Irvine, Calif.
–
Toshiba’s digital products division
(DPD)
, a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, introduced Monday
the first official Toshiba digital camcorder line for the United States under the new Camileo
series.
Starting April 5, the company will initially offer three models
in the series, all designed to offer FullHD 1080p performance at affordable
price points.
Michael Cassidy, Toshiba DPD accessories marketing director, said,
“Over the last year and half we have been expanding our accessories categories
lineups to new categories. We have been in the Camileo category for the past
two years in other markets, especially in Europe,
and we have been working with them trying to get a product to market here.”
Cassidy said the philosophy was to “try to build the ecosystem
around the PCs that we sell along with other accessories such as our hard
drives.”
In addition to offering up to 1080p video resolution, all three
models include SD/SDHC memory card slots with up to 32GB maximum storage
capability, 3-inch LCD screens, a YouTube upload button on the camera, and
extras in the box including: an AC adapter, HDMI and USB cables, composite
video cables and a case.
The S20 ($179 suggested retail) is billed as a lightweight model,
weighing 3.5 ounces, with a vertical design and a flip-out screen. It includes 128MB
of built-in memory, digital image stabilization and a 4x digital zoom (when
shooting at 720p mode and below on the later two). It also captures 5-megapixel
digital still images.
The H30 ($249) is an entry-level HD camcorder in a more
traditional body style. It offers a 3-inch touchscreen LCD, 5x optical zoom, 128MBs
of built-in memory, 4x digital zoom extension and digital image stabilization
(in 720p mode and below on the later two). It records digital still images in
native 10-megapixel resolution.
The X100 ($399) is a top-of-the-line model in a traditional body
design, offering a 10x optical and 10x digital zoom in all modes, and adds a
1080i/60 fps shooting mode for capturing fast-motion video. Image stabilization
works in all modes except 1080i. Included are 4GBs of onboard memory for one
hour of 1080p recording. It records digital still images in native 10-megapixel
resolution.
Toshiba worked with a third-party OEM manufacturer to develop the
camcorders “to complement our other Toshiba branding products, such as 1080p
Regza televisions, and high-end Qosmio laptops that come with HDMI out ports,”
said Brad Johnston, Toshiba DPD product manager.
Toshiba will distribute the Camileo line through its core IT
retail partners, including e-commerce partners, regional and national CE chains,
photo specialty stores and office stores.
Johnston
said the camcorders will target a similar customer as the popular Flip
camcorder family, but will offer a better feature set and different form factor
to give its products a distinctive edge.
