Hitachi DZHS300A
Hitachi takes the guess work out of having to choose a camcorder format by combining the long recording times of hard disk drives and the easy-to-share attributes of DVDs. Consumers can record up to 23 hours of home videos and then dub a highlight reel to a DVD disk with a simple push of a button, bypassing the PC completely.
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Hitachi America, Ltd. Ubiquitous Platform Systems Division’s consumer group today unveiled a new generation of UltraVision® camcorders that include the first two hybrid products capable of recording video directly to either formats. The DZH500A model, which was selected as an CES Innovations 2007 honoree in the Portable Electronics: Audio/Video category and records onto a wide array of DVD formats, including DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM and DVD+RW, features a 30GB hard drive, 30X optical zoom, SD memory card slot, and will be available in April for about $800. The DZHS300A, available today at retailers nationwide for about $600, features an 8GB hard drive, 25X optical zoom and SD memory card slot.
Hitachi Hybrid Camcorders lets consumers shoot and capture many hours of home movie memories directly to the built-in hard drive without changing discs or tapes or running out of space. The critical last step to enjoying and sharing these memories however is to transfer those movies from the Hard Drive to DVD’s, and the Hitachi Hybrid products are the only camcorders in the world that allow consumers to record to Hard Drive then transfer to DVD right in the camcorder with the push of a button.
“The Hitachi Hybrid DVD+HDD camcorders provide customers with the ultimate convenience of a single, affordable device capable of supporting the two most popular video formats on the market today,” said Jeff Fochtman, product manager for Hitachi America, Ltd., Ubiquitous Platform Systems Division. “Customers who value ease of use in a high-technology product are very excited about the hybrid camcorder’s ability to dub multiple DVDs straight from the camcorder’s hard drive.”
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All new Hitachi models feature 1-Second Quick Start, providing the fastest start-up time from standby of any device on the market; and a One Touch Finalize Button feature to easily accomplish that critical last step. Superior imaging is made possible with Hitachi’s Cinema Res Advanced Image Processing with high resolution capture, an exclusive technology that uses the entire CCD to capture both video and still images before converting to DVD format, utilizing the camcorder’s entire capacity to create a sharper, more detailed picture.
ULTRAVISION® DZHS500A AND DZHS300A - LONG RECORDING TIMES, EASY DVD DUBS
The DZHS500A and DZHS300A hybrid models offer the flexible capacity of an internal hard drive ideal for vacations when you want to grab a lot of footage but not to carry DVD discs, or for recording long events where you plan to produce highlight reels from the footage. The internal hard drive also makes downloading footage to a computer for editing a snap as well as performing basic in-camera editing when no computer is available. The 1-Touch Easy Dubbing feature lets users quickly burn footage stored on the hard disk drive to DVD for playback on most home DVD players. Built to withstand the rigors of family outings, the Hitachi hybrid camcorders offer a unique drop-proofing system that automatically detect falls, suspends read/write activity and cushions the hard drive for impact.
Hitachi’s top-of-the-line UltraVision® DZHS500A DVD Hybrid Camcorder features a polished smoked-chrome finish and aerodynamic design for a dramatically contemporary styling. This model also includes Composite inputs. To learn more about the benefits and features of Hitachi Hybrid DVD+HDD camcorders, please visit www.hitachihybrid.com.
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Hitachi DZHS300A Reviews
Gizmodo has a review of the Hitachi DZHS300A and writes, “Despite its limitations of sharing footage between recording methods, the Hitachi Hybrid is a decent solution for those looking to make in-camera DVD dubs. Plus, one can edit their clips, group together playlists and even add some limited transitions without ever leaving the comfort of a their LCD. … Unfortunately, the Hyrbrid is not the multi-format wonder device it could so easily be. For $1000, this would unquestionably be a pass. But since it retails for $599 and runs $450 or so at most online retailers, the Hitachi Hyrbrid DVD/HDD Camcorder might be worth a look if you are a movie theater bootlegger or very proud soccer mom.” Link.
Videomaker has a review of the Hitachi DZHS300A and writes, “In the area of image quality, the standout performance comes from its color reproduction. For a single chip camcorder, we’re pleased to see such vibrant colors that appear natural in well-lit scenes. In low-light conditions the image quality suffers from increased noise in dark areas of the image, and the auto focus tends to drift a bit more, but not more than what we expect from a consumer camcorder at this price point. Additionally, the compression artifacts in both DVD and HDD recording modes performed as expected. … When all is said and done, this very flexible and easy-to-use hybrid camcorder is a great new approach to a ho-hum world of consumer video. The DZHS300A is not only a useful tool for acquiring video; it’s a great tool for sharing what you’ve captured - which, in our experience, is the most rewarding part.” Link.
CNET has a review of the Hitachi DZ-HS300A and writes, “In most other respects, the HS300A is your typical budget camcorder, and that’s bad news for a hard drive/DVD-based model. Its 1/6-inch 680,000-pixel sensor records 340,000-pixel video, which simply isn’t enough for the MPEG-2 compression algorithm to encode without significant degradation. Severe edge crawl and jaggies, fringing, and a variety of false-color artifacts–especially around light sources–render the video close to unusable. Even for YouTube. … On the off chance that you don’t care about the mediocre video, perhaps you’ll find its design problems a bit more off-putting. … It’s too bad about the slippery power switch and poor video quality, because the idea of the Hitachi DZ-HS300A has great mass appeal.” Link.
Digital Trends has a review of the Hitachi DZ-HS300A and writes, “Even with all the flaws, I have to give Hitachi some praise for designing this hybrid. The idea of burning DVDs in the camcorder really enhances the idea of a HDD-based home video maker. There are definitely issues with the DZ-HS300A, including the documentation and the fact that colors didn’t really shine, but that’s pretty much the case with all single-chip SD DVD camcorders. Having used high-def camcorders, it’s hard to get really excited about SD any longer (no matter if it’s tape or disk). Still, this hybrid got my heart fluttering a little bit. What I really want to see is Hitachi engineers introducing a combo HDD/Blu-ray Disc camcorder (a project on the company’s front burner). I’ll be very happy to take that one out to the old ball game — even to a freezing Shea Stadium in April.” Link.
Dean Takahashi at the Tech Talk Blog has a review of the Hitachi DZHS300A and writes, “I shot some video of my kids on vacation and it looked plenty good. We watched it on the 2.7-inch liquid crystal display screen. The best thing about this is that you could also record on the hard drive and then press a button to directly transfer the video to a DVD.” Link.
CamcorderInfo has a reviewo f the Hitachi DZ-HS300A and writes, “For many casual shooters who like DVD camcorders but want the flexibility of longer recording times, the DZ-HS300A should be an attractive option. Unfortunately, the performance of this camcorder is bad enough to make its hybrid capabilities a moot point. The resolution was so low, in fact, that we could barely make out the text on our test charts! The problems worsened in low light, and at 15 lux, the image produced by this camcorder was a murky, noisy mess. The other attributes of the DZ-HS300A don’t help its case. The menu responds slowly, the control interface points awkwardly sideways, and the camcorder offers only a basic entry-level feature set. In a nutshell, the DZ-HS300A is high on concept and very low on follow-through.” Link.
PCWorld has a review of the Hitachi DZHS300A and writes, “PC World’s Test Center rated the DZHS300A’s video quality as Fair overall, with below-average scores for video shot indoors under standard lighting and in low light. Though it wasn’t outstanding, video captured informally in an outdoor setting looked attractive enough. Colors seemed a bit oversaturated, and images weren’t as sharp as those produced by competing camcorders, but exposure accuracy was quite good. … In the field of bargain camcorders, the DXHS300A may be worth a look–not so much for its dual media support as for its 25X optical zoom and bright, wide-format LCD.” Link.
CrunchGear has a review of the Hitachi DZHS300A and writes, “With its street price around $399, this is a budget camcorder and its video quality shows that. But, the Hitachi DZHS300A Hybrid Camcorder’s recording flexibility, easy use and fast startup time make it a good option for households with different user types: those that like to instantly and effortlessly record and share video and those that like to move it quickly to a computer for editing and creating more sophisticated projects.” Link.
PCMag has a review of the Hitachi DZHS300A and writes, “In our tests, the Hitachi produced adequate images but didn’t overwhelm me the way the Sony DVD508 did. Video had very good color, nice sound, and good detail. This detail, though, was lost in low light. The autofocus on the DZHS300A worked fairly well for my action test shot, but it was occasionally “faked out” and focused on the wrong location. … This camcorder is competitive because it can record video to either an internal hard drive or burn directly to DVD, but the confounding menu system and awkward controls are disappointing.” Link.
CNET UK reviews the Hitachi DZHS500A and writes, “The Hitachi DZ-HS500 is a capable and user-friendly camcorder that cuts through the confusion of different memory formats for the inexperienced consumer, and sidesteps the problems of picking one storage method over another…If only the imaging side of things matched the storage, the HS500 would be an excellent camcorder. Still, at this $290 price point, many will be prepared to overlook uninspired perfomance for a slice of hybrid action.” Link.
