DVD technology has sent another sortie over territory held by conventional videotape storage formats in Australia. Hitachi has released a PAL version of its NTSC DVD-RAM disk camcorder, the DZ-MV100A, for the Australian market.
The first DVD camcorder to record to the random access disk format, the DZ-MV100A became available in Japan last June, sending waves of curiosity through the digital media press and leaving question marks over the future of tape-based recording technologies.
"Experts agree that this camera spells the end of the tape for home and business video recording", said Hitachi spokesperson Bernhard Kotarski discussing the advantages of the DVD media technology. "The benefits of true digital recording with in-camera editing are compelling features for users; no more rewinding, broken tape, overwritten segments or degraded images", said Kotarski.
Digital media circles share Kotarski's enthusiasm for the DVD-RAM technology, one reviewer prepared to refer to the choice of media format as "nothing short of revolutionary". The 2.8G, 8cm DVD video disks are compatible with a range of current and future, PC and home audio-visual devices.
Hitachi expects the DZ-MV100A's PAL stable mate, the MV100E, to retail in Australia for around AU$3,999.
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