Sony will begin selling its first high-definition video camcorder this year, the company says.

The new camcorder will go on sale in Japan on October 15, and worldwide by the end of the year, Sony says. While the camcorder is compatible with Japan’s HDV high-definition digital video format, users cannot store video on Sony’s Blu-ray Disc format. The HDR-FX1 camcorder is Sony’s first step in promoting high definition video as the standard format for home-use camcorders, but its price makes it too expensive for most families initially, the company says. The price will be $3700 when the camcorder goes on sale in the U.S. in November, says Masashi Imamura, senior general manager of Sony’s IT & Mobile Solutions Network Company. The release day for the U.S. market in November has not been decided, but the camcorder will be on sale internationally by January 1 2005, he says.

Source: PC World