JVC Unveils “World’s First” Handheld 4K Camcorder
JVC Professional Products Company, a division of JVC Americas Corp., has announced the GY-HMQ10, claimed to be the world’s first handheld 4K camcorder, which captures, records, and plays video images at four times the resolution of high definition television.
Powered by JVC’s Falconbrid large-scale integration (LSI) chip for high-speed signal processing and a 1/2-inch CMOS imager with 8.3 million active pixels, it delivers real-time 3840×2160 footage at 24p, 50p, or 60p.
“We’re witnessing the birth of what is destined to become a broad market for full 4K end-to-end production,” said Edgar Shane, general manager of engineering. “The GY-HMQ10 is a breakthrough product that opens up 4K imaging to users who previously wouldn’t have considered it.”
[ Also Visit: RMN Content and Communications Services ]High resolution 4K still picture imaging has been around for several years in DSLR cameras. Motion video capture with these cameras has always been done at a lower video resolution because of lack of processing power.
Likewise, high end digital motion picture cameras may capture 4K images, but often provide a raw data output to an external storage array for later processing—again due to lack of processing power in the camera. There just hasn’t been the ability to capture, process, display and record full 4K images in real time until now, says JVC.
[ Also Read: Raman Media Network Books for Children ]Using MPEG-4 technology and a variable bit rate H.264 codec operating at up to 144 Mbps, the GY-HMQ10 records up to two hours of 4K video to economical SDHC or SDXC memory cards.
In addition to 4K imaging, the GY-HMQ10 also captures and records 1080i or 1080/60p full HD, with detail provided by its 8.3 megapixel imager and lens. HD is recorded on a single memory card in a format compatible with most editing systems.
Another feature is the ability to crop an HD image from a 4K frame. This can be accomplished in post production, or in real time during camera playback. The “trimming” feature makes HD cropping easy using the camera’s touch panel LCD monitor.
[ Also Read: Mirasol Display Technology for e-Readers in China ]Similar in size to JVC’s GY-HM150 ProHD camcorder, the GY-HMQ10 includes a build-in F2.8 10x zoom lens with optical image stabilizer, as well as a color viewfinder and 3.5-inch touch LCD monitor with a new, intuitive user interface. The GY-HMQ10 is built in a familiar, comfortable and lightweight form factor for hours of field production with minimum fatigue, says the company.
It is equipped with manual level controls for audio, with audio metering in the LCD and viewfinder displays. A microphone holder and two balanced XLR connectors with phantom power are located on the handle. The camera is equipped with a built-in stereo mic for ambient sound pickup.
Other features include JVC’s patented Focus Assist, as well as manual and auto control of focus, iris, gain, shutter, gamma, color matrix, and white balance. Plus, the camera has the capability of live 4K output via four HDMI terminals.
At a retail selling price of $4,995, the GY-HMQ10 was launched Wednesday, with market deliveries beginning in March, 2012.
