Many have touted 2005 as the “year of HD.” I don’t know if I would go that far – but I would agree that this past year has seen a dramatic increase in consumer awareness of HD products.
So, if you are a HD enthusiast who has it all – I am happy to introduce the Sony Handycam HDR-HC1 – the world’s smallest and most affordable HD camcorder.
Reviews:
CNET: “The Sony Handycam HDR-HC1 is a good first effort at a consumer HD camcorder, but only HD fanatics should consider it.”
New York Times: For the moment, “there’s only one practical way to replay your life’s high-definition moments: by connecting the HC1 directly to your HDTV set. In other words, buying a high-def camcorder today is a decidedly forward-thinking move. It allows you to capture the priceless moments today, at the best possible quality, even though the rest of the HDTV puzzle pieces have yet to fall into place. If that kind of “shoot now, show later” philosophy appeals to you, thank Sony. The HC1 is a true breakthrough in price and size, and it brings the potential of dazzling high-definition video to an enormous new audience.”
Camcorder Info: “If the HDR-HC1 is a sign of the future and subsequent Sony HDV consumer camcorders are made this well, Sony will be able to recapture the passion of serious video consumers which they’ve seemed to have lost in recent years. The camcorder performs excellently in normal light and very well in low light. In addition, the image is about 3x sharper, with 3x more pixels than a MiniDV signal. The video produced from the HDR-HC1 is gorgeous. It’s some of the best video we’ve seen out of any camcorder on this market. You just can’t get that much quality for that few dollars anywhere else. Nothing comes close and the HDR-HC1 even challenges Panasonic’s PV-GS400 for the position of best value on the market today.”
Product Information:
Click here for features and specifications.
Bottom Line:
At around $1700, the HDR-HC1 is by far the most affordable HD camcorder on the market. It offers incredible video quality that will make your home movies look like they were filmed on high-end professional equiptment. Unfortunately though, the HDR-HC1 is ahead of its time when it comes to consumer video. Currently, the only way to get your video on a computer while still in the HD format is to purchase expensive software like Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5.1 ($699 direct) or Sony’s Vegas+DVD Production Suite ($475 street).
Furthermore, if you are looking to burn your video onto a DVD – you’re going to have to wait awhile. At the moment, there are no products on the market that will allow you to burn HD video to disk. As noted in the NY Times review, the only practical way to view your video is to hook the camcorder directly up to the television.
Still, for a product introducing new technology to the masses, the Sony Handycam HDR-HC1 is a solid product.
Posted by Sean
