• PC World
• »Audio/Video
• »Camcorders

Sony will put on sale in July a consumer HD (high-definition) camcorder that is much smaller and cheaper than its current offering, the company says.

The HDR-HC1 is the second consumer HD camcorder from Sony and its launch should bring HD video recording into the reach of a wider range of potential users. Compared to Sony's current model--the HDR-FX1, which went on sale late last year--the new camera is about a third of the weight and less than half the size and price.

Sony managed to cut down the size and price of the camera by working on two main areas.

First, the new camera features a single CMOS image sensor versus 3 CCD sensors on the previous model. Not only is this cheaper, but it makes for a simpler optical system because a prism isn't needed to split the image to each of the sensors. The new camera also uses a smaller and more compact lens. Its diameter is 2.4 inches versus 3.6 inches on the previous model, and it is 3.5 inches shorter in total length.

The Carl Zeiss lens offers a 10X optical zoom.

Slim and Trim

There has also been work on reducing the size of the camera's electronics. The number of circuit boards has been cut from 5 to 2 and the total component count is down from 3000 to 2000 through integration of components into chips, Sony says.

All of this has made the camera much smaller. The HDR-HC1 measures 2.8 inches by 3.7 inches by 7.4 inches and weighs 1.5 pounds without the battery. In contrast, the previous model measured 5.9 inches by 7.1 inches by 14.4 inches and weighed 4.4 pounds.

Like the previous model, the HDR-HC1 is based on HDV format, which uses current-generation DV tapes to store high-definition video. Current DV tapes are completely compatible and can hold the same amount of video under HDV as they can under standard definition. This is a major advantage for current DV camcorder users because it preserves the investment made in recording media.

There are three ways to get HD video out of the camera: via Y/Pb/Pr component video signal, via the Japanese D3/D4 format signal, and there's also a 4-pin iLink interface. This will stream in high-definition to compatible monitors and televisions with an HDV iLink interface.

The HDR-HC1 will be launched in Japan on July 7 and in North America, Europe, and Asia at about the same time. It will cost about $1685 in Japan. It will cost about the same price overseas.