JVC releases first handheld camcorder with 4K resolution

JVC has introduced at the electronics show in Las Vegas, CES 2012, its new camcorder JVC GY-HMQ10. It is the first handheld camcorder capable of capturing, processing, recording and displaying 4K images in real time.

So far this had not been possible due to the low signal processing power of other cameras (such as DSLRs or digital cinema cameras). Now, however, this new model includes JVC’s exclusive LSI Falconbrid chip, which processes signals at high speed; part of the RAW image data and dematrixes it in real time.

Here you can read the features presented on the JVC website. Here are the most important ones:

– Half-inch CMOS sensor with 8.3 million active pixels.

– 3840 x 2160 resolution image recording with a choice of different speeds (24p, 50p or 60p).

– It uses MPEG-4 and the H.264 compression codec, with variable speed up to 144 Mbps.

The fact that it uses this codec could cause some complications for editors. H.264 is accepted by editing programs but, on certain occasions, it generates problems because it uses the GOP sequence for its compression, which starts from a reference frame (I) and makes approximations of the rest (B and P) taking into account the variations from the reference frame. Therefore, it is recommended that before editing with this material, we convert it to a format that does not generate “invented” frames, such as DNxHD or Apple ProRes.

– Records on SDHC or SDXC cards.

Is it possible that, like other JVC models, the material will be recorded simultaneously on multiple SD cards; if so, won’t this pose a problem when importing?

– It incorporates a 10x f2.8 zoom lens with optical image stabilizer and a 3.5-inch touch screen.

– In addition to 4K capture, it can also capture and record Full HD images at 1080i or 1080/50p.

– It is capable of sending images to a 4K projection system in real time through its 4 HDMI outputs.

– As a last curiosity, it allows rescaling an HD image starting from the 4K image and using the LCD touch screen.

It will be available from March 2012 and will cost around $5,000.

Here is a video of the presentation of the camera in case you want to take a closer look.