Sony Announces 16:9 DV Recorder:
Sony's new camcorder grabs 16:9 or 4:3
images, but is not HD compatible.
[ Photo: Sony ]

I4U News reported that Sony has announced a 16:9 consumer camcorder to be released in the Spring of 2005. The DCR-PC1000 is Sony's first consumer camcorder to include a three chip CMOS sensor. It will record images in a 16:9 format, but this should not be confused with HDTV.

Apparently, Sony gave the DCR-PC1000 the ability to record images with 480 lines of resolution in a wide format. At best, the output will be as clear as a conventional DVD. I have no doubt that some people will look at the DCR-PC1000's feature list, see a 16:9 capability, and assume that this is a compact HD camcorder.

Since I started looking at DV cameras again, I've noticed that prices have fallen precipitously, but there are very few models available that support 720 or 1080 lines of resolution (required to be considered HD-compatible). It seems like the camcorder manufacturers are intent upon pushing one more generation of non-HD units through the channel. If you want real HD-compatibility, make sure you know that the camcorder you buy supports it and make sure your editing tools will work with HD output.