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Canon XL2s


George Castro

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Does anyone have any info on the XL2s ? when they'll be out? I heard they'd be out in Feb. 2004, but haven't heard any news lately. And, is this what everyone is looking forward to? I am in the process of purchasing a new digital camcorder, and was looking at

 

Panasonic AG-DVX100a

 

JVC GR-HD1

 

Cannon XL1s

 

But since i heard of the XL2s, i thought I'd wait and see if it's gonna give us the best of what mini-dv can offer.

 

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

 

God Bless,

George

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Guest Ultra Definition

XL2, or whatever name it will have will probably be 3CCD HDV format; the quality should be a lot better than JVC HD10. Canon may show a prototype at NAB in April; I doubt that they will have a product to sell at that time, but who knows.

 

JVC may show improved version of HD10 at that show. HD10 does nothing for their pro reputation. Thay were first out with low cost HD, but with all the flaws... it's a shame.

 

Sony may introduce a new quality 3 CCD HDV camcorder at that show, probably 1080i.

 

What will Panasonic introduce? Probably nothing new. DVX100 sells well and DVX100a just came out.

 

HDV standard was announced last year; the group is lead by Sony and includes JVC, Canon, and Sharp. It appears that Sony has worked for some time on 1080i HDV camcorder, as a response to JVC's 720p DV camcorder. So Sony is most likely to introduce this camcorder at NAB. It will complement their DV line; it will not have excellent low light performance, and their prosumer and pro DV line will have better picture on SD presentations. The camcorder will compete mainly with DVX100a. It will be used by low end independent filmmakers. 60i and 50i converts to 24 fps nicely.

 

Another reason why I believe this camcorder is coming is because Sony has only made minor changes to the PD150 and released it as PD170. The changes suit event videographers, but not the main market segment that buys DVX100.

 

Matsushita has 2 models with better resolution than PD170. One is DVX100a and the other is HD10. Sony wants to be always first, and compared to Matsushita usually does not introduces a product until a whole system is ready. In this case easy postproduction, and in Sony's case it means their Vegas Video postproduction software. The new Sony camcorder should be everything that HD10 is not. It should be a usable professional HD tool. I am almost willing to bet that Sony will introduce HDV camcorder at NAB, but then who knows?

 

If you need to buy a camcorder before then, for low light buy PD170, for quality picture and 24p buy DVX100a.

 

These are my 3 cents.

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Guest alfredbot

No one can really say when it is going to be out becasue those that are "in the know" have all signed nondisclosure agreements. NAB 2004 in April is the best bet though. Plus keep in mind the fact that it generally takes anywhere between four to six months to get from the unveiling to the date it is actually on the shelf. So Fall/Winter 2004 would be when you actually saw it in stores...that is assuming they release it at NAB. The best advice is if you are waiting you are not producing. I say go and buy the Panasonic DVX100/a because it probably is the best camera on the market as of this moment. Plus no one really knows what kind of features the XL2 will have so lets just for some reason say that it doesn't have 24p and is not HD...i know that sounds stupid, but look at the Sony update of the vx2000 and pd150. Well then you wasted a lot of time waiting for something that didn't have what you were looking for. If they relsease the new canon and you wish to purchase it then you can sell your DVX100 and buy the XL2 (or whatever they call it).

 

just my 2 cents.

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Plus keep in mind the fact that it generally takes anywhere between four to six months to get from the unveiling to the date it is actually on the shelf. So Fall/Winter 2004 would be when you actually saw it in stores...

and probably at a considerable markup.

 

In video it's a damned if you do damned if you don't situation. Adopt early and you're out a lot of money and stuck with potential problems that haven't yet reared their head thanks to rigorous field testing. If you go for the discontinued or out of date bargains, you get a good deal but your gear isn't going to be as competitive with the latest stuff. This is particularly a problem with a technology that changes as rapidly as it does.

 

- G.

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  • 4 months later...
Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith

I heard it will be out this august sometime. So, soon hopefully.

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Guest Pete Wright

Hey Mitch,

 

Where did you get this 18 months information. I checked the net and it does not seem to be correct. Japanese patents are good for 15 years. The 18 month period is only for publishing application information.

 

Pete

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Hey Mitch,

 

Where did you get this 18 months information.

Jan Crittenden from Panasonic. I may have muffed up the details, but essentially she told me that it was an 18 month period after which others are allowed to use the technology or at least the concept. They may have to pay something to the patent holder but I have no idea. All I know is that she stated that this is why both the Canon and Sony 24p-from-60i cameras are becoming available this September.

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  • Premium Member

Patent laws vary around the world. AFAIK, in the USA an inventor has one year to file for a patent after any public disclosure of the invention. For example, if a prototype of an invention is shown at a trade show or prototypes tested without a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), the patents must be filed within a year.

 

Of course, check with your patent attorney for legal advice.

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Guest Pete Wright

It seems that Panasonic did not want to license Canon and Sony for 18 months. If Panasonic wanted them to wait longer, Sony could have just taken a different approach, of just recording straight 24p. But vendors already made NLE systems to work with the Panasonic system.

 

What is interesting about the Japanese patent system that I read on the net is that as soon as an American firm patents something, the Japanese firms patent countless variations of the same thing. Then a predominantly office equipment maker Canon makes claims about the countless patents they hold, and how favourably that compares to American firms.

 

Pete

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