2.2-inch screen that can be swiveled through 90 degrees into a horizontal position for viewing. The SGH-P900 can also record digital TV. Other multimedia support includes MPEG-4, H.263, and H.264 video; and MP3, AAC, and AACplus audio. The handset includes Bluetooth, USB, and PictBridge printing support. No specific launch or pricing has been disclosed. It will not be available outside Europe.

Sharp All-in-One Video Recorder

If you've got one foot set firmly in the past and one foot dangling over the bleeding edge of technology, then Sharp's DV-ARV22 video recorder might be just the thing for you. It has a reassuringly familiar VHS deck, and there's also a built-in DVD player. On the cutting edge side of things, the unit can record full high-definition digital video to a 250GB hard disk, and also play it back. The device will hit shelves in Japan in mid-March and cost around $1300.

Pantech Music Phone

Pantech is attempting to do with its latest cell phone what Apple Computer's iPod Nano did for small music players. The IM-U110 packs 1GB of memory as an alternative to a miniature hard drive, just as the Apple Nano uses flash memory rather than the hard drive used in the iPod Mini. The phone's music function is compatible with AAC, AAC Plus, and MP3 files and the phone will also play MPEG-4 and H.264 movie files, according to Pantech. In addition to its music player functions, the IM-U110 has a 2-megapixel camera and is compatible with PictBridge. It works with CDMA networks and will be available in South Korea for around $650.

R&D Corner: Earthquake Warning Devices

From the development labs this month come devices intended to provide a few vital seconds warning that a major earthquake is about to hit. In a nutshell, the system works by recording the primary waves generated by earthquakes and distributing that information automatically before the strong secondary waves hit an area. The warnings will give a countdown until the shaking begins--from a few seconds to a minute--and an estimate of how strong it will be. Tecs has the system installed in an office photocopier, while Meisei Electric has a dedicated terminal. The full service will begin later this year.

Martyn Williams is Tokyo bureau chief for the IDG News Service, a consortium of IDG publications.