Vivitar preps budget HD pocket camcorder

Vivitar today provided early details of a new pocket video camera that will represent the company's first real move into HD. The DVR565HD will record video at a native 720p and encode the resulting video directly to H.264 that allows it to fit a large amount of footage to a small amount of space. Like Sanyo's Xacti line and standard-definition Vivitars, the 565HD will store movies on SD cards (up to 4GB) rather than bulkier DV tape or DVDs. An HDMI output will let the camera play back content at up to 1080i without having to first upload video to a computer.

The camera maker also promises an unusually large, 3-inch swiveling preview LCD. No mention is made of optical zoom, however. Vivitar hasn't provided an official release window or price for the camera, though it has already revealed examples in black and silver. A launch is confirmed for Europe and should follow in the US. [via Pocket-lint]