JVC Camcorder Strengthens Ties With Apple FCP

By Ken Kerschbaumer

JVC has introduced two camcorders, the GY-HM100 ProHD and the GY-HM700 ProHD, that are the first handheld camcorders to record files in the native format of Apple’s Final Cut Pro editing system. For colleges, universities, and other sports entities that rely on Final Cut Pro, the move means even faster workflows.

“Because it is native, nothing gets changed or lost [in terms of image or audio quality],” says Craig Yanagi, JVC national marketing manager for creation products. “There is no ingest, and the file will be dropped directly into the Final Cut Pro editing timeline with any file conversion.”

The GY-HM100 ProHD camcorder can record at 1080p, 720p, or 1080i on up to two SDHC Class 6 memory cards (up to 32 GB per card), and the camcorder weighs only 3.1 pounds. “It will be great for a wide range of applications and definitely for those who need a small form factor but want to record at a high bitrate,” says Yanagi. The unit records 1080p images at 35 Mbps in MPEG-2 and can record 720p at 19 or 35 Mbps and 1080i at 25 Mbps in SP mode, so material is compatible with other nonlinear editing systems.

The GY-HM700 camcorder can record either on the SDHC memory cards or optionally to SxS media that is compatible with Sony’s XDCAM EX format. It also natively records in Apple Quicktime, but the optional KA-MR100 dockable media recorder delivers content to the SxS memory cards and the SDHC cards simultaneously.

“The 700 is a full-size camcorder that brings an ergonomic design to the XDCAM EX platform,” says Yanagi. “It also can use all legacy accessories and power systems and has a brand-new Canon 14×4.4 HD wide-angle lens included in the $7,995 price tag.”

The HM100 will ship by May; the HM700, in March.