Victor of Japan (JVC) has started the year with the official launch of a high-definition consumer camcorder, the first such device from any manufacturer (and previewed in late 2002 at an electronics show in Tokyo). More digital camera innovations are appearing, and Sony has shown a mini fingerprint scanner. And Sharp has unveiled a home video server that may be a taste of what’s to come this year as the world of video and networking move ever closer together.

JVC is claiming a world first with its latest consumer camcorder.

The GR-HD1 can record and play back in high definition at 750-line progressive, standard definition 525-line progressive, or interlaced. It records onto Mini DV tape and also includes an up converter to translate recorded video at any definition into a 1125-line interlaced signal or down-convert high-definition video to a standard definition signal.

An additional MPEG2 editing kit allows for frame-by-frame editing on a PC. Other features include a 10X optical zoom lens, 200X digital zoom, and 3.5-inch color LCD monitor.
More here.