Test Bench
Sanyo VPC-HD1 HD Camcorder

Morgan Paar
July 2006

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When Sanyo introduced the HD1 Xacti at this year's International CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in January, they had everyone's attention. Even from the people looking at remote-controlled refrigerators. The tiny Sanyo garnered much attention for good reason: who wouldn't want a pocket-sized gadget capable of recording progressive HD video onto a memory card, and for under a grand? Sanyo set the bar high. The HD1 Xacti isn't without some faults, but it certainly stands out as a good all-around performer. Although the Xacti fared marginally in a few of our tests, we kept finding great features around every corner. True progressive recording, full manual controls, and excellent still photo capabilities make it the next gadget for those who enjoy taking equal amounts of photos and videos.

The HD1 Xacti weighs in at 210 grams, or just under seven and a half ounces. Even at that paltry weight, it feels solid. There are no moving innards to rattle around, and its snappy OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display and pop-up flash don't wobble. At about the size of a PDA, this Sanyo fits easily in hand: we wrapped three fingers comfortably around the grip, and let our pinky stabilize it from below. Almost all of the controls are located on the top back of the camera. A small joystick, vertical slider, three buttons and a switch allow you to access menus, zoom, record video and take photos. On the Xacti, your thumb does more than press a red button! Also, the narrow end of the angled handgrip slides easily into a shirt pocket.

A few thoughtful accessories are bundled with the Xacti. Its USB 2.0 high-speed connection passes data from the Xacti to your PC or Mac computer. The charging station dock's component video port allows for a one-cord connection to the TV as well. Another extra is a pod-shaped semi-hard case, which protects and organizes the camera while traveling.

The HD1 Xacti is a multi-talented device: along with its multiple video modes, the Xacti offers voice memo recording and still photo capture. In fact, Sanyo doesn't make 'camcorders'-they call them Digital Media Cameras.

At Videomaker we see the Xacti as having a definite emphasis on recording standard definition video, with HD video and voice recording features secondary. You can record standard definition video at 15, 30, and 60 fps onto a solid-state memory chip. More flexibility is available, as it records a resolution of 640x480 at 2, 3, or 6 megabits per second. Each level provides different image qualities, similar to the "Normal/Fine/Super-Fine" still camera functions. The Xacti has no interlaced video mode, which means smooth motion is recorded without the "tearing" characteristics that interlacing is famous for. A few unusual video modes are also on the lineup: a true slo-mo 60fps mode, a 320x240 WebCam type mode, and true 720p HD which is recorded at 30fps. The Sanyo's 60fps mode takes 60 whole frames per second, twice the number normally taken. We put one second of this video on a 29.97 timeline, and it played for 2 seconds. This is a real standout feature for anyone taping, er, shooting sports. A 320x240 mode at 15fps makes for a nice WebCam, but not much else. Unless you know you're shooting for the Web only, we'd advise you to shoot video at a higher quality, and then down-convert it to 320x240 if needed.

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