JVC’s annual Key Dealer Meeting (KDM) is a chance to get a sneak preview of the company’s hottest products for the coming year, and this year, the manufacturer did not disappoint – with the key theme being High Definition (HD).
High Def revolution
Expanding its successful range of Everio Hard Disk Drive (HDD) camcorders, JVC introduced the GZ-HD7 – an HD version, capable of recording in ‘full HD’ (1920 x 1080i). Incorporating an impressive 60GB of memory, and boasting a recording time of five hours, on the highest resolution recording mode, the HD Everio can also be connected to the HD Everio Share Station, using a USB 2.0 cable, to archive video footage onto DVD. Alternatively, recordings can be archived onto Blu-ray Disc, using dedicated software, and a Blu-ray recorder.
Extensive PoS material will be available to support the HD Everio in store.
JVC also impressed the crowds with a demo of its Full HD Home Theatre Front Projector (DLA-HD1). The product offers the industry’s highest native contrast resolution (without an iris mechanism) at 15,000:1, says JVC. This enables the DLA-HD1 to offer true black reproduction, without losing any picture brightness, unlike many other projectors, which tend to make black pictures appear slightly grey and blurred.
JVC has also updated its projection TV category, with the introduction of two slimmed down versions of its HD-ILA Hybrid televisions. The slim line cabinet is 40% thinner, which was made possible by the development of a new optical engine, found on the two new 58 and 65in models.
Audio offerings
The manufacturer also previewed a host of new audio micro systems, many of which are equipped with iPod and USB connectivity and DAB radio. Some of the new micro systems also boast JVC’s K2 technology, which is designed to improve the sound quality of compressed audio files. According to JVC, K2 Technology raises CD sound to the level of DVD-audio quality, and MP3 and WMA sound to CD quality.
Also on display, was a range of home entertainment systems, such as the TH-L1 digital home cinema system, set to be marketed largely at gamers, which will include two HDMI inputs, iPod connection and 360W RMS.
Coming soon?
In its ‘Future Room’, JVC offered a sneak preview of a selection of its pre-production prototypes, including a Blu-ray Disc player. Also on show was a ‘super slim’ LCD TV, measuring just 1.38in in depth, and weighing only 8kg, and a slim HD-ILA TV offering a full ‘CinemaScope picture’, for watching widescreen movies, without the black bars appearing at the top and bottom of the screen (often known as ‘letterboxing’). A prototype version of JVC’s Pulsating Sphere Speaker (pictured), offering multidirectional sound, was also on display.
