Thomson Grass Valley just announced that they are taking preorders for their new Infinity $20K HD&SD 2/3" pro camcorder at IBC, based on IT technology, to ship early 2006.
Choice of video formats and standards selectable within the camera: 525i60, 625i50, 1080i50, 1080i60, 720p50, or 720p60. SD formats are selectable in either 16:9, 4:3 or letterbox aspect ratios.
For both HD and SD, MPEG-2 compression is available with support for I-frame and Long GOP. Recording is onto 35GB REV PRO disks that sell for $70 each, or Compact Flash cards.
As an additional choice of compression, the next-generation JPEG2000 codec is also included. JPEG 2000 offers special advantages over other compression codes: it offers higher-quality compression with better efficiency, delivers superb images without blocking artifacts at low bit rates, and, with its unique scalability, allows broadcasters ultimate flexibility by enabling them to encode a master file and then decode different resolutions as necessary.
JPEG20000 delivers 10-bit 4:2:2 resolution images, is frame accurate, and synchronizes better with digital audio than other approaches, making it ideal for SD or HD post-production editing or compositing work. [It is also the new standard for Digital Cinema.]
At this point it loooks like Sony could own the $5K price point with the Z1, Panasonic the $10K price point with the HVX-200 (including needed P2 cards), Grass Valley the $20K price point with this puppy, then Sony the $40K price point with XDCAM HD with some competition from Ikegami's HD camcorder that I think is already shipping, and again Sony at $70K and $100K with their 700-series and 900-series camcorders.
It appears that nobody who has used the new JVC HD camcorder likes the output from it, so I'll leave that out.
Well folks, if you are wondering what to give me for Xmas, call Grass Valley!
:O)
Choice of video formats and standards selectable within the camera: 525i60, 625i50, 1080i50, 1080i60, 720p50, or 720p60. SD formats are selectable in either 16:9, 4:3 or letterbox aspect ratios.
For both HD and SD, MPEG-2 compression is available with support for I-frame and Long GOP. Recording is onto 35GB REV PRO disks that sell for $70 each, or Compact Flash cards.
As an additional choice of compression, the next-generation JPEG2000 codec is also included. JPEG 2000 offers special advantages over other compression codes: it offers higher-quality compression with better efficiency, delivers superb images without blocking artifacts at low bit rates, and, with its unique scalability, allows broadcasters ultimate flexibility by enabling them to encode a master file and then decode different resolutions as necessary.
JPEG20000 delivers 10-bit 4:2:2 resolution images, is frame accurate, and synchronizes better with digital audio than other approaches, making it ideal for SD or HD post-production editing or compositing work. [It is also the new standard for Digital Cinema.]
At this point it loooks like Sony could own the $5K price point with the Z1, Panasonic the $10K price point with the HVX-200 (including needed P2 cards), Grass Valley the $20K price point with this puppy, then Sony the $40K price point with XDCAM HD with some competition from Ikegami's HD camcorder that I think is already shipping, and again Sony at $70K and $100K with their 700-series and 900-series camcorders.
It appears that nobody who has used the new JVC HD camcorder likes the output from it, so I'll leave that out.
Well folks, if you are wondering what to give me for Xmas, call Grass Valley!
:O)