High-Definition Camcorders Make Video Pop

The PC World Test Center evaluated four different types of HD camcorders: The Canon HV20 records HDV-format footage to a MiniDV tape; the Panasonic HDC-SD1 records AVCHD footage to a memory card; the Sanyo VPC-HD2 Xacti records MPEG-4 footage to a memory card; and the Sony HDR-SR1 records AVCHD video to an internal hard drive. (See our review of "Corel Ulead VideoStudio 11 Plus and Pinnacle Systems Studio 11 Ultimate" for more on the AVCHD and HDV formats.)

The Panasonic unit won our image-quality tests, but the Canon HV20 takes Best Buy honors with more features and a price $200 lower than the Panasonic's. Sony asked us to return the HDR-SR1 before we could conduct our hands-on tests, so we can't give it an overall rating, but we've included its results on our video, still-image, and battery tests.

AVCHD's Advantage

Under normal room lighting, the Panasonic HDC-SD1 captured much better video; and under dimmed lights, it held an even greater advantage. The other AVCHD model, Sony's HDR-SR1, finished second in video quality, but it didn't perform distinctly better than Canon's HV20. The VPC-HD2 Xacti trailed the others by a large margin--in part because our test TVs couldn't upscale its 720p signal, so we had to play its test footage at 480p. We also tried the VPC-HD2 on a 50-inch Pioneer Elite plasma TV that could handle upscaling, however, and the Panasonic model's footage still looked much better than the VPC-HD2's.

The VPC-HD2 virtually tied the HV20 in our still-image tests. The HDR-SR1 earned the best mark for audio quality, by a small margin over the HV20, but the HV20's battery lasted much longer than those of the other models.

At 7.4 ounces, the VPC-HD2 is less than half as heavy as any of the others; it's much smaller, too. But when you want to charge the unit, you must set it on its included dock, which also provides HDMI, component, and USB connections. The Canon HV20 is tubby by comparison, yet some of its control buttons--especially the start/stop button and the zoom lever--are unduly small and hard to use. But at least you don't have to put it on a dock to connect it to a TV via HDMI or component.

Neither Canon nor Sanyo provides software for transferring video to your computer. However, several video editing applications--including Corel's Ulead VideoA-Studio 11 Plus and Pinnacle Systems' Studio 11 Ultimate--can import and edit MPEG, AVCHD, or HDV footage.

The Panasonic HDC-SD1's great image quality makes it an easy choice if you don't mind paying a premium for it. But the Canon HV20's video (which has more modest system requirements for editing) looks very good too, and that model has more features for less money.

Alan Stafford

Find the Very Latest High-Definition Camcorder Charts

Click on the links below for the latest online digital camera rankings or a comprehensive list of all digital cameras we've tested.

• Most current Top DVD and HDD Camcorders chart
• Most current Top MiniDV Camcorders chart

Top High-Definition Camcorders From the August 2007 Issue of PC World Magazine