I'm looking to get a PD150-type cam with a wide angle but the time crunch is on me. Would appreciate a best guess as to when the new models will be available in the USA. (Someone on this forum had said that they doubt the 170/2100s will be coming here at all, but that's hard for me to believe.)
Dave.

Sony Japan hasn't announced anything yet. Who knows?

USA abd Japan will have HDV models. Europe has no real HDTV as yet.

Christopher raises a very interesting thought. I don't know of a camera yet that's been released in PAL before NTSC (since Japan is an NTSC country). Yet here we have the PD170 going to PAL, with no mention of NTSC. Does that indeed mean that there won't be an NTSC PD170, but that they'll go straight to HDV?

Interesting times indeed.

JVC HD1 is supposed to be SD in Europe. Maybe Sony will have an HD model that will be similar to the #170 PAL model. 3 CCD prosumer HD with manual controls. Am I dreaming? I wonder how much would it cost? Sony always wants to be the first one. Since they are the 2nd this time, they'll do anything to be the best; their model will be a lot better than JVC. I think that next CES and NAB will have some very cool cameras and HDV will start replacing Mini DV.

Keep dreaming. The question is not so much incorporating HD chips but what form of downconversion for SD playback. I haven't seen what the JVC looks like downconverted but I bet it's not pretty. For most of us in this client driven industy, HD is still a pipe dream. This will change over the next five years but not at nab 2004. You'll probably see something similar to the pd170 at NAB. If the PAL market did not get 16:9 then I would reason that the NTSC market will not see it either. Also remember that Sony competes heavily with their own consumer line up. Incorporating HD into a pd/vx body would seriously damage dsr390, 570 sales.

i read late 2003?

<<<-- Originally posted by Mathew Evan : I haven't seen what the JVC looks like downconverted but I bet it's not pretty. -->>>

I have seen it, spent quite a bit of time with it actually. The downconversion is done exceptionally well. Side-by-side with a DVX100, downconverted HD1 footage made the DVX100 look like it was out of focus.

Now, whether you find the overall image pretty or not, that's a subjective call, but the s-video out downconversion from HD1 to standard-def, in-camera, was very well done, I thought.

My Sony source here in Montreal told me that they would be tentatively receiving PD-170 models in December 2003. All the while telling me that Sony rarely manages to deliver new products on promised dates… at least in Canada. What’s Sony’s reputation concerning new product releases in the US?

As for the NTSC model being an HDV cam… big fat chance. The only HDV announcement you’ll see from Sony will be at NAB 2004. But that’s just my humble opinion.

Fred