Sony rolls out two high definition Handycam camcorders

Capture the world with 1080i

19 July 2006 17:09 GMT / By Amber Maitland

Lest you think that three new hard disk Handycam camcorders was all the Sony had up its sleeve today, it has also launched two high definition camcorders, so take your pick.

The HDR-UX1 and HDR-SR1 Handycams record in full 1080i HD resolution and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.

The UX1 saves video on three-inch DVD discs, while the SR1 features a 30GB hard drive that holds about ten hours of high-def video in long play mode, and can also record to DVD.

Both camcorders conceal HDMI outputs for connection to an HD TV so that there's no need to transfer video to a PC first for DVD burning.

High def content recorded straight to DVD with the two camcorders can be played back on Blu-ray Disc devices, while standard PC DVD drives can play them back with the bundled software.

Other features include 4MP digital still capture, a Dual Record function to shoot both video and 2.3MP stills at the same time, a generous 3.5-inch SwivelScreen touch-sensitive screen.

All this cutting edge technology doesn't come cheap; get ready to shell out $1,500 for the SR1 in October, and $1,400 for the UX1 in September.