VideoRecorder
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Panasonic's new suite of colorful camcorders hits stores this July, gets priced right now
When Panasonic introduced us to its Skittles-like array of candy-coated camcorders, they gave us a taste of the little things, but left us hanging on price and availability. Well, if you've been slobbering over the specs since February, you can sate your appetite soon, because the HM-TA20, HM-TA2, HX-WA10, HX-DC10, and HX-DC1 will hit stores starting in early July. The Flip-style, 1080p HM-TA20 rings in at $200, while its less rugged little brother, the HM-TA2, will run you $170. The upright and rugged HX-WA10 will do 1080p video and 16-megapixel stills for $350, and you'll drop $280 on the HX-DC10 for the same functionality without the weather-proofing. For the same look at an even lower price, you can shoot 14-megapixel stills on the HX-DC1 for $200. Hungry for more? Full PR awaits you after the break.
LunchCommunicator films your every single bite, saves relationships
Ever wanted to tell your loved ones how grateful (or ungrateful) you are for your packed lunch, but not keen on having an awkward face-to-face dialog about it? Well, now you can! A research group at Ochanomizu University, Japan hacked up a nerdy lunch box -- consisting of a Creative webcam and a Viliv S5 MID -- just for this purpose. The idea is that when opened, the webcam will start recording the box being prepared at home; and when it's opened again at work, it automatically starts playing back the preparation footage while simultaneously recording the diner munching away. Obviously, you can throw in the occasional "oishii" and "arigatō" while you're at it. Sounds like the perfect gift for newlyweds, if you ask us. Video after the break.
Sony Handycam celebrates 25th birthday, can now film itself renting a car
Remember the Sony Video 8? No? Well, let's recap: it was 1985, and the company releases the CCD-M8 camcorder, capturing life on 8-millimeter cassettes at just under 2.2 pounds. "Back in my day" references notwithstanding, Sony is now celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Handycam line, from that progenitor recorder all the way up to today's SD card-equipped lineup. All the festivities and a pretty detailed trip down memory lane can be found via the source link, or if you're looking for something infinitely more cornball, Sony's produced a "commemorative movie" of sorts in honor of the anniversary -- that's after the break.
Easy Shot Clip camcorder is pretty small, pretty cheap, but not very pretty
The last time we saw Concord Keystone around these parts our minds were collectively blown by something called the QuantumGravity watch. It looks like its newest product, however, is a little more... conventional. The Easy Shot Clip is a plain-looking, 2-inch long camcorder with 2GB of storage (for up to 2 hours of 640 x 480, 30 fps video), mounts for a neck strap, stand, shirt clip, bicycle mount, and a helmet, and one solitary button. But the best thing? Even if it does retail for $70, we're sure it'll be hitting bargain bins and dollar stores in short order. Look out for it at CES next week, or everywhere else in February.
Space Observer to innocently watch you at San Jose's airport
It's every child's dream to one day walk through a trio of space robot legs as entering Silicon Valley, and if a proposed art project goes through, said dream will become a reality for budding tech superstars who land in Mineta San Jose International Airport. The $300,000 initiative would see a so-called Space Observer built and showcased prominently in the venue, allowing patrons to walk underneath its two-story-tall body and emit all sorts of "oohs" and "ahhs." The monolithic space robot would sport three legs and propeller-tipped kinetic camera arms, the latter of which would collect live video to be displayed on embedded monitors within its body. San Jose Public Art Director Barbara Goldstein has already stated that "it won't follow you anywhere," but it's not like she really has the power to control what this obviously sentient creature does / doesn't do.
Bullet DVR video recorder: for Speedy, not Rex Racer
Got Trixie at your side and Racer-X breathing down your neck? Hot, you'll need this then, the $749 Bullet DVR. Just bolt the solid state MPEG-4 recorder to your Mach 5 to capture lap times, jetting, gearing, suspension, and fuel consumption data for later playback in front of Mifune Motors' board of directors. Go speed racer, go! [Via The Red Ferret Journal]
Sony offers up hard drive upgrades in camcorder line
While we'd already seen a couple of noticeable offerings from Sony that mysteriously touted larger than usual internal hard drives, it now seems that a bevy of Sony's Handycams are eligible for an upgrade. According to the SonyStyle website, the DCR-SR42 and DCR-SR62 can grab an "A" on the end of its title and double the HDD capacity from 30GB to 60GB for $100. The DCR-SR82 can morph into the DCR-SR82C and go from 60GB to 100GB for just a Benjamin, while the DCR-SR200 and DCR-SR300 can make the same leap in size for $200. So there you have it, nothing revolutionary, but a whole lot more capture time can be yours if you've been holding out on picking one of the smaller models up.[Via CamcorderNews]
Mustek's DV520T camera / camcorder hybrid does VGA video
Joining the growing array of low-cost camera / camcorder hybrids is the Mustek DV520T, which sits a few notches below (in quality and price) the TX1s and Xacti HD2s of the world but still manages to handle the basics for the no-frills set. The two-faced device sports a handheld design with a two-inch flipout LCD to monitor the action, and internally, you'll find a 5.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, 64MB of storage, USB 2.0 connectivity, TV out, integrated flash, an SD slot that supports cards up to 2GB in size, a voice recorder, and an MP3 player as well. Aside from snapping stills, this unit also records VGA movies at 30 frames-per-second, and while we can't imagine them being of any real use, an 8x digital zoom and "digital image stabilization" are nevertheless included. Mustek's DV520T isn't likely to take home any image quality awards, but it might not be a half bad backup for just $129. More pics after the break.
I-O Data's HVR-HD1000LE: same old Rec-POT, new 1TB disk
I-O Data is updating their Rec-POT series of hard disk recorders to 1TB this morning with this, the HVR-HD1000LE. The recorder connects over Firewire to a variety of devices including Panasonic's Blu-ray recorders, Sharp DVD recorders, HueMAX set-top tuners, and Sony, Toshiba, Sharp, and FORIS.TV televisions to capture hi-def broadcasts direct to disk. Only in Japan starting April 12th for ¥79,800 (about $680). [Via Impress]
New York Times on iLuv 182
I've been sort-of longing for an iLuv iPod recorder since the first model was announced. It allows you to connect to any video source like your TiVo or VCR or DVD player and record directly onto your iPod. But when push comes to shove, I've never actually purchased one because despite the convenience factor. The iLuv is on the expensive side and there's just not enough compelling technology (no scheduling, for example, and no tuning channels) for me to switch from using EyeTV or the Neuros MPEG-4 digital recorder to capture video. What the iLuv does, as this recent New York Times article explains, is save you a bunch of steps. You don't have to capture video to your computer, convert it to an iPod-compatible format and then sync that video through iTunes. It records directly to your unit at 640x480 pixels and you can tell it how long to record (30 minutes, 60 minutes, etc). i182 offers a few new features over the original i180 model including memory card support for PSP recordings. At a bit over $200, is it worth your hard-earned money? I'm not rushing out to buy one myself. Yet.
iLuv i182 facilitates live video recording to your iPod / flash card
While we've seen quite a snazzy docking unit that could output video from your iPod to your HDTV, iLuv's taking things in the opposite direction with its forthcoming i182. This particular docking station ups the ante from the old i180 model, and facilitates live video recording from any composite / S-Video source directly onto your iPod or your choice of flash card, giving owners of flash-based PMPs / PVPs a chance to get in on the fun as well. Purportedly, the device brings in whatever video you feed it, and allows users to establish a pre-set recording length while offering up 640 x 480 (2.5Mbps) / 720 x 480 (5Mbps) encoding options. As you can probably tell, iLuv makes things easiest for iPod video owners, but for those looking to record the vids onto a MS, MSDuo, MMC, or SD card, a separate adapter plugs into the docking unit to get things done on the flash storage end. Additionally, a USB 2.0 connector is included for computer syncing / transferring, and while we don't have any confirmations, we're hearing to expect iLuv's latest around the March timeframe for a cool $229.99.
Buffalo's multi-source video capture box
Buffalo has got a new video capture device for those not content with recording from a single source at a time, with the PC-MV72DX/U2 offering both S-video and composite inputs -- along with an integrated analog TV tuner -- to bolster your recording options. If that's not enough for you, it seems you can also daisy-chain up to ten of 'em together connected to a single PC. Alternatively, you can hook one (or more) of these suckers up to a network attached storage device (otherwise known as NAS), such as Buffalo's own LinkStation line of drives. Whatever configuration you go with, you'll get your choice of MPEG-1/2/4 video at up to 720 x 480 resolution, as well as all the PVR and TV viewing functions you'd expect to come with a PC-attached TV tuner. Look for this one to hit Japan later this month for 24,360 Yen (just over $200).[Via Akihabara News]
Playing and cheating Vice City Stories through DevHook
The excellent CheatDevice is back. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories became a wonderous playground with the device, letting you do some truly crazy stuff. Mere days after its release, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories has a CheatDevice of its own. Edison Carter has crafted a tool that will let you get Infinite Health & Armor (helpful) and the Video Recorder (more helpful), which lets you capture footage directly from the game. You'll need to be running DevHook on a homebrew-enabled PSP. If you're homebrew-ready, head over to Edison's website to download the device. Remember: we don't support piracy here at PSP Fanboy. Please buy all your games! [Via PSP Hacks]
Fujitsu Ten unveils DREC1000 in-car accident recorder
If you've got a svelte new in-dash LCD with reverse assist, or even the VideoMirror aiding your less-than-admirable backing skills, neither of those will do you much good if your precious bumper gets marred by someone else. Assisting lawyers and victims alike in making accident cases an exercise in simplicity, Fujitsu Ten (more commonly referred to as Eclipse) is unveiling the DREC1000 Consumer Drive Recorder. Similar in function to TruScene's TS-1L, this in-car sentry keeps a keen eye on your vehicle's surroundings, and if sudden braking / acceleration is detected, a 20 second video clip (complete with the bevy of expletives you're likely to spew) is recorded onto a 128MB CF card for YouTube insurance purposes. The sensor box also reacts to jolts and sudden changes in driving patterns, activating the wide-angle CCD camera to capture the moments before and after a presumed incident; clips can be manually captured as well, and the device can hold up to 15 segments before the CF card reaches capacity or your vehicle is completely demolished. While ¥59,850 ($501) may seem a tad steep for continuous monitoring of your Volkswagen minivan, the gifted few sporting a Rolls Royce or Tesla Roadster may see things a bit differently.[Via Far East Gizmos]
JVC's 3CCD Everio HD camcorder loosed at CEATEC
Well hello Mr. high-definition Everio, nice to finally see you in the fo' realz. Oh sure, it's still a prototype but at least it's a working prototype instead of just marketing images. Even though it's on display right now at CEATEC in Japan, JVC is playing coy with important details like disk capacity and format those 3 CCDs will record to. Still, it's good to see that FUJINON lens glinting under the tradeshow lighting don't you think? Oh hey, is that an HDMI jack... sure is. A few more snaps after the break courtesy of Impress.
Evergreen's DB-MRC100 video recorder / player
Just in case you were in the market, Evergreen has this new Memory Stick DUO/PRO, SD/MMC, and Compact Flash video recorder up for grabs. The DB-MRC100 specializes in recording video for playback on your PSP or iPod via a couple of recording pre-sets but is certainly not limited to these devices. It features MPEG-4 recording at a resolution up to 640x480 at 30fps and can playback a wide variety of audio, video, and picture formats including DivX 3/4/5, MPEG-4, JPEG, MP3 and WMA when connected to your PC or TV via RCA jack. Shipping in Japan starting September 22 for ¥14,800 or right around $127.[Via Impress]
SanDisk's V-MATE: records video to what else, flash memory cards
Sandisk is plenty busy with new products at IFA in Berlin. Now, they've thrown down with a whole new product line-up by launching the V-MATE video recorder. And since SanDisk likey their flash memory, the V-Mate is designed to record directly to a wide variety of memory card formats from any composite video source such as your set-top box, DVD player, or TiVo. The V-MATE features a remote control, on-screen programming interface, and an infrared emitter to turn on your TV tuner device and select the right channel for programmed recording. And MPEG-4 compression delivers about 1.8 hours of playback per 1GB of flash at the V-MATE's maximum 640 x 480 recording resolution or up to 3.6-hours when the rez and bit rate are throttled back for the requirements of say, your cellphone display. Available in October for about $130.
iLuv i180 video recording dock for iPod
There are plenty of ways to get your favorite TV shows onto your iPod, but if for some reason you don't want to frequent the iTunes store or have to endure tedious conversion processes, iLuv has a new dock that takes your computer out of the equation altogether and records directly from almost any video source. Before you get too excited, though, you should know that iLuv's got no love for electronic program guides, so you actually have to be sitting by your TV to manually trigger each recording -- which severely limits this device's utility as a DVR. Obviously, then, the main selling point of the so-called i180 is the ability to transfer footage from your camcorder, and adjustable quality settings up to 1.5Mbps probably ensure that it performs this function pretty well. Still, we doubt most people would be willing to pay $200 to save a few minutes here and there transferring the occasional home movie, so it sounds like you should really hold on to that PC after all.[Via iLounge]
Toshiba's RD-A1 HD DVD recorder with 1TB disk
Hey, early adopters, we've got something big for ya! Measuring in at about half the size of your average consumer electronics she-waif (that'd be 33-pounds), we bring you the RD-A1 HD DVD recorder set to drop July 14 in Japan. Now, an HD DVD recorder alone is newsworthy being a first and all, but this monster screams for attention with a 1TB disk, TV tuners for Hi-Vision (Japanese hi-def) and terrestrial analog, and good ol' Ethernet for DLNA media streaming around the house. Oh, and for those of you unhappy with the, er, limited 1080i output of Tosh's HD-A1 player, this pup slaps in 1080p capable HDMI from ABT. And if you really need to record more high-def TV than the 92 hours (or 74 days in standard def!) allowed by that massive disk, well, first check your priorities TV-boy then kick back smugly 'cause the RD-A1 records to both HD DVD-R single-layer (15GB) and dual-layer (30GB) discs with support for DVD-RAM/R/RW/R-DL formats to boot. She also packs in all the video and audio jacks you'll likely need in addition to support for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD codecs. No word on a US release, but if the launch of the HD-A1 was any indicator, we could see this on US shelves just a few weeks after it drops in Japan for ¥398,000 or right around $3,464 in dead presidents. Oh, and if you thought the HD-A1's remote control was cluttered, just check the new remote and more after the break. [Via Impress]
Magnetox V120 mini video recorder unveiled
Taiwanese manufactuer Magnetox (no relatation to Magnavox, although we're not sure if they want you to think that) has unveiled their mini video recorder the V120 at the Computex trade show, although unlike most other video recorders, it does't contain any storage itself. Instead, it runs off whatever spare capacity you've got on your SD card, or you can attach a USB hard drive and record to it via the AV or tuner inputs; both making it easy to move your shows around. It supports the usual formats, including MPEG-4, DivX, XviD, MP3, AAC, WMA, and AC3, but while pricing isn't available, The Inq guesstimates that it'll be around $199 by the time it reaches the market, which is expected to be sometime before the end of the year in countries probably other than the one in which you reside.
