Product Reviews

Just when it looked like DV had become the unassailable standard for semi-professional and consumer video, it seems the bar has been raised again. JVC, the one major consumer electronics company without a semi-professional digital camcorder, has brought out the first high-definition, progressive-scan model aimed at the prosumer. Using a proprietary MPEG-2 format recorded to MiniDV tapes, the GR-PD1 can capture video at a resolution of 1,280 x 659, progressively scanned at 25fps.

If awards were given on looks alone, the JVC would be a proud recipient straight out of the box. Reminiscent of the Sony DCR-VX2000, except in black, it's a visually stunning piece of kit. It also feels extremely solid and exudes manufacturing quality, although you'd expect this at the price. The only niggle in terms of aesthetics is the way the large 2,800mAh battery protrudes from the back of the unit. However, although this extends beyond the viewfinder, in practice the latter's angle of use means the battery doesn't get in the way.

In fact, the GR-PD1 is supremely comfortable to operate. A screw-on carry handle makes it easy to port about, while handheld use is considerably helped out by a rotating stock. The latter houses the zoom rocker and record button, keeping them in comfortable fingertip reach at any rotation. The most regularly used functions, like white balance, exposure control and program AE modes, have their own separate switches. Rings for both manual focusing and manual zoom are provided around the lens, and a bright, 200,000-pixel 3.5in LCD makes the range of handheld positions a wide one.

However, great looks and usability alone aren't enough to justify the £1,600 price tag; the headline high-definition mode has to work well. Selecting it is easy using the mode switch next to the manual rings; apart from this setting, the camera functions as normal. But as this is a proprietary recording format, it can't currently be edited using any of the popular mainstream applications. Instead, MPEG Edit Studio Pro LE is provided. While the latter is a timeline editor, it's hardly Premiere. It has limited A/B-roll editing and a small selection of transitions, plus simple titling capabilities.

The upshot of this is that there's no driver built into Windows. To send MPEG-2 to

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a PC, a driver must be installed manually. Once the capture utility has been installed alongside the other editing software, this driver will be found under JVC in the sound, video and game controllers - the process is documented in the PDF installation guide. Once this is loaded, the capture utility can bring the high-definition video over FireWire, ready for editing in MPEG Edit Studio.

The GR-PD1's high-definition footage is of considerably higher resolution than DV - its 1,280 x 659 frames offer twice the pixel count. For authoring straight to DVD, which is one of the initial intended uses, this is certainly a cut above the anamorphically captured 720 x 576 16:9 widescreen allowed by DV. However, you can't capture and edit the whole 1,280 x 659. The video is, in fact, captured to the PC at 720 x 576, although you'll still get higher image quality than with a normal DV camcorder operating in progressive mode. Budget filmmakers are likely to wish the GR-PD1 had a 24P (24fps progressive) option too, as this would make shooting on video and bumping over to film relatively painless. Instead, one frame in every 25 will have to be dropped. It also lacks the film-look gamma correction that graces the Panasonic AG-DVX100, although you can add this later during editing.

However, the GR-PD1 isn't a single-use novelty. As well as the high-resolution option, it has three other shooting modes up its sleeve. There are two 50fps progressive modes, one using a 4:3 aspect ratio and one with 16:9 widescreen. Both of these are recorded in MPEG-2 format. Then there's the regular interlaced DV mode, just in case you want to shoot in a standard format. These modes are provided more for flexibility than everyday usage, as the GR-PD1 is somewhat pricey if you're just going to use it for DV.

Image quality is certainly up to scratch. With its optical stabilisation system, the GR-PD1 provides a solid picture. Even in DV mode, definition is clear, and the autofocus and auto-exposure are both extremely responsive. However, colour fidelity isn't quite on a par with the top prosumer three-CCD models like Sony's VX2000 or Canon's XL1S. This is more noticeable in low light than under optimum conditions. Audio is surprisingly sharp, considering that the on-board mic is built into the camera body, but most professionals will want to use an external unit via the shoe on the carry handle and powered mini-jack.

As a straight DV camcorder, the GR-PD1 is surpassed by similarly priced alternatives from Sony and Canon. But that's not what it's for. As the only high-definition camcorder in its class, it's unique, although its ease of use will be greatly improved by direct support from mainstream editing applications. However, it's still a taste of the future for budding Spielbergs, and at least for now another barrier between professional and consumer video making has fallen down.