CNN has purchased 177 JVC GY-HM100U ProHD camcorders, which is seen as the possible first step in a process to replace hundreds of aging, tape-based DV camcorders now in use throughout the cable news network’s global operations. An additional camera purchase is expected in 2011, according to JVC.
A compact, handheld three-CCD camcorder, the GY-HM100U records HD video at 35Mb/s in the MPEG-2 format compatible with the XDCAM file-based workflow used throughout CNN. The JVC camcorder records 1080i files in the MP4 format directly onto SDHC memory cards.