Sony Unveils High-Definition Camcorder

Tuesday, September 7th 2004, 10:18 am

By: News On 6

TOKYO (AP) _ Japanese electronics and entertainment giant Sony Corp. plans to begin selling a camcorder designed for consumers that takes video at digital high-definition quality and is being priced at about $3,600.

Sony said Tuesday the 4.4 pound HDR-FX1 is set to go on sale next month in Japan and before the end of the year globally.

It can play current digital video cassette tapes but Sony will also start selling a video cassette that's best suited for high-definition digital recordings.

Sony plans to ship 5,000 of the camcorders a month in Japan. It did not give a sales target for other nations.

``Recording precious images at the best visual quality is important and the demand for that is sure to spread around the world,'' Sony vice president Shoji Nemoto told reporters at a Tokyo hotel.

A more affordable model is likely to follow, Nemoto said, but he declined to say when that would be available.

Professional camcorders sell on Sony's Japanese Web site starting at about 1 million yen ($9,000).

Sony said its new high-definition camcorder was the first aimed at consumers. It showcases Sony's newly developed computer chips that can efficiently process digital images, the Tokyo-based company said.

Sony showed a live video image of an open book taken on a standard camcorder next to one on the HDR-FX1, and even the small print on words that looked like blurs on the older model could be read more clearly on the new machine.

High-definition video packs four times as much information than a standard camcorder, Sony said. Other products such as Wega monitors and the Blu-ray disc recorder are part of a package of Sony offerings that work with the new camcorder for high-quality home videos, Nemoto said.

Sony Unveils High-Definition Camcorder

TOKYO (AP) _ Japanese electronics and entertainment giant Sony Corp. plans to begin selling a camcorder designed for consumers that takes video at digital high-definition quality and is being priced at about $3,600.

Sony said Tuesday the 4.4 pound HDR-FX1 is set to go on sale next month in Japan and before the end of the year globally.

It can play current digital video cassette tapes but Sony will also start selling a video cassette that's best suited for high-definition digital recordings.

Sony plans to ship 5,000 of the camcorders a month in Japan. It did not give a sales target for other nations.

``Recording precious images at the best visual quality is important and the demand for that is sure to spread around the world,'' Sony vice president Shoji Nemoto told reporters at a Tokyo hotel.

A more affordable model is likely to follow, Nemoto said, but he declined to say when that would be available.

Professional camcorders sell on Sony's Japanese Web site starting at about 1 million yen ($9,000).

Sony said its new high-definition camcorder was the first aimed at consumers. It showcases Sony's newly developed computer chips that can efficiently process digital images, the Tokyo-based company said.

Sony showed a live video image of an open book taken on a standard camcorder next to one on the HDR-FX1, and even the small print on words that looked like blurs on the older model could be read more clearly on the new machine.

High-definition video packs four times as much information than a standard camcorder, Sony said. Other products such as Wega monitors and the Blu-ray disc recorder are part of a package of Sony offerings that work with the new camcorder for high-quality home videos, Nemoto said.