JVC Everio G camcorder review

JVC today announced a new series of digital camcorders that eliminates the need to carry tapes, discs or any media at all, yet can record up to seven hours of DVD movie-quality video. They also record more than 10.5 hours at a quality level comparable to a DVD camcorder’s 30-minute mode. The new series of JVC Everio G camcorders record to a built-in hard disk drive and will be available in 20 and 30 gigabyte (GB) versions, offering unprecedented camcorder storage capacity.

JVC’s initial Everio G offering consists of four models. The popularly-priced GZ-MG20 with 20GB hard disk and the GZ-MG30 with 30GB hard disk provide seven and 10.5 hours respectively of DVD camcorder-quality (30-minute mode) video. Step up versions with a 1.33 Megapixel CCD are the seven-hour 20GB hard disk GZ-MG40 and 10.5-hour 30GB hard disk GZ-MG50. To put the storage capacity in context, it would take 22 DVD camcorder discs (8 cm/1.4GB discs) to hold seven hours of video.

Despite the high capacity storage, Everio G camcorders are small enough and light enough to easily take anywhere. Each is truly palm-sized and weighs less than 14 oz. with the battery attached. Their design is similar to a MiniDV camcorder’s, which means that they’re comfortable to hold and operate, and include a large, 2.5-inch flip-out LCD monitor for easy recording.

Playback is easy, too, with multiple connections allowing convenient TV playback, dubbing to a VCR or DVD recorder, transfer to a PC or Apple Macintosh for DVD creation, editing, or posting on the internet, or even burned directly without a PC to a full length movie DVD disc using an optional DVD burner.

MPEG-2 Video Recording for DVD-Movie Quality Footage

The Everio G series GZ-MG50 and GZ-MG30 offer over seven hours storage at 9 Mbps, which is close to the maximum bit rate for DVD movie quality recording, or 10.5 hours at 6 Mbps, comparable to DVD Cam recordings. Two more modes are available for even more recording time. The entry level GZ-MG40 and GZ-MG20 offer an impressive 4.5 hours storage at 9 Mbps, and over seven hours at 6 Mbps. Either way, the high quality MPEG-2 recordings are in the same format used in DVD so there will be no quality loss when burning them to DVD, and no time- and quality-wasting conversion.

Shooting time (normal use)

*Combined A/V rates, Video Bit rate is fixed for Ultra and Fine modes, variable for Norm and Eco modes.

Random Access to Recordings

The benefits of recording video to a hard disk are the same benefits that have made hard disk-based audio players so popular — random access to quickly locate desired material, the ability to effortlessly delete unwanted material, and easily rearrange the playback sequence. What’s more, there’s no danger of mistakenly recording over something that’s to be saved.

Scene selection is made easy thanks to on-screen index images, so the large amount recorded won’t become a hindrance to quick accessibility. And with remote control operation, it is possible to connect the Everio G camcorder to a TV and operate it from a distance, just like a DVD deck. Playlist operation allows recording of desired clips directly to DVD with the optional DVD burner, or directly to VHS or other analog input devices with the S-Video or Composite video output for perfect copies every time.

Hard Disk Protection and Stability

A challenge in designing and building a hard disk camcorder is protecting the disk from shocks and vibrations. One way this is done in the Everio G camcorders is through a unique floating suspension system that effectively dampens vibrations through advanced polymer shock absorbers. Another security measure familiar to notebook PC users is its gravity-like force sensor system that automatically senses sudden acceleration such as in a free fall situation, and turns off the power to defend the hard disk so that a head crash can be avoided in many cases even when the unit is dropped.

1.33 Megapixel and Image-Enhancing Features

The GZ-MG50 and MG40 are equipped with a 1.33 Megapixel CCD image sensor that enables capture of high quality video and stills. And for the best possible video and still image quality, JVC’s Megabrid Imaging Engine separately processes video and still signals, providing optimal processing for each and assuring high sensitivity and a high signal-to-noise ratio for moving pictures, as well as clear, high resolution still images.

For all Everio models, encoding of moving images to MPEG-2 data is handled by the world’s smallest MPEG-2 codec chips, developed by JVC.

Also present on all four models is JVC’s 3D NR (3-Dimension Noise Reduction). Conventional 3D noise reduction offers limited accuracy since it compares field A and field B that make up a frame with different sets of odd and even scanning lines to compensate for noise. JVC’s 3D NR technology compares field A to field A, and field B to field B across two frames so that the scanning lines are identical and noise can be reduced more accurately. As a result, signal-to-noise ratio is improved by 2 dB and noise reduced by about 30 percent. Flicker is eliminated and color reproduction is improved, enhancing overall picture quality.

JPEG Digital Still Camera Function

The GZ-MG50 and MG40 are equipped with 1.33 Megapixel CCD to allow digital still shooting at 1152 x 864, 1024 x 768, or 640 x 480 size. At each size, two resolution modes are available: STD and FINE. Digital stills or video can be stored on either the internal hard drive or removable SD Memory Card (optional), whichever is more convenient. The JVC GZ-MG30 and MG20 offer shooting of 640 x 480 digital stills.

Advanced Interfaces

Viewing or dubbing JVC Everio video is a snap. Just connect the AV cable and/or S Video cable to the analog inputs on a TV, DVD recorder or VCR. Every analog copy is first generation made from the digital original, so all copies made this way have the same high quality.

For quick downloading to a PC, simply connect the video camera via its USB 2.0 interface. All transfer is digital-to-digital (approx 4x or better real time speed depending on PC), so there is no quality lost in the process. And since the camera supports PictBridge, it can be connected via the USB terminal to a compatible printer to easily print stills directly from the camera.

Everio G video models also have an SD Memory Card slot for direct transfer of digital still image data. DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) support allows the menus on the camera screen to be used to conveniently select images and quantity before giving removable media to a printing service. The JPEG images themselves conform to DCF, PIM 3 and Exif 2.2 for optimized print quality.

Make Full-length DVDs Easily, With or Without a computer

In a unique collaboration with Apacer Technology Inc., JVC and Apacer developed a new DVD video burner that connects directly from the Everio G. Just select the playlist or file, or simply copy it all – one touch creates a full length video DVD to watch on a DVD player, with no need for a personal computer.

For those who want to edit with a computer, JVC includes software for use with both the Windows® and Macintosh platforms. Provided Pixela Capty MPEG Edit EX and optional Capty DVD for making DVD Video software provide seamless integration into the Apple Macintosh computer world. Of course Everio G is compatible with iPhoto for still pictures.

For Windows® PCs, the CyberLink DVD Solution bundled with JVC Everio G digital camcorder models comprises three applications that make it easy to make full-length DVD movies. A standard 4.7GB single-layer DVD-R/RW disc holds over one hour of an Ultra mode movie, and over 90 minutes of a Fine mode movie.

• PowerProducer™ offers easy saving and authoring of video clips in any order to DVD, even directly from a USB-connected camera, so users can share original DVDs with anybody who owns a DVD player. The software makes it easy to locate and transfer video files residing on the camera’s hard drive. Saving to DVD requires only a PC with 256 MB RAM, 700MHz or above Pentium III, USB 2.0 terminal and a DVD burner.

• PowerDirector™ Express offers feature-rich non-linear editing so users can flex their creative muscle with titles and even mix stills with videos. PowerDirector Express also converts movies to a variety of file formats to send via the Web or e-mail. Supported formats include DV-AVI, Windows®-AVI, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2, as well as Windows Media Video® and RealVideo® that can be streamed uploaded or streamed over the Internet.

• PowerDVD™ conveniently plays back video clips and DVDs with Dolby Digital audio.

Everio G Series models will be available in August at approximately the following prices:

• GZ-MG20 $700
• GZ-MG30 $800
• GZ-MG40 $800
• GZ-MG50 $900

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