HighDefnition
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Sony's HDR-FX7 HD camcorder for prosumers
Get ready kiddies for that good high-definition recording fix to flow 'cause Sony just injected the HDR-FX7 camcorder into the scene. Replacing the aging HDR-FX1 launched two years ago this very day, the FX7 still brings HDV 1080i (1440x1080) recordings on miniDV tape via 3 CMOS sensors while trimming the weight by 25% and overall size by 40% -- in other words, 145×322×156mm and 1.4kg. The FX7 also maintains the 20x optical zoom but introduces an HDMI output and some enhanced usability features. Tucked beneath Sony's professional class HVR-Z1U camcorder the FX7 will drop November 11th in Japan for an estimated ¥380,000 or about $3,255 of that mean, mean green. Mmm, feels good don't it?[Via Impress]
High definition DVD audio breakdown
Erik mentioned this during the podcast earlier, and I thought some of you might find it interesting. TWICE has an article up listing the various audio options that will be available on both HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs and players. All HD-DVD players must include support for two-channel Dolby True HD, 5.1 DTS HD, and 5.1/6.1 Dolby Digital Plus. Blu-ray players are required to support Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1 and 5.1 PCM.More information on the HD-DVD audio codecs is available from the DVD Forum, and info on Blu-ray codecs at Blu-ray.com. They also mention what sort of feature upgrades we can expect, at least in respect to audio second-generation HD-DVD players will add features like 7.1 analog connectors and HDMI 1.3 outputs. As much as we talk about MPEG-2 and h.264, are you taking audio options into account with your next purchase?
Sneak preview of *football on Sky TV
The other football. Maybe some of our European friends will be giving HD more respect once their favorite sport is being broadcast in high definition. Last weekend it seems Sky showed a few UK journalists a preview of their high definition broadcasts of soccer, and they came away very impressed.This isn't really surprising, if HDTV has a single killer app, it's sports. Football, futbol or otherwise, once you've seen your favorite players in HD there isn't any going back. [Via HDTV UK]
