Alfred,
yes, I have done some digging, since I find the HD option at this price point and size rather intriguing. And you're welcome for the details. I'm just a consumer myself, trying to discover what the strengths and weaknesses of the various options are.
>
Still, I stand by my point that even with its flaws, it's an indication of just how inexpensive HD video cameras have become. <
Agreed. Though JVC is actually a bit late to the game in this category, with the Mino Flip, and Aiptek HD flash memory HD cams having been out for over a year now, in the same $200-ish price range.
I did want to correct one comment I made, since I found some additional information:
>
the full Detailed Manual is only available IN THE INTERNAL MEMORY of the device <
It turns out that the Detailed User Manual IS on the JVC site after all. Confusingly, it's labeled "Supplementary Material", and is in a PDF file half the size of the User Guide (12 pages, but in 5 languages). The Detailed manual is ~28 pages long (English only), and is fairly informative. Those looking for more specific info on the JVC Picsio can find it
here.
One additional tidbit I gleaned from reading the manual is that while the unit does have 128M of internal flash, it uses part of it for system overhead functions, leaving only 34M for user snapshots (~10 pix at full rez) or videos (24 seconds! in HD). So an SD card will not be optional. Which isn't terrible, considering that most similar units have the same limitation. (One that doesn't is the Mino Flip, which has 4 or 8 GB internal, but no removable card capability.)
The strong points for the JVC Picsio, from my perspective (besides the HD quality at a low price point that these units all share), is the slim size and weight (half the size and weight of the Aiptek, for example), and its digital Image Stabilizer (which the older HD Aiptek [$150 at Amazon] doesn't have, but their newer GVS model [$180 at Amazon] does have a gyro-stabilizer of some kind). Unless you're using a tripod (unlikely with cams this small), or are shooting Blair Witch Project III, you really need a Stabilizer of some sort. Also the direct HDMI output is great, though you have to find and buy a cable yourself (the Aiptek outputs HD Component video, and includes the cable).
The weak point from my perspective is the battery. 90 minutes of recording, and you're done for the next 3 hours, while the battery recharges. AFAICT, the battery is not removable, so you can't have a spare pack ready to swap in and keep recording. OTOH, The Aiptek does have removable packs, and they only cost $13 each ($20 for a high-capacity 1800 mAH unit). Most worrisome about the Picsio battery though is that there is no indication that it is even user replaceable. So when it eventually dies (they all do) either you ship it to JVC for service, or throw the digicam away I guess.
Other weak points of the Aiptek (other than being as thick as two Picsio's back-to-back) is poor low-light level performance (though I have no idea how the Picsio fares there), and a tendency for the Auto-Focus mechanism to be a bit slow, and do some seeking when there are multiple objects in the view at different distances. The Picsio overcomes that by being fixed focus (though it has no optical zoom, while the Aiptek is 3x optical, making handheld even more challenging).
Both have the same set of rez options (1440x1080, 1280x720, etc.) and record MPEG4 in .MOV format, for about the same amounts of time. Both have 2" color screens, but the Aiptek is foldout, so it's not going to be as inconspicuous, if that's what you're looking for. I vaguely recall that the Mino HD Flip (which physically looks very similar to the JVC) maxed out at 720p, but I need to investigate that more closely before I can share any insights there.
- Tim
So before you'll be able to enjoy this feature, it's back to the store looking for a compatible interface cable.