Here comes Sony's HDV entry. The HDR-FX1 Handycam camcorder is set to hit shelves in November. With recording and playback capacity of 1440 pixels x 1080 lines, it will be the highest-resolution consumer camcorder on the market, according to Sony.

Along with the new camcorder, HD DVC tape will be offered in the 63-minute lengths, allowing for three-minute recording tests. The tape will be available next month for about $18 per cassette.

Each of the camcorder's three 1/3-inch, 16:9 CCDs use Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T optics, and each has on-chip micro-lens on the sensor for increased light-focusing rate. Each lens has its own megapixel manager to capture strong details and color.

The camcorder also has 14-bit A/D converter, 12x optical zoom and zoom control mechanisms including a non-perpetual zoom ring and a shooting range from 32.5mm to 390mm. Other features include a 3.5-inch swivel hybrid LCD with 250,000 pixels, Cinematone Gamma and Cineframe functions as well as a shot transition and picture profile functions.