10/28, 11:45am
JVC now shipping $200 ultra-thin Blu-ray player
JVC entered into the low-cost Blu-ray player field on Wednesday through the XV-BP11. It recognizes only Blu-ray Profile 1.1, omitting Internet features, but also measures just 1.5 inches tall. It still carries a front-panel USB connection for plugging in and viewing content from camcorders, digital cameras and USB thumb drives. It natively recognizes AVCHD (H.264) video used in HD camcorders along with recorded Blu-ray, CD and DVD discs.
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10/14, 9:00am
JVC audio system just 1.2in thick, offers 80W
JVC has introduced its latest home theater audio system in Japan. The 1.2-inch thick system, made up of the AX-FT amplifier and SP-FT speakers, is thin enough to be hung on a wall or stood up on its stand on a bookshelf. The amplifier is rated at 4x20W and supports both Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound formats but will also play AAC audio files.
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10/13, 8:10am
JVC Picsio pocket HD cams make NA debut
JVC on Tuesday exported its first-ever pocket camcorder to US shores. The Picsio GC-FM1 is one of the few cameras its size to record in 1080p (albeit 4:3) at a full 30 frames per second with image stabilization. It also has a 720p, 60FPS shooting mode and a toggle to switch to 8-megapixel still image shooting. All movies are captured in H.264 (AVCHD) in a format that can be immediately sent to iMovie, iTunes or YouTube without being transcoded first.
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09/25, 12:10pm
JVC shows off 1080p pocket camcorder
JVC has introduced its latest digital camcorder first in Japan, the PICSIO GC-FM1. The company's first attempt at a pocket camera like the Flip, it measures just 5.8 by 2 by inches in size but packs an 8-megapixel still photo sensor that records video at 2.03 megapixels. The latter gives it 4:3 ratio 1080p (1440x1080) video at 30 frames per second in the H.264 (AVCHD) format on SD and SDHC memory cards. The GC-FM1 sports a 2-inch LCD screen, while an HDMI output lets users view their videos on HDTVs at full resolution.
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09/14, 11:20am
JVC Everio HM400 in US
JVC today brought over an Americanized version of one of its more advanced flash-based camcorders. The Everio GZ-HM400 is an upgraded version of the earlier X900 with a barrel-shaped body, a sharper 10-megapixel sensor and an improved 10X optical zoom lens. It can shoot 1080i video at the full 24Mbps bitrate of AVCHD (H.264) and brings familiar special features like 600FPS slow-motion shooting and 9-megapixel still shots.
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09/10, 4:30pm
JVC intros reference-grade 4K projector
At the currently ongoing CEDIA home theater show in Atlanta, JVC has introduced its DLA-RS4000 Reference Series 4K home cinema projector along with a pair of 4.1-channel sound bar home theater systems. The projector can reproduce a 10-megapixel image and offers 4K resolution, or 4,096x2,400 pixels, which is more than four times that of 1080p. The projector is both ISF and THX certified, and can produce 3,500 lumens of brightness from its Xenon lamp, with 8 settings for lamp power.
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09/10, 1:25pm
JVC outs 1.5-inch thick 3D HDTV, 0.25-inch LED TV
JVC on Thursday introduced a 46-inch 3D LCD HDTV, the GD-463D10, along with a 32-inch LED-backlit HDTV, the LT-32WX50. Both are ultra-thin, with the former just 1.5 inches (39mm) thick, while the latter is 0.25 inches (6.4mm) thick. The GD-463D10 is technically a monitor as it lacks a tuner, but can be used to reproduce 3D images thanks to the Xpol polarizing filter on the screen itself paired with the included battery-free eyeglasses.
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07/30, 9:40am
JVC Everio HM400 Camcorder
JVC this morning added a new, high-end HD camcorder to its mix. The Everio GZ-HM400 shoots the same 1080i widescreen, H.264 video as the GZ-X900 but has a more conventional form factor and has a sharper 10.2-megapixel sensor for shooting higher resolution photos. A new 10X Konica-Minolta lens also reduces chromatic aberration and is accompanied by extra controls to the left of the lens.
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07/30, 7:00am
JVC Black series, in-ear
JVC has released a new series of foldable headphones, called the Black series, and two new in-ear headphones, the HA-EBX85 and HA-FX20. The Black series is available in two models, the HA-M750 and HA-S650, that are both over-the-head style headphones and use large driver units with carbon compound diaphragms for their bass reproduction. The two Black series headphones also have carbon bodies with anti-resonance properties to improve their sound clarity.
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07/24, 5:05pm
JVC NC-TX mini-systems
JVC has announced the upcoming release of two mini-systems, the NX-TC3 and NX-TC5. Both sport a 4.3-inch touchscreen, which can display photos or videos from a connected USB thumb drive. Each is also equipped with an iPod dock, a CD player and an AM/FM tuner, supplemented by 512MB of internal memory, to which music can be ripped. Only the TC5 can rip music to an external USB device however, or load MiniDiscs.
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06/24, 5:00pm
JVC shows ultra-thin HDTV
At the CEDIA expo, JVC for the first time in Europe showed off its ultra-thin LED backlit HDTV with a 100Hz refresh rate. The 32-inch LT-32WX50 is just 0.28 inches (7mm) thick and weighs just over 11lbs. Capable of reproducing 1080p video, the LT-32WX50 also has a high 4,000:1 static contrast ratio and covers 90 percent of the Adobe RGB color space.
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05/26, 1:55pm
JVC Xiview Photo TV Ships
JVC today shipped an LCD TV it bills as the first specifically geared towards digital SLR photography. The Xiview LT42WX70 emphasizes color accuracy first and covers both all of the sRGB color gamut used for HDTV but 96 percent of the Adobe RGB space as well; the trick promises a relatively accurate display that can be used for quick photo proofing or just as a means of viewing images at a large size. About 52 different visual settings, as well as consistent 2.2 gamma, help calibrate the display to achieve its intended effect.
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05/12, 4:10pm
JVC 8K projector, 4K cam
JVC Japan has recently announced it will soon begin shipping its D-ILA 3 (Direct-Drive Image Light Amplifier) 8K and 4K video front-projector that is capable of throwing up 8192x4320 resolution images, or more than 35 megapixels. Other specifications of the D-ILA 3 include 10,000 lumens of brightness and a 5,500:1 contrast ratio from its 3,000W bulb. A special fiber optic interface was developed for the projector, though it also sports an HDMI interface. It weighs a massive 370lbs.
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04/13, 4:25pm
JVC intros 46-inch 3D LCD
JVC has recently announced the upcoming launch of its 46-inch LCD monitor in Japan that is capable of displaying three-dimensional videos at 1080p resolution. The GD-463D10 monitor is just over 1.5 inches thick on its edges, the monitor is meant for business uses and ships with two pairs of polarized glasses to make it possible to view 3D images. The new LCD works on Xpol's stereoscopic 3D technology for flicker-free 3D content. Images for the right eye and left eye are sent out by alternating lines of pixels in the display.
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03/03, 1:05pm
JVC Everio X900
JVC this afternoon picked PMA as the venue to launch the Everio X line of camcorders. Starting with the GZ-X900, the range stresses both HD video capture as well as unusually strong still image photography in the same device. The X900 can record widescreen 1080i video in AVCHD format but is also capable of shooting 9-megapixel native images and can shoot consecutive images at up to 15FPS. A mixed shooting mode also lets the camera take 5-megapixel shots while recording 1080i movies, potentially taking still photos up to the SDHC card's storage limit at the slowest 4 frames per second.
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02/11, 10:55am
JVC GY-HM700 HD Camera
JVC today rolled out a pro-grade HD camcorder designed explicitly for videographers using Apple's Final Cut Pro editing suite. The GY-HM700 is the only 1080p camera to capture directly in the MOV format used by QuickTime and so lets producers send raw footage directly to Final Cut without the software having to first transcode or otherwise alter the material before it enters the pipeline. Editors can even trim video while it's stored on the camera, JVC notes.
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01/09, 3:05am
JVC touchscreen head unit
JVC Mobile at CES introduced a unique car audio head unit known as the KD-AVX77. The 5.4-inch wide touchscreen unit forgoes nearly all buttons for its control interface. Instead, the device also has a proximity sensor that can register a user’s moving hand in front of it to exit its screen saving mode. As the controls are virtual, users can switch the positioning of commonly used functions such as the volume controls. The head unit can play back DVDs as well as CDs, displaying movie content on its display, which is nearly ideally suitable for widescreen movie playback, where the black lines on top or bottom of the image are removed.
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01/08, 1:30pm
New JVC home theaters
JVC is promoting three new home theater systems at CES, the TH-G31, G41 and G51. All three feature 5.1-channel surround speakers, with power rated at 1,000W; these attach to a receiver which decodes DTS and Dolby Digital input, while providing HDMI video output and 1080p upconversion. A front-facing auxiliary input allows additional connections. The G31 is the simplest of the three, providing no extra improvements.
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01/07, 3:45pm
JVC Everio at CES
JVC on Wednesday gave its Everio camcorders a complete makeover for the new year. The HD line revolves around a 3-megapixel CMOS sensor that captures a native 1080p, 60 frames per second signal and includes a new image processing engine that records at up to the full 24Mbps bitrate of AVCHD and offers face detection while still consuming about 30 percent less power. The HM200 uses only SDHC cards for storage while the HD300 and HD320 models carry 60GB and 120GB hard drives for much more capacity. These last two also have both SDHC and microSDHC card slots to offload their content.
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01/07, 1:00pm
JVC TeleDock and J300 Sets
JVC on Wednesday rolled out the second wave of its TeleDock hybrid TVs as well as a raft of conventional mid-size sets. The 42- and 46-inch P500, as well as the 32-, 42- and 46-inch P300 all improve the TeleDock formula by significantly expanding the functions of the built-in iPod dock. Apple devices connected to the TV can now show their music and video title and other information directly on the screen and can play music even while watching regular TV content or browsing media stored on the set's TV port.
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01/05, 5:00pm
JVC lightweight HDTV set
JVC is due to show off the world's lightest HDTV set at the CES show on Wednesday, with the that tips the scales at just over 11lbs. While not the thinnest 32-inch HDTV, it's near the top with a near 0.28-inch (7mm) profile. The company promises technology used for the prototype 1080p-capable TV will be made commercially available before the end of 2009.
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12/23, 11:05am
Last load of VHS tapes
Distribution Video Audio, a Florida-based distributor of old, seemingly unwanted products such as unsold novels, forgotten fan boy memorabilia and, now, VHS tapes, has shipped the very last load of VHS tapes back in October. The format, which required VCRs to play and record, was first brought into homes with somewhat affordably-priced VCRs from a handful of manufacturers back in 1965. This marks the end of an era that allowed users to time-shift shows the old-fashioned way, by recording them to a video tape for watching later.
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12/11, 8:45am
JVC Everio MG880 and MG840
JVC today gave a preview of potential CES camcorder launches with a pair of new Everio models for Japan. The 60GB GZ-MG840 and 120GB GZ-MG860 shoot in a DVD-resolution 720x480 wide format but also have a unique dual storage system that combines a hard drive and a microSDHC card slot. Videographers can capture either moving or still footage either to the core disk or to the removable format. As much as 28 hours and 40 minutes of MPEG-2 footage can be recorded to the 120GB disk, but an extra 1 hour and 54 minutes can be stored on an 8GB microSDHC card.
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09/30, 3:45pm
JVC intros SDHC HD cams
At the CEATEC show in Japan which kicked off on Tuesday, JVC showed off its first Full HD video camcorder that relies solely on an SDHC memory card as its storage medium instead of a built-in hard disk drive and memory card slot, like previous Everio camcorders. While the cameras were officially concepts, they looked production-ready, although JVC did not reveal any specs and even the megapixel count was conspicuously absent from the body of the camcorders.
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09/04, 5:20pm
JVC shows Procision HDTVs
At the CEDIA Expo on Thursday, JVC showed off its new range-topping Procision line of LCD TVs, comprised of the 42-inch LT-42X899, the 47-inch LT-47X899 and 52-inch LT-52X89. In addition, JVC offered a couple of Super Slim Procision LCDs, the 42-inch LT-42SL89 and the 46-inch LT-46SL89, which are 2.9 inches thick in the center, tapering down to 1.5 inches at the edges. All feature 1080p resolution, though the thicker Procision LCDs are alone in offering a new 120Hz display panel that supports 24/30p HD signals and the company's sixth-generation Clear Motion Drive III engine that uses a 32-bit Genessa processor.
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09/04, 12:00pm
JVC 4K Projector and More
JVC today marked its place at CEDIA by launching five new projectors, three of which fit into its high-end Reference Series. The SH4K is built around a new 10-megapixel liquid-crystal-on-silicon system that produces a full 4K HD resolution (4096x2400) without swelling the size of the projector. This smaller size makes it feasible to get about four times the resolution of 1080p in a very high-end home theater or some more practical applications, JVC boasts. A Xenon bulb also promises a bright picture at 3,500 lumens.
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08/27, 4:05pm
JVC DLNA Blu-ray system
JVC’s newest addition to its Sophisti line-up is the NX-BD3 Blu-ray home theater system, which is the company’s first Blu-ray system and the first dedicated Blu-ray player in the industry to feature Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) compatibility via a wireless adapter update. Thanks to DLNA support, the 2.1-channel system will be able to work with other types of DLNA-certified devices such as cellphones, PCs and others to share digital content, including MPEG videos, JPEG photos and MP3/WMA music.
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08/05, 10:20am
JVC launches XA DAPs
JVC on Tuesday announced the release of its all-new XA-M10, XA-M20, and XA-M40 digital audio players. Available with 1GB, 2GB or 4GB of on-board memory, respectively, the three Alneo XA-series digital audio players feature a 6-line black and white OLED display. Either XA-series DAP will store up to 100 songs in a folder, making up a user's favorite playlist, by pressing the Favourites button when a track is playing. The players will replace the XA-MP line, which topped out at 1GB of memory and were smaller, but also had less features and a shorter battery life.
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06/24, 4:15pm
JVC launches thin LCD TVs
JVC recently announced it will launch the industry's thinnest LCDs with built-in TV tuners. At 2.9 inches deep at the center, slimming down to 1.5 inches at the edges, the 42-inch LT-42SL89 and the 46-inch LT-46SL89 offer 1920x1080 (1080p) resolution. At the same time, JVC claims the new sets are lighter and consume less power than traditional LCD TVs, thanks to a new backlight panel and power supply substrate, respectively.
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06/23, 11:50am
JVC PN7 iPhone iPod Stereo
JVC has entered into the arenas of both iPhone speakers and multi-device Apple households with the quiet launch of the NX-PN7. The clock radio is JVC's first certified to work with the iPhone and includes dual docks that allow two iPhones or iPods to charge and to play sound from one of the through a 15-watt stereo speaker array. The company has yet to say whether the iPhone requires Airplane Mode or can leave its cellular connection online to take calls without leaving the dock.
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06/16, 8:25am
JVC Everio HD30 and HD10
JVC this morning unveiled three new HD Everio cameras that all offer something new to camcorders. The HD30 and HD40 (shown) are the first camcorders to capture HD in either AVCHD (H.264) or MPEG-2 format and give users the choice of format based on their editing environment; users can either record in the more efficient AVC format or else pick the larger but more widespread MPEG-2 format for easier editing on some computers.
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06/11, 2:25pm
JVC Alneo V80 Player
JVC today upgraded its media players and added its new Alneo V-series to its player mix. Each of the players builds in a technology named K2 that automatically oversamples compressed audio to 24-bit, 96kHz sound and makes the most of the available sound detail; newly designed noise canceling earbuds not only adapt to block outside noise but team up with different environment settings on the player itself to optimize the sound for a given setting.
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06/09, 11:10am
JVC's dual codec LSI chip
Japan's Victor-JVC has developed a dual-codec video camera LSI (Large-Scale Integration) chip, the company announced on Monday. The HD Gigabrid chip allows recording of HD videos in the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC format as well as the Internet- and YouTube-friendly MPEG-2 codec, both at the same time. The chip allows for Full HD (1920x1080p) recording, and is capable of extended HD recording with a 5MBps setting. MPEG-2 format video can be written at 27MBps.
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05/19, 11:05am
JVC Everio MS100
Stepping out of its normal camera launch schedule, JVC today launched the Everio GZ-MS100 camcorder in the US. The standard-definition camera is JVC's latest to run solely on SD cards for storage and weighs just 0.6 pounds thanks to the lack of moving parts. The switch not only allows easy offloading to a computer through USB or an SD card reader but also proves central to the camera's YouTube feature. On Windows PCs, an Upload button automatically sends recorded footage to a CyberLink app for posting to the Google-run website; any user can also use the button to limit recording to 10 minutes and fit within YouTube's limits.
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05/12, 12:55pm
JVC and Kenwood to merge
Japanese electronics giants JVC and Kenwood have announced plans to merge, Reuters reports. The two companies will come together under a holding company on October 1st, in what they say is an attempt to fight price competition, as well as increasing costs in development. Even together the companies' sales for the financial year ending March 31st would only have been 823.7 billion yen ($8 billion), less than a tenth of those for Panasonic owner Matsushita, which made approximately 9 trillion yen (over $87 billion).
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05/02, 8:35am
JVC 8K Projector Tech
JVC on Friday boasted that it has developed one of the highest-resolution video devices possible that could lead to advanced front projectors or DLP sets. A new D-ILA device is capable of generating an 8K picture, or 8192x4320, at speeds high enough for video. The sharpness amounts to 35 megapixels and is crisp enough to be 17 times sharper than the 1080p resolution used by Blu-Ray or other full HD sources; the resolution is also four times more detailed than the 4K used by very high-end projectors and cameras, and is even larger than Japan's experimental Super Hi-Vision, making it possible to display the 7680x3420 picture without multiple processors for the first time.
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04/25, 2:35pm
JVC Losses in Q1 2008
JVC today announced a major turnaround effort as an attempt to recover its ailing HDTV business. The Japanese electronics maker reported a dramatic year-over-year increase in losses from roughly $75 million to $455 million and says that the drops will require the company move its production to factories in less expensive locations. Plants in Scotland and JVC's home country will be switched off in favor of less expensive production in Poland and Thailand respectively, the company says.
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04/02, 4:00pm
JVC HA-SX500 phones
JVC announced on Wednesday the launch of its premium bi-metal in-ear canal headphones, the HA-SX500. The headset reportedly improves dynamics thanks to a new 16mm neodymium driver housed in a steel base, which in turn is wrapped in a high-density brass ring designed to minimize vibration and energy loss. JVC also took care to reduce friction noise that often surfaces with noise-canceling earphones by using rubber joints and an optimized 2.6-foot long cord. Transmission loss is kept to a minimum thanks to oxygen-free copper wiring.
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01/30, 4:25pm
JVC HD5 and HD6 in US
After an initial release in Japan, JVC this afternoon wasted little time in bringing its two new Everio HD cameras to North America. The HD5 and HD6 (HD6 shown) are not only much smaller than the HD7 they replace -- now 45 percent smaller, according to JVC -- but are also the first to output a full-speed, 60 frames per second 1080p image when attached to a TV. An HDMI 1.3 connector provides x.v.Color support for extra color depth for HDTVs that support the feature. Shots are saved to disk at 1080i.
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01/29, 8:40am
JVC Everio GZ-HD6
Saving one of its key announcements for the aftermath of the CES expo, JVC this morning revealed two high-end camcorders in its Everio lineup for its home territory of Japan. Both the GZ-HD5 and its premium cousin the HD6 are about 40 percent smaller than the HD7 they replace but output at higher quality than before. The HD6 in particular is one of the first to generate a full-quality HD image: while capturing internally at 1920x1080 interlaced, new hardware allows it to upscale to 1080p on the flywhile maintaining the 60Hz frame rate needed for fast action on a modern HDTV. With HDMI output, videographers can see this image quality without authoring the video on a computer, JVC says.
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01/08, 2:20pm
JVC unveils GPS deck
JVC unveiled its new KD-NX7000 combination CD/DVD player with built-in GPS navigation, and has announced the return of its KD-NX5000 unit. The device features a 7-inch LCD, and a removable smart faceplate that includes a proximity sensor, illuminating buttons as the user’s hand approaches. Users can also play media and use navigation resources simultaneously. The player comes preloaded with real-time traffic information for over 80 metropolitan areas in the US and Canada, with over 12 million points of interest. Maps are upgradable, while traffic reporting relies on the built-in NAVTEQ traffic RDS tuner. Pricing and availability for the new unit was not available.
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01/06, 5:35pm
JVC iPod HDTVs
JVC today launched a major update to its HDTV lineup that includes four of the first full-size HDTVs to include their own iPod docks. The LCD P-series incorporates a cradle for the Apple player in its base that not only plays music, photos, and videos directly from the device but integrates with the TV as though it were a native device. A special menu appears to control the iPod's content using the remote; users can also fine-tune playback and adapt video either to expand the video to fit the set at each clip's native aspect ratio or use a special "small mode" that maintains the pixel resolution of the source. The dock will also charge any connected iPod whether or not the TV is switched on.
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12/26, 11:00am
JVC Wooden In-Canal Buds
JVC today introduced an unusual take on the largely settled world of earphones. Its HP-FX500 buds drop the metal and plastic of most in-canal earbuds in favor of birch wood. Aside from the unique appearance, the design also includes tangible improvements, according to JVC: hybrid drivers ensure the earbud is at least as clear and stable as traditional earbuds, while damping gel inside the buds both reduces jittering in the buds themselves and improves the passive noise canceling effect. JVC claims the ability to produce sounds as low as 8Hz and as high as 25kHz.
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12/26, 10:15am
Panasonic 150-inch TV Soon
Panasonic is developing a plasma set it will claim as the world's largest TV barring a surprise from rivals, says a claim in Japan's Daily Yomiuri. The paper points to anonymous sources which say the set will measure 150 inches diagonally, beating out screens such as JVC's 110-inch rear projector for the title of the largest home TV regardless of class. The size of the screen alone will be large enough to stand taller than an adult, the newspaper claims.
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12/20, 9:55am
JVC Everio GR-D850 Vidcam
Offering a preview of its first camera for 2008, JVC today unveiled the Everio GR-D850. The widescreen DV camera is designed primarily for those with small hands or newcomers turned away by the large grips of other camcorders; compared to the outgoing D750, the new model is more compact overall and 0.8 inches shorter, JVC says. Pressing an Auto button also hands over nearly all control over shooting to the camera, adjusting the picture quality and other picture settings on the fly. Its 2.7-inch wide LCD also auto-dims in low light.
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