Comparison of Four 800,000-Pixel Camcorders

Detail: JVC Stands Out

By detail we mean how precise the image is. Video labs evaluate it by the number of horizontal lines you can count on a color chart. DV should display at least 500 lines, but it can be more, depending on the camcorder. In this area, the JVC GR-DX95 does very well. Its performance is entirely due to the "Super High-Band" processor that JVC integrates into all its camcorders. As the term suggests, this processor has more than enough bandwidth to prevent loss in digital transfer, so the GR-DX95 can produce 520 lines with a simple 800,000-pixel sensor (which shows that the sensor does not do it all). A camcorder's ability to show detail is also assessed using images that show stripes on cloth or foliage on a tree. The Sony DCR-TRV22 and Canon Elura 50 do very well.

We should mention the Hitachi DZ-MV350 for its DVD format. The image quality is based on MPEG-2 and provides different resolutions depending on the length of recording time you choose. In "extra-fine" quality, you can record up to 36 minutes of video on a DVD with a resolution of 704 x 576 pixels. In regular mode, resolution drops to 352 x 576 for two hours of recording. Even at maximum quality, the resolution is slightly less than in DV for half the recording time. However, little difference can be seen on a TV with DV. The image quality of the DZ-MV350 is still very good and quite adequate for family use. We shall see that this camcorder has quite a lot of other assets as well.