"World's Lightest*," says so right in the Panasonic press release. What's that? It's a qualified statement? Oh we see it now, it's the world's lightest Full-HD AVCHD camcorder. Well, that'll make Sanyo's lawyers happy. Anyway, the new Pannys bring SD/SDHC card support, touch-screen control, intelligent auto scene selection and AF tracking along with Panasonic's optical image stabilization to keep the shake under control while zooming in at a 16x optical max. The TM10 differs from the SD10 in that it records to 40GB of internal storage before automatically switching to SDHC/SD cards of up to 32GB. The cameras also feature a 3 second Pre-Rec function that continuously pre-records content into an internal buffer which is then added to the beginning of the clip as soon as you hit record -- never miss a goal again. Pricing in the UK is set at £529.99 for the HDC-TM10 and £499.99 for the HDC-SD10 with June availability.

[Via Pocket-lint]

JVC's new "Everio X" GZ-X900 camcorder is just what we like in a flagship device: incredible style, crazy specs, and awesome slow motion video of us slapping people. The GZ-X900 reworks the Everio line into a new brick-like form factor that's bordering on the shape of camcorders of yore, but JVC puts a nice twist to it, and the camera is obviously very compact. JVC used some "premium materials" in the construction and it really shows, but what's more exciting is the high-end 1080p resolution, with 1000 "TV lines" to sample from (it's not upscaling from a completely bum source like many compact camcorders). The unit also works as a fast-action still camera, for 9 megapixel shots at 15 fps, and 5.3 megapixel shots at 60 fps. What we're really wild about is the 600 fps slow motion, which operates at a 640 x 72 resolution -- you can get more pixels at slower frame rates. Unfortunately, none of this good stuff comes cheap: the camera hits retail in June for an even $1000.

Just last week we heard that Warner Bros. was ending its home video / DVD business in South Korea due to rampant piracy, and now we've got a report from China suggesting that sophisticated pirates are duping buyers with faux Blu-ray Discs that are actually DVDs. As the story goes, movie pirates in select parts of Asia are ripping bona fide BDs and then burning them in AVCHD format (which uses 720 horizontal lines of resolution compared to Blu-ray's 1,080) on writable DVDs. Word on the street has it that these discs are being offered for around $7 each, and they even boast the BD hologram and the iconic blue hues on the packaging. Reportedly, none of the discs have made it outside of Asia just yet, but stay sharp should you ever get the urge to snag a discounted BD title while traveling abroad.

[Image courtesy of UberGizmo]

[Via TechRadar]

No sooner did we have a chance to wrap our mitts around JVC's Everio GZ-HD40 and Samsung's SC-HMX20C than Canon comes out with a pair of its own. Kicking things off is the iVIS HF11 (which turned up in name back in April) -- an HD camcorder with 32GB of built-in memory, an SD / SDHC card slot, Full HD recording capabilities (using the polarizing AVCHD format) and a 12x optical zoom. The iVIS HG21 (pictured after the break) relates most closely to the aforementioned HD40, as it packs a capacious 120GB internal HDD, 2.7-inch flip-out LCD and most of the same specifications as its sibling. Expect 'em both to land next month (at least in Japan) for ¥140,000 ($1,317) apiece.

Sony just outed its newest HD camcorder dubbed the HDR-CX12. We're looking at 1,920 x 1,080 AVCHD video from a 10 megapixel ClearVid 1/3.13-inch CMOS sensor, BIONZ image processing, image stabilized Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T 12 optical zoon lens, a 2.7-inch LCD, 5.1 surround sound mic, and Memory Stick PRO Duo (4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo (Mark2) in the box) storage. It's not the world's smallest, but it's only the size of a soda can, AKA, pop can for you mid-westerners. This camcorder also packs Sony's Smile Shutter tech which automatically throws the shutter (even when in standby) when your subject smiles... or grimaces at having to stand around taking yet another family photo. Smiles can even be prioritized by children or adults. $900 starting tomorrow or early August for brick-n-mortarers.

Update: Another glamor shot and now video of Smile Shutter working on the Japanese CX12 posted after the break.

[Via Akihabara News]

We got a quick look at JVC's new AVCHD camcorders today, the GD-HD40, GZ-HD30 and GZ-HD10. Of note, the HD40 comes complete with a dock for extra hookups like FireWire, and the HD40 and HD30 can shoot video in MPEG-2 for higher quality and easier editing. JVC has done some serious work on noise reduction on all of the cameras, but from the samples shown, it comes at the cost of detail -- some of the vids we saw looked more like watercolors or 3D renders than true video. Hopefully that's something you'll be able to configure to your liking, and we're glad JVC is leaving MPEG-2 on here to avoid compression that might exacerbate the problem further. That said, most users are going to be very pleased with the kind of color and low noise they can get at night or in badly-lit rooms. The cameras are certainly small for their feature sets, but at about a pound apiece they feel pretty heavy for their size. Otherwise the build is standard JVC fare -- not too fancy, not too plain. We also got a chance to peep some over JVC's other new consumer gear, so check it out in the gallery below.

JVC's disk-based Everio lineup of HD camcorders are being met by a trio of newcomers this morning. The 120GB GD-HD40 ($1,300) and 80GB GZ-HD30 ($1,000) offer 10- and 6-hours of full 1,920 x 1,080 / 17Mbps AVCHD recordings, respectively, from a 1/3-inch, 2.68 megapixel CMOS sensor -- a first for the previously all-CCD based family. They can also record in an editing software-friendly 27Mbps MPEG-2 TS format if desired. The AVCHD-only GZ-HD10 ($800) model scales back the disk to 40GB, the lens, LCD, and sensor to achieve the lower price tag. All three offer 10x, Konica Minolta HD optical zoom lenses, an accessory shoe, up-converted 1080/60p HDMI out, and a microSDHC slot. Available in August, that's when.

Although Panasonic's HDC-SD9 is mighty, mighty small, reviewers over at CNET felt that it fell short in a number of key areas. For starters, Panny included a few quirky design choices; for instance, removing the battery requires the LCD cover to be open, but doing so can also turn the camera on unless you place it in a different mode. Granted, the minuscule size didn't leave the outfit too much to work with, but if you're easily flustered by these kinds of niggles, you can run far, far away right now. As for image quality, critics noted that still shots were marginally better than awful, but capturing full motion HD clips was something it did manage to do relatively well. Overall, no one handling this critter was enthusiastically shouting for joy when all was said and done, so do yourself a favor and eye the review down there before clicking that order button.

We'll go ahead and let those other guys battle it out for the "world's smallest" camcorder title -- meanwhile, Sony's just cranked out the one to really pay attention to. The HDR-TG1 Handycam checks in at just 1.3- x 4.7- x 2.5-inches and weighs ten ounces, all while boasting the ability to capture those oh-so-precious vacation moments and unannounced streaking episodes in 1080p 1080i. Aside from that, it'll snag stills at 4-megapixels and holds everything on MS Pro Duo / Pro Duo Mark2 cards, while the 2.7-inch touchscreen keeps your eyes glued to the action. Furthermore, you'll find a 10x Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar optical zoom lens, BIONZ processing engine, 5.1 Dolby Digital audio recording and a bundled 4GB Pro Duo Mark2 card for $900. Get ready -- this one's comin' at you next month. Video of Japanese model after the break.

Update: Will be called the HD TG3E in Europe.

[Via AkihabaraNews]

Looks like Panasonic's trying to get a two-month jump on NAB, holding a press conference last night to announce the AG-MHC150 prosumer HD camcorder. The 3CCD MHC150 is based on the popular DVX100 / HVX200 design, but ditches the tapes in favor of capturing AVCHD to SD. Images are captured through a optically stabilized 28mm Leica lens at up to 1080p/60 resolution, with audio coming through the built-in XLR jacks. We probably won't get pricing until this bad bot gets formally introduced at NAB, but Panny says it'll ship in the fall. There's also a new institutional and event AVCHD-to-SD model, the 1080i AG-MHC70, which offers a 12x stabilized Leica zoom lens and 1080i res in a $2,495 shoulder-mounted package, which Panasonic says will hit in April.

Ready to get up close and personal with Canon's VIXIA HF10 camcorder? Think about it, 16GB of on-board flash with SDHC expansion, Canon's 12x lens with optical image stabilization, and 1,920 x 1,080 recordings in AVCHD format. Right, huh? Canon's all about the camcorders this week, check the video and gallery to see why.

Panasonic has a pair of new HD camcorders, the HDC-SD9 and HDC-HS9 (pictured after the break), that should make any prosumer proud. Both cameras feature 3CCD sensors that record at full 1920 x 1080 to the AVCHD video format. The SD9, which is smaller than last year's SD5, records to SD and SDHC cards, while the HS9 can do SD and SDHC, or record to its built-in 60GB hard disk. Teamed with a 16GB SDHC card, that gives the HS9 29 hours worth of full HD recording. Both cameras feature face detection for auto-adjusting exposure and contrast to best portray skin tone, and Panny's Intelligent Shooting Guide for providing shooting tips on the LCD so users can adjust settings before capturing sub-par footage. Both cameras also have HDMI plugs, 5.1 channel surround sound (with five built-in microphones) and a high-speed burst still shot mode, with 24fps at 2.1 megapixela. The cameras will both be out in March 2008, with the SD9 retailing for $800, and the HS9 selling for $1,100.

The folks over at CNET aren't wasting a moment getting to know Panasonic's latest Blu-ray player, so why should you? Reviewers started off by praising Panny for getting a Profile 1.1-compliant player out before the actual deadline, and minor gripes about the DMP-BD10A (namely, the remote and the fold-down door) have been addressed satisfactorily. Additionally, it was noted that audiophiles would find lots to love courtesy of its ability to output DTS-HD Master Audio / Dolby TrueHD soundtracks in bitstream format, and sticklers for image quality are likely to be equally impressed. Put simply, this unit "performed excellently by properly deinterlacing 1080i signals to 1080p without artifacts or jaggies," and it managed to measure up quite well with other highly-regarded BD players when playing back films. All in all, the BD30 was awarded a 7.4 out of 10 rating, and we're pretty certain that adding an Ethernet jack and built-in decoders for high-resolution audio formats would've made this thing even more attractive.