Another consumer level 3D camera

[Tim Dashwood]

It's only SD but I'm sure it will sell well at $600. At least the IO is really small so it will be difficult for the naïve consumer-level user to screw up (unlike Fujifilm's 77mm IO.)

DXG RELEASES WORLD'S FIRST 3D POCKET CAMCORDER AND 3D MEDIA PLAYER

DXG 3D Consumer Camcorder and 3D Media Player Bundle Creates All-in-One Filming and Playback of 3D Video and Pictures with No Glasses Required

CITY OF INDUSTRY, CALIF. – July 27, 2010 – With blockbuster hits like James Cameron's Avatar opening consumers eyes to an entirely new world of 3D entertainment, it's no surprise that demand for 3D technology and content is on the rise, with 3DTV sales expected to grow 142% between 2010 and 2011.* Arming consumers with the ability to now create their own 3D content, DXG (Mini camcorders for high-definition video. Small, easy to use, and High-definition camcorders from DXG Technology.) today launched the DXG 3D pocket camcorder and 3D 7-inch media player bundle, allowing for easy filming and playback of 3D video and pictures with no glasses required. The 3D camcorder and media player bundle is available now for pre-sale at Hammacher Schlemmer - Homepage - The Unexpected Gifts - Hammacher Schlemmer for $599.99.

Bring Your Videos and Pictures to Life in Full 3D

For the first time ever, you will be able to create home movies in 3D and relive each moment in lifelike detail thanks to the new DXG 3D pocket camcorder and media player. With the camcorder's compact pistol-grip design and flexible playback options, you can instantly view, record and playback 3D video or photos directly on the 3.2-inch LCD camcorder display, on the included 3D 7-inch media player, or directly on your 3DTV. Supporting up to 16GB high-capacity SD cards, you can record hours of summertime fun in 3D and take 3D 5-megapixel still images, as well as capture 2D video and pictures.

Enjoying your newly created 3D memories is a cinch with the included DXG 3D media player. Boasting a vivid 7-inch LCD display, glasses are not required to see your video and photos pop out and come to life in full 3D on the player. Convenient touch screen keys and remote control of the media player not only allow you to view your 3D and 2D video and photo masterpieces with ease, but also let you control the built-in MP3 music player, alarm clock and calendar. Also included in the package are HDMI and AV cables for easy playback of your summertime shenanigans directly on your 3DTV.

"DXG is excited to be at the forefront of the 3D digital content revolution and release a product that allows people to easily create their own 3D masterpieces," said Paul Goldberg, senior vice president of sales and marketing at DXG USA. "We specifically designed our 3D camcorder and media player bundle with the consumer in mind to create an all-in-one, fun and easy way to record and watch life's adventures in 3D."

DXG-5D7V 3D Pocket Camcorder Specifications:

Availability: Pre-sale at www.hammacher.com Shipment date of August 6, 2010
Price: 3D Camcorder & Media Player Bundle – $599.99
Dimensions: 1.63" (W) x 4.88" (H) x 2.93" (D)
LCD: 3.2-inch 3D TFT Display
Storage: 128MB Built-in Memory; Supports High-Capacity SD Cards up to 16GB
Video Resolution & Format: VGA Standard 3D Dual-Lens Technology; H.264 AVI File Format
Still Photo Resolution & Format: 5-megapixel; JPEG format
Power Supply: NP-60 Li-ion Battery
Zoom: 4X Digital Zoom (2D mode only)
Connections: HDMI interface and cable; USB/AV cable for connecting to the TV or to your PC or Mac
Software Included: 3D Video Conversion Software
Other Items Included in Package: 3D Media Player, Camcorder case, HDMI cable, USB/AV cable, NP-60 Li-ion battery, battery charger

DXG 3D Media Player Specifications:

Dimensions: 8.39" (W) x 5.41" (H) x 0.94" (D)
LCD: 7" Parallax-Barrier Auto-Stereoscopic (Glasses-Free) TFT Display
Resolution: 800×480
Display Effects: Normal, black and white, Sepia, Lens Distortion
Video Format & Resolution: MPEG4, AVI, 720×480p at 30fps
Audio & Image Format: MP3; JPEG
Control Format: Touchable Keys, Remote Control
Audio & Video Output: AVOUT, Earphone Stereoscopic Output
Storage: Supports SD/MMC
Power Supply: 5V DC, 2A
Output Interface: USB 2.0

[Arnie Schlissel]

Have you seen the announcement from Aiptek about their stereoscopic 720P camera? For $230?

[Adam Stanislav]

Originally Posted by Arnie Schlissel

Have you seen the announcement from Aiptek about their stereoscopic 720P camera? For $230?

Thanks, very impressive: YouTube - AIPTEK 3D i2 - 3D HD camcorder - Official video and YouTube - Aiptek 3D camera.

[Adam Stanislav]

And I see our friends at B&H http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/702977-REG/Aiptek_3D_HD_3D_HD_720p_Camcorder.html to be available this month.

[Petri Teittinen]

I've messed about with a couple of Aiptek's HD camcorders and the image quality was absolutely terrible. You get what you pay for, in other words.

Check out this test, select 720p, open the 3D pop-up menu and select left or right eye only. That looks pretty ghastly to me.

[Adam Stanislav]

Originally Posted by Petri Teittinen

That looks pretty ghastly to me.

Is it the Aiptek itself or is it YouTube's compression?

I do not expect great quality from a consumer camcorder with just one 1/3.5" CMOS (well, one for each eye). But it is hard to judge the quality based on YouTube. For one, before uploading, the 3D YouTuber has to reduce the width of the image by one half, then encode the result. After the upload, YouTube will re-encode it to a low bitrate file.

So there are three steps, each potentially degrading the quality of the image.

Of course, if you have actually tested the camera yourself and the results were no better than that, yes, you get what you paid for. But consumers will probably still be pleased with it. Then again, it would be interesting to see the quality of the video coming out of its HDMI port and recorded by a nanoFlash.

[Arnie Schlissel]

Originally Posted by Petri Teittinen

You get what you pay for, in other words.

I'm sure you do! But it's closest competitor is the little Fuji that shoots 640x480. I think the Aiptek is at least worth trying out at that price point.

[Petri Teittinen]

Originally Posted by Adam Stanislav

Is it the Aiptek itself or is it YouTube's compression?

I don't think YT mangles the image quite that badly. I've seen perfectly fine-looking 3D on YT, after all.

Of course, if you have actually tested the camera yourself and the results were no better than that, yes, you get what you paid for.

Haven't tested this camera, no. But a couple of other Aiptek "HD" cameras and... yeah, awful awful awful.

[Adam Stanislav]

YouTube - jcicui's Channel has a whole bunch of Aiptek test clips. Though I do not understand where all these tests are coming from if the camera is not quite in the stores yet.

[Petri Teittinen]

Guerrilla marketing, Adam. Could be someone who works for Aiptek or someone external they hired to shoot demo clips.

[Adam Stanislav]

Yes, I suppose. But there are clips on several different YouTube accounts, some well done (like the ones I mentioned), some quite amateurish (like the one you mentioned). And all seem to have low quality video (as you mentioned), which is not exactly a strong marketing point (though, as I said, as a consumer camera at that price it is not too shabby). Surely, marketers would control the lighting better if nothing else.

[Alister Chapman]

Sorry but the Aiptek I had once was not worth the money I paid for it. The pictures were so poor I used it once to check it out and could not stand the skew, grain and noise. It doesn't matter how cheap it is if it's so poor you can't or don't want to use it.

[Adam Stanislav]

Thanks, Alister. That settles it for me.