AVCHD
The release of the AVCHD consumer camcorders! from Sony and Panasonic added more affordable| HD camcorders for both the hobbyist and pro-sumer. These DVD- or hard disk-based camcord-| ers include Sony’s new CMOS-sensor HDR-UX5 ($999) and HDR-UX7 ($1,299), both of which record footage to DVD. Both camcorders also feature 5.1 stereo surround sound.
Panasonic’s offerings include the HDC-DX1 ($1,399), which burns to DVD, and the HDC-SDll ($1,499), which records onto an SDHC memory j card. Both units have three CCD chips, which allow for improved color reproduction, and 5.1 stereo surround sound.
The AVCHD format specifications allow for 1080i, 720p and standard definition recording modes, although not every AVCHD camcorder supports all these shooting modes.