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MillimeterJVC GZ-HD7: World’s First 1920x1080 MPEG-2 Camcorder, Part 1
Sep 7, 2007 12:00 PM, By Steve Mullen
Photo Mode
The GZ-HD7 can capture 1920x1080 16:9 stills or 1440x1080 4:3 stills to the disk or to an optional SD/SDHC memory card. You can also capture 1920x1080 stills from video clips on the harddrive or memory card to the memory card.
Playback Functions
One of the benefits of any camcorder with random access storage is the number of pre-edit functions you can execute. Functions include browsing thumbnails of what you’ve shot; assigning shots to categories; browsing by category; deleting clips; protecting clips from deletion; and viewing clips in forward or reverse (normal, frame-by-frame, slow, fast, or clean pause). You can also skip from clip to clip plus create one or more playlists. Once you review shots stored on random-access media, you will never want to go back to tape.
The Everio is equipped with three digital interfaces: i.LINK, HDMI, and USB. I used the HDMI port for viewing all my test footage. HD-recorded material can be output via analog component jacks plus downconverted for output in SD via the analog component and composite/S-Video output jacks. When the “Video/S Output” menu is set to 16:9, output is anamorphic. When set to 4:3; output is letterboxed.
Based on a menu setting, the i.LINK port is output as “DV25” or “MPEG-2.” (HDV can be output only from video shot in 1440CBR mode.) The DV25 data stream can be recorded as anamorphic 4:3 video by a DV camcorder/VTR, DVD recorder, or NLE. MPEG-2 can be captured by an NLE that supports HDV. Interestingly, I was able to clone 1440CBR 27Mbps data streams to a Sony 1080i HDV VTR. Note that only a playlist can be output via i.LINK. Therefore, the clips you want must be entered into a playlist.
Conclusions
After several months of testing—including an informal comparison with an HDV CCD camcorder three times more expensive—I came away very impressed with JVC’s GZ-HD7. Given its incredibly low cost, for those who are willing to invest the time to learn how to use its many features, it is a great value. (See www.mindspring.com/~d-v-c to learn about an available GZ-HD7 Guide.) In Part 2, we will learn how the USB port supports a wide range of workflows using both OS X- and PC-based NLEs.
