New York — The market for flash-memory-based video recorders heated up as Sanyo and Mustek introduced new models.
Sanyo’s new 6-megapixel Xacti E1 is the company’s first waterproof model, capable of snapping stills and video in up to 5 feet of water for up to one hour of submersion with no additional housing.
The E1 records MPEG-4 video using the new AVC/H.264 codec, which Sanyo said reduces the video file size by 25 percent while improving video quality vs. traditional MPEG-4 recording. The unit records VGA resolution video at 30 fps to SD or SHDC memory cards. According to Sanyo, an 8GB SDHC card can store 10 hours of video.
The unit features a 5x optical zoom lens, 2.5-inch flip-out LCD screen, low-light video recording capability, simultaneous still and video capture, macro focusing to 1cm and digital red-eye removal.
The model will be Sanyo’s first to bundle Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0 software, which supports the H.264 codec. The E1 ships in June in blue, yellow and white for a suggested $499. Optional accessories will include a camera leash and a waterproof camera case, both retailing for a suggested $19.99.
Mustek will ship the compact DV520T in June. The model records MPEG-4 video at 30 fps in addition to capturing 5-megapixel still image. It also functions as a Web cam, a voice recorder and an MP3 player with included headphones. It will retail for a suggested $129.
