Hitachi shrinks, adds SD to Blu-ray vidcam

Hitachi today launched a second update to its Blu-ray equipped camcorders to render it more portable as well as more flexible. The DZ-BD10H uses miniaturization of both the 30GB hard drive and the CMOS image sensor to shrink the camera by about 20 percent, fitting it more easily to hand. It also adds an SDHC card slot that adds about four hours and 45 minutes of full-quality 1920x1080 AVCHD video as well as a new way of offloading data beyond a direct USB connection or a miniature, one-hour Blu-ray disc.

The new sensor also improves light sensitivity to five lux compared to traditional CCD sensors and allows still shooting at 6.2 megapixels. Hitachi's camera gives live previews either on its 2.7-inch swivel LCD or on an HDTV through an HDMI output with CEC support that allows the camera to automatically control certain aspects of the TV.

The BD10H upgrade appears first in Japan, where it will sell on August 6th for an approximate $1,486. The BD9H is already on sale in the US and is likely to receive the same update in the near future. [via Impress]