On test: JVC Everio GZ-HD7
Sony’s tape-based HDV models kicked off the move to high-definition camcorders, but now that format seems to be settling into the semi-professional realm. Instead, Sony and Panasonic have opted for a new H.264-based format called AVCHD for their latest consumer-oriented HD camcorders. JVC, however, is not part of the club. So this month’s GZ-HD7E eschews trendy MPEG-4 in favour of good old-fashioned MPEG-2, as does HDV.
But that’s not the only difference between JVC’s new baby and Sony’s latest models. The GZ-HD7E is in the unique position of being the only consumer camcorder to record what JVC calls ‘Full HD’. Where the highest-resolution version of HDV only operates at 1,440 x 1,080, the GZ-HD7E can capture at up to 1,920 x 1,080, although it still uses field-based interlacing so the Full HD name is a little misleading. Ironically, JVC’s professional HD camcorders are in the other HDV camp – they record in the progressive 720p mode, where frames are 1,280 x 720 with no fields.
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