In a move promising a professional-level camcorder at a consumer-level price, JVC Professional is set to introduce the GY-DV500 Mini DV camcorder. The Professional DV line is a dynamic new innovation from JVC, closing the gap between high-cost professional camera and consumer camcorders that just don’t have the performance a professional needs, said Jerry Cohen, JVC’s Manager of Product Development and Strategic Marketing.
Priced to compete with high-end consumer camcorders like the Canon XL1, the GY-DV500 sports a host of features not found on most consumer gear. First, the GY-DV500 has three 1/2-inch CCDs, interchangeable lenses via a 1/2-inch bayonet mount, XLR microphone inputs, SMPTE-type color bar generator and manual audio and microphone level adjustments.
There is also a new feature that JVC Professional has included in the GY-DV500 called Super SceneFinder. This keeps track of individual scenes by recording a special header on the tape. You can also flag up to 134 good and no good scenes per cassette. The scene data from the last three cassettes is stored in the camera’s memory, allowing it to be recorded to the cassette later.
To keep it compatible with the plethora of newer nonlinear editing systems on the market, the new camcorder has IEEE 1394 (FireWire) in and out. It also has a headphone jack, audio, composite video and S-video outputs.
Look for more information in mid-August, when JVC Pro is rumored to be ready to officially introduce the new camcorder at the WEVA (Wedding and Event Videographers Association) Expo in Las Vegas. Although there is no word on price, Videomaker’s inside sources say that it should be about $5,000.
