JVC 's Everio range of hard-drive camcorders has just received a predictable shot in the arm with the addition of the first model to record high-definition images.

The GZ-HD7 lays down 1,920 x 1,080i interlaced images, so is just short of what is considered true full HD TV, but is still an impressive newcomer as a true 16:9 widescreen ratio is recorded natively.

The 60GB Everio will arrive in the US in April for US$1,800 (£933), although no word was given of a release date for Europe. That 60GB hard drive will hold around five hours of high-definition video, which can be increased to seven hours by reducing the image quality.

Specs include a 10x optical zoom, as well as HDMI, USB, FireWire, analogue, S-Video and composite input/output ports. Otherwise the camera is notable for being the first consumer model to use a broadcast-standard Fujinon lens.

As users of multi-megapixel cameraphones will know, a decent lens is far more important than a high pixel count, so the Fujinon optic is most welcome. J Mark Lytle