HDV: Different Starting Points, But An Identical Desired Destination....Success

As I've mentioned in past blog entries, JVC took an atypical (under the assumption that the bulk of the initial demand for high-definition video capture gear would be in the professional market) approach to HDV. The company's first-generation GR-HD1 and JY-HD10U cameras (whose unveiling predated the HDV 'label' for the technology's long-GOP MPEG-2 approach) were based on a single CCD, whereas the second-generation GY-HD100U went with a higher-end triple-CMOS sensor scheme.

Sony's rollout of HDV, which came after JVC's first-generation products were already in the market, employed the opposite approach; the first-generation HDR-FX1 and pro-tuned HVR-Z1U were three-CCD camcorders. Now, Sony's unveiled its second-generation and lower-priced units, the HDR-HC1 (available now at around $2,000) and pro-tuned HVR-A1U (coming this fall at under $3,500, says Sony). The professional variant, as was the case with both Sony's first-gen HDV stabs and JVC's alternatives, is based on the same fundamental platform as the consumer camcorder but adds XLR microphone inputs and makes other minor hardware and firmware tweaks.

The switch from a triple-CCD to a single-sensor image capture subsystem not only reduced the bill of materials cost, halved the second-generation cameras' weight versus their precursors, to less than 2 lbs. And the image sensor isn't a CCD….it's a 1/3" CMOS sensor. The CCD-to-CMOS sensor transition is notable both for what it means for the cameras and for Sony's semiconductor group, which supplied the sensor. Sony's long been a leader in the CCD market, but the company clearly has also identified and is responding to the looming threat posed by the CMOS sensor upstart. Ironically, the CMOS sensor, at 1920×1440 pixels, has higher inherent resolution than its CCD predecessors (each 960×1080 pixels, combining to form a 1440×1080 image), which drove an upgrade of the second-generation cameras' image processor. VideoSystems magazine has a nice writeup on how Sony pulled off the image sensor conversion.