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Sanyo's Xacti HD2 high-def camcorder delivers 7 megapixel stills
It's deja vu all over again: at almost this exact same time last year, Sanyo unleashed the world's smallest HD camcorder in the form of its VPC-HD1, and now the company has stepped up its game with the brand new Xacti HD2. Maintaining the same pistol-grip form factor and 720p resolution as its predecessor, the HD2 kicks the stills up to seven megapixels, delivers 75% better low-light sensitivity, and perhaps best of all, ships with a docking station that sports HDMI out. Like the HD1a, this new model boasts support for SDHC, and Sanyo claims that a big fat 8GB card will store almost three full hours of footage. Other notable specs include 16:9 mode, a 2.2-inch LCD, 10x optical zoom, and spoken directions to help newbs get shooting right away. Expect the HD2 to drop sometime in March, and even though you're getting a number of improved features, Sanyo managed to knock $100 off of the HD1's initial price of $800. Check out the gallery below for some hands-on action... Sanyo's Xacti HD2 high-def camcorder delivers 7 megapixel stills
Let It Wave's bandlet upconversion technology on the air in France
Let It Wave's bandlet upconversion technology is on the air on a French high definition TV station broadcasting the French Roland Garros Tennis open. The CTO of France Televisions Interactive states the company is using the technology to mix upconverted SD sources with native HDTV footage, enabling high definition programming to reach customers sooner. We haven't had the best experiences with mixed SD content at US sporting events like the PGA Championship, but Let It Wave claims its technology upconverts as high as 1080p with no flickering or jaggies. French television is currently testing the technology on Altera FPGA-based hardware and will continue to do so for the next three months with a variety of sources, the company plans to announce more products at NAB 2007.
Akihabara reviews the Sanyo HD1
Our pals at Akihabara News all the way over in Japan has conducted an extensive test of the infamous Sanyo Xacti HD1; their conclusion...well you might not like this. Let us say that we love the idea of small, portable HD devices but in all honesty, this review did not surprise us. You have to know what the review is going to say, right?Well, it really was bad. In fact a huge disappointment. But don't just take our word, check it out for yourself. Akihabara News has three videos right from the HD1's lens; we wouldn't spend our money on it. Oh and the review is of course in WMV9HD 720p format.[Daimaou, thanks for the heads up]
Video Feature: Sanyo's VPC-HD1
Definetely one of the smallest, if not the smallest, HD cams we've seen of late. The VPC-HD1 flaunts 720p in addition to a really small frame. Want to see exactly what it looks like? Check the video.FormatQT MPEG4, 1:28, 5.68 MB[Download here]
