NAB: JVC Unveils New Handheld Mobile News Camera

Complete Coverage: 2012 NAB Show

As more broadcasters look for smaller, less expensive ways to send news footage back to the studio, JVC Professional Products Company is demoing a new GY-HM650 ProHD handheld mobile news camera that has built in Wi-Fi connectivity to FTP footage back to the station without a microwave or satellite truck.

The camera, which JVC is billing as a major advance newsgathering, is also equipped with dual codecs so that it produces full HD files on one memory card while simultaneously creating smaller, Web-friendly files on a second card.

"Newsgathering and independent production continue to evolve," said Craig Yanagi, manager, marketing and brand strategy at the company in a statement. "One or two-person teams have become commonplace, and many shooters are capturing images for TV, the Internet, and mobile devices. With built-in Web connectivity, simultaneous recording of a Web-friendly video file, and .MXF files with rich descriptive metadata, the GY-HM650 is ideal for today's file-based workflows."

The new camcorder comes with a built-in Fujinon wide angle 23x zoom lens. The HD lens has a focal range of 29mm-667mm (35mm equivalent) and includes manual focus, servo zoom, and iris rings, along with three ND filters and a removable hood.

Equipped with three, 1/3-inch 1920x1080 12-bit CMOS sensors, the lightweight GY-HM650 records HD or SD footage in multiple file formats on SDHC or SDXC media cards and is capable of handling MXF files for streamlined asset management.

The GY-HM650 has a suggested list price of $5,695, and JVC expects to begin shipping it in the winter of 2012.

Also at the market, JVC introduced another low-cost ProHD camcorder, the GY-HM600. The unit comes with a built-in wide angle 23x autofocus zoom lens, delivers superior low-light performance, and provides excellent sensitivity (F11 at 2000 lux).

The GY-HM600 has a suggested list price of $4,695, and will be available in fall 2012.