Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today extended its family of ultra-compact camcorders with the introduction of two new models, the HMX-U20 and the HMX-U15. Building on the success of the Samsung HMX-U10, the new HMX-U20 and HMX-U15 bring new features and functionality to Samsung’s ultra-compact camcorder family, such as a built-in USB connection, which now makes it easier than ever to not only record, but share full HD video with others. Adding even more, the new HMX-U20 now puts a true 3x optical zoom in the palm of consumers’ hands, allowing for additional creativity when recording life’s special memories.

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People love entertainment. The technological developments over the last decade have not only proven people’s desire for entertainment, but the demand to access it from anywhere at any time. Though it was possible to watch movies, surf the web, and visit video sharing sites from a laptop or cell phone, there always seemed to be something missing – live TV.

Mobile Digital Television became a reality at CES this year. The first devices for television-from-one’s-pocket were being demonstrated by manufacturers and broadcasters. Some of the devices being offered to consumers include the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 Netbook, Samsung Moment Mobile Phone from Sprint, LG Mobile Digital Television, and Tivit (an adapter for current Wi-Fi Phones and Laptops).

Though the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) announced way back in October 2009 that they had approved a television standard for mobile recievers, and now the devices exist to make that a reality, mobile DTV is not yet readily available for everyone. Earlier this month the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC) announced that they would be launching a consumer showcase to gauge the interest in Mobile Digital Television. The lucky folks in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area will get the first taste of live TV from anywhere their hearts desire.

Samsung announced five new cameras in total, in three separate lines today! Why do we care? Because 4 out of the 5 boast resolution of 720p at 30fps video recording modes closing the gap between videographer and photographer! Although this isn’t something state of the art it is becoming the standard, myself as well as the staff at Videomaker are extremely excited to see where the future of video is heading.

The most appealing line is the HZ-series with it’s 12 Megapixel CCD, 24mm Wide-Angle Lens, and a noble 15x optical zoom.

HD Video Recording

The HZ35W and the HZ30W both put high-definition video recording in the palm of users’ hands thanks to the ability to record video at a resolution of 720p / 30fps.  Samsung also incorporates H.264 compression and offers consumers true HDMI connectivity, which allows the camera to be connected directly to an HDTV without the need for a cradle.  Additionally, to further simplify users’ ability to record the best video possible, the cameras offer Samsung’s advanced scene recognition technology, Smart Auto (Still & Movie).  Smart Auto has been upgraded from the HZ15W and HZ10W, as it can now be used with video as well as with still images.  Similar to the way the technology analyzes the composition of an image to select the best scene mode when capturing digital stills, the technology will do the same for video, automatically choosing between one of four pre-programmed settings and selecting the setting that will yield the best footage with proper exposure and color balance.