CES 2008: Hitachi

BDA member Hitachi had their Blu-ray Disc camcorders, the DZ-BD70A ($1299 MSRP) and the DZ-BD7HA ($1499 MSRP) on display here at CES. Although these models have been out a few months, unfortunately Hitachi did not have any new models or BD players to show.

Both models share a 5.3 megapixel CMOS, full 1920x1080p recording to mini BD-R or BD-RE discs, SD memory card for photos, full sized HDMI output, and the ability to record either HD (on BD-R/RE) or standard (to DVD-R/RW/RAM) video. The DZ-BD7HA adds a 30GB HDD to record and store either format. Although it can record an hour on the 8cm BD-R/REs, you can appreciate how much having the hard drive helps. Both cameras can also download directly to PC via USB 2.0.

Another interesting feature is the ability to capture screen shots directly to the SD card. You can dub down to SD-DVD using the transcoding, and both cameras allow for extended recording time using a 1440x1080i mode. While it is a lower HD resolution, it's still much better than standard DVD.

When asked why Hitachi was not bringing out a BD player, the answer was that Hitachi was still evaluating the market for a BD product with their branding. They are still solidly Blu-ray though, and are quite proud of their BD camcorder solution. While no new models were displayed or discussed, they expect to refresh the product line in time for the 2008 holiday season.