Written by James MacGregor | 03 April 2007 | in news - Hi Definition

Sony has received the first orders for its new, top-end, digital cinematography F23 acquisition camera, with five F23 cameras going to equipment and rental company Band Pro in Munich and further orders in the UK and the Netherlands. The F23 is aimed at the top-end of movie-making, commercials and television production.

"The F23 is a new digital cinematography camera recording on 4:4:4 RGB HDCAM SR," says Richard Lewis, chief engineer, Sony Professional Solutions Europe. "The F23 has many useful features designed specifically for digital cinema production and high end commercials. It is a stand-alone camera that looks and feels exactly like a film camera. It means you can take your film camera off its tripod and replace it with the F23 and its really easy to use with all the same accessories."

Written by Bernhard Warner | 23 November 2006 | in news - Hi Definition

High definition simply isn't worth investing in until at least 2010 for most Europeans, according to some analysts, citing a paucity of content, both broadcast and pre-recorded. But new HD hardware such as Blu-ray and HD DVD players and not television sets that may well drive demand for HD-TVs screens meantime.

Written by James MacGregor | 02 October 2006 | in news - Hi Definition

Sony has finally delved into the film-technology-wedded progressive scan world as opposed to TV-technology interlaced world. Sticking firmly with Sony's own preferred 1080-line HDV format, but now incorporating both progressive and interlaced scans, Sony is clearly setting sights on the low budget filmmaker market. scan.

The new V1 camera is slightly smaller and lighter than the Z1 and used three CMOS sensors for its imaging capabilities. A portable hard drive, similar to a Firestore is also available as an extra for another £1,350 The V1 camera alone though, undercuts the Z1 on cost, at about £500 less.

Written by Nic Wistreich | 21 September 2006 | in news - Hi Definition

Could this be the sollution to the forthcoming DVD-war? Warner Bros has applied for a patent on a technology that will allow DVDs, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD to be burnt and played on the same disc. It should make choices for consumers a lot easier in the upcomming VHS-Betamax style battle between the two rival disc formats.

The most prevalent technical difference between Blu-ray and HD DVD is that the discs are read at a depth of 0.1 millimeters and 0.6 millimeters, respectively. The proposed disc would be manufactured such that an HD DVD player would be able to effectively skip over the Blu-ray disc level and read the data embedded 0.6 millimeters into the disc, but a BD player could still recognize the data on the 0.1 millimeter level.

An ordinary DVD movie could be pressed on the reverse side of the disc. This would indeed be an expensive venture to create, and also to support. Consumers would probably also have to swallow some of the extra cost when purchasing the movie, even though they would likely only want one of the encoded versions. It could also put the HD DVD vs. Blu-ray battle in an interesting position. If movie studios got on board with the new format, it would mean hardware would be the sole determiner of the blue laser disc wars, and not the selection of movies available. 

More at Toms Hardward

Written by James MacGregor | 17 August 2006 | in news - Hi Definition

Not So, Says Sony -  Thomson Camera Definition Too Vague

Thomson Grass Valley has denied reports that they are targeting high definition mini-dv cameras in their price dumping complaint to the European Commission.  Instead their spokesman claims that the company's rivals among non-EU manufacturers are "spreading misinformation and mischief" concerning the TGV complaint.

The Institute of Videography though, says if the TGV complaint is upheld, it "could be a potentially disastrous outcome for our industry and our members in particular."

Written by James MacGregor | 03 August 2006 | in news - Hi Definition

Pocket-Sized & Packed With High Tech Features 

Until now, the concept of putting true 1080 HD (high definition) video recording capability in your pocket was purely science fiction. Get ready for the future. Canon's newest HV10 HDV camcorder delivers high definition video in a stylish package, loaded with new features and affordable, at an estimated selling price of $1,299

Written by James MacGregor | 28 July 2006 | in news - Hi Definition

Competition officials from the European Commission are looking into the licensing strategies behind the two rival next-generation DVD formats. The rival systems are  HD DVD, developed by Toshiba, and Blu-ray, created by a consortium led by Sony.

Each system promises better picture and sound quality than existing DVDs can offer.

Written by James MacGregor | 10 July 2006 | in news - Hi Definition

Thomson GV Says Japanese HDV Cameras Are Far Too Cheap in Europe

£4,000 HDV Cameras Could Soon Cost £12,000 With New Import Duty

HDV Importers Alarmed at TGV Price-Dumping Complaint to EU

EXCLUSIVE to Netribution

The cost of a new HDV camera from Sony, JVC or Canon, could double or even treble, if a complaint of dumping by Japanese camera makers is upheld by the European Commission.

Written by James MacGregor | 26 June 2006 | in news - Hi Definition

The greater storage capacity of the Blu-ray Disc high-definition movie disc format is giving it an edge over the competing HD DVD format among Hollywood studios, according to Sony Corporation Chairman and CEO Howard Stringer, as the first Blu-ray titles are released by studios.

Written by James MacGregor | 22 May 2006 | in news - Hi Definition

Seventeen thousand Sky subscribers may face a delay in getting HD set-top boxes installed  for their new HDTV-ready sets, due to a shortage of boxes coming from manufacturers. Many subscribers have upgraded to the new standard to enjoy the World Cup and Wimbledon in high definition.