JVC GR-PD1 camcorder

Spielberg et al beware - high definition video is here, adn the best thing is you don't need the backing of a major studio to afford it

Let's face it: DV25 - the recording standard used by MiniDV camcorders - is getting a little stoop- shouldered and wrinkly these days (which is only to be expected after eight years). There are alternatives in the form of MicroMV and DVD-VR, but these only address the size of the hardware or accessibility of the footage, and provide only a similar level of quality to MiniDV at best. And given that progressive scan, hi-res TVs are becoming increasingly common, isn't it about time our camcorders followed suit?

Cue dramatic music, dry ice and strobe lighting, and enter the GR-PD1 stage left. An impressive entrance it makes, too. Clad in a matt black aluminium chassis with gun-metal grey trim, this digital newcomer looks every inch the professional piece of hardware.

At just under 1.5kg all in, it's a bit of a bruiser to lug around, but gives the impression it can handle the rough stuff. A full-size lens hood, 3.5-inch LCD viewfinder, zoom/focus rings and an adjustable eyepiece are just a few of the more obvious advantages of the design too, but closer inspection also reveals a top-loading tape compartment, optical image stabilisation and rotating grip.

Though these pro touches may get you some envious glances when you're out and about, they're not half as impressive as the recording options offered by this camcorder (see section VIDEO A LA MODE below). The fact that it can still produce standard recordings to MiniDV tape means you can guarantee compatibility with older equipment, but it's the two new modes (PS50 and PS25) that really show what this camcorder can do.

The other plus is that you don't need a 42-inch progressive scan plasma to see the difference (though we're not denying that's the best way to experience it). Thanks to JVC's down-sampling capabilities you can see the results on a standard PAL TV, and these are just as impressive. We can honestly say you've never seen clarity or detail like this from any camcorder in this price bracket - and certainly not from any standard MiniDV recording.

On the downside, you may find the colour a little flat, and this is certainly true when you hold it up against the more vivid tones provided by some rivals.

But the plain fact is that the new hybrid CCD fitted to JVC's machine provides a fairly accurate level of colour reproduction, rivalling that of a three-chip model. Whether this is what you want depends on whether you prefer images to look saturated straight from the can, or whether you prefer a more neutral balance you can play with in the edit.

Speaking of which, it's when you come to edit your footage that this camcorder's shortcomings start to surface. Much like Sony's MicroMV when it first appeared, the two new modes this JVC shoots aren't supported by the majority of PC video-editing software. To capture its high-definition modes properly, you'll be dependent on the supplied software, which is a let down. Bundling a feature-limited £50 piece of software with a £2,500 camcorder seems a bit daft to us. Plus, although the encoding is less complex than that used by MicroMV, it's still a challenge (even for a fast computer), so don't expect real-time results while editing.

On the hardware side of things, we were also a little disappointed with the zoom ring, which has none of the fine control offered by the zoom rocker. You might expect a manual feature set more akin to Sony's VX2000 or Canon's XL1S too, given the JVC is in the same price bracket.

But let's not get away from the point here. This is a great-looking camcorder that finally provides us with a Joe Public product that improves on the image quality of MiniDV. We were bowled over by its performance. There will, no doubt, be others in the pipeline from companies like Sony and Canon, but if you want quality, and you want it now, this is the camcorder for you.

VIDEO A LA MODE

The GR-PD1 has three recording modes. The first is a standard PAL DV25 mode (or 576i). New to this JVC is a progressive scan mode, 576p, called PS50. This records 50 entire frames per second, giving you cleaner playback on a progressive scan display. But the headline here is high-definition, PS25. It's not the full HD standard, but it still provides a widescreen 576p mode with 1,280 x 659 pixels for 25 full frames everysecond.