Hitachi Digital Camcorders Views

General Goods

Highlighting the new line-up is the world’s first interactive high definition television —Hitachi’s UltraVision Digital HDTV based on digital light processing (DLP™) technology — the revolutionary DVD-RAM Camcorder and the unique DVD Player / CD Recorder Dual Deck. Additionally, Hitachi will offer a complete line-up of high definition and high definition capable television sets, DVD players, camcorders and VCRs for the ultimate digital home theater experience.

The Hitachi America, Ltd., Home Electronics Division, markets a variety of consumer electronics including high-definition TVs (HDTV), projection TVs (PTV), color TVs, DVD players, VCRs and camcorders, as well as security and observation system products. The company’s premium products are sold under the Hitachi UltraVision and UltraVision Digital brand names.

Whilst there’s no doubt that Hitachi is pushing the boundaries of what handheld camcorders can do, in the ranks of the simple digital devices with no bells and whistles attached like the varieties many of us are looking to buy, they don’t seem to have much on show. The D36FT HD has a smart design with 5x zoom and touch screen functionality but its style is a little dated and memory capacity isn’t great. A slightly larger Hitachi DZ MV730A Camcorder allows more functional use and has the built-in DVD recorder function. Looking for anything beyond this is tough work and most review sites are keen to throw back the depressing ‘search results: (0)’ response.

It could be argued that Hitachid’s specialism in the more professional side of the field will mean that there’s no need for catering to the amateur, but if the digital SLR business model is anything to go by, you would think otherwise. The line between purchasing powers of the professional and amateur are blurring and you might be surprised by how many people now own digital photography equipment that would be sufficient to run a small studio. As the digital camcorder follows suit, the brand values established by the likes of Sony, Panasonic, and Canon in the lower ranks will give them strength and momentum to take on the areas currently controlled by Hitachi digital camcorders. At this point it might be too late for Hitachi to introduce a credible model for the novice market and could mark the decline of this industry’s original pioneer.