Sony announces camcorders with built-in flash memory and face recognition technology

 

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Posted on 7 Jan 2008 at 04:18

Sony's new camcorders use a wide range of storage options. The 16 models announced today at CES 2008 include the usual MiniDV, DVD, hard disk and memory card variants. A number of hybrid models are also included however, with two having built-in flash memory.

The high definition HDR-UX20, pictured, and the standard defintion DCR-DVD810, both include 8GB of flash memory on which to store footage or photos. This means most users will never have to buy a memory card, and can then copy video off to a PC, or to the built-in DVD drive, for archiving.

You'll fit about one hour and 50 minutes of footage onto the UX20 at it's highest quality setting of 16Mbit/s. Alternatively you can record directly to the DVD drive or a Memory Stick Pro DUO card.

All the HD models, and top of the range SD models, will now benefit from face recognition technology - similar to that seen on many stills cameras. This allows the camcorder to identify faces and then adjust focus and exposure automatically to capture them at their best.

A spokesperson for Sony added that face recognition will work in tandem with their new bit allocation technology. Bit allocation enables the camcorder to concentrate its limited video bandwidth on the parts of the image that most require it. Usually this would be complex moving areas, but with face recognition enabled your subject's faces will be the main beneficiaries, though presumbably at the cost of detail in other parts of the frame.

Sony's main competitor in the HD camcorder market is Canon. A sneak peek at its CES stand revealed it too is about to launch camcorders with built-in flash memory. We'll bring you more details tomorrow as they become available.

Click here for our full coverage from CES 2008

Author: Seth Barton in Las Vegas