I won't lie and say that I knew the USB Video Class even existed before reading this article, but it sounds pretty cool. You can not o­nly transfer video using USB 2.0, you can control it right from the PC.
Wait, didn't IEEE 1394 do that? Oh well.
After researching into just how many USB classes (after all, nearly all new MP3 players support the Storage class) there were, I came across this page.

Japan Victor Corporation (JVC) will release the "GR-D27," the world's first video camera supporting "USB Video Class," allowing transfer of DV video via USB 2.0, in the back part of June. The official price is Open Price. Indicators suggest it should cost around 113,000 yen. The nickname of the camera is "Baby Movie Square."

This is a DV camera with a 1/3.6 type 2,120,000 pixel (1,230,000 pixel for movie, 2,000,000 pixel for stills) CCD, and a 10x optical zoom lens. An AC adapter, "BN-V408" battery, and PC connection kit are included. Supported operating systems are Windows 2000/XP, Mac OS 9.0.4 ~ 9.2.2, Mac OS X 10.1.5, 10.2.1 ~ 10.2.8, and 10.3.1. However, the USB Video Class support is o­nly for Windows XP.

This marks the world's first support of the "USB Video Class" in a camera, which uses USB 2.0 to transfer DV video. The USB Video Class carries the video signal over the USB connection, and can also control its position (play, stop, zoom, etc.), and is planned o­n being inserted as a standard in Windows XP SP2.

Pixela Corporation announced the mass production of an LSI for the USB Video Class o­n the 20th, and the GR-D27 will be the first to enter the market in Japan. "ImageMixer 2.0," Pixela's video editing software, is included.

The lens is a F1.8 ~ F2.2, focal length 48.7 ~ 487mm (with movie, 35mm conversion), 10x optical zoom lens. The focal length with still images is from 38.9 ~ 389mm. The lowest illumination is 28 lux, and a night-eye function is also featured. When capturing still images, an automatic flash can also be used. A 2.5" LCD monitor is also furnished.

With continuous usage of the included battery, with the viewfinder o­n, the maximum usage time is 1 hour and 10 minutes, and with the LCD monitor, 1 hour.

A SD memory card slot is also provider, and it can record in JPEG and MPEG-4. It also features the "DV Navi Function," which saves thumbnails of the beginning of each scene to the memory card, and will begin play at a certain point in the index depending o­n which thumbnail is chosen. The recording resolutions of the JPEGs are 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, and 640 x 480 dots.

On the quality size, the newly developed "Megabrid" high quality engine consists of circuitry such as the "Super High Band Camera Circuitry," and the "3D DNR cicuitry." This is said to reduce noise during dark scenes by around 30%. Also, JVC has said that this "can take clear video" by eliminating static at the edges. Still images are said to have less color noise due to an independent interpolation process.

Available ports are an S/AV/edit port, DV in/out ports, a USB 2.0 port, an external mic port, a DC port, and a headphone port. The external dimensions are 62 x 115 x 101mm (W x D x H), and the weight is around 560g (unit o­nly).



Inspired by:
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20040528/victor.htm

News Release:
http://www.jvc-victor.co.jp/press/2004/gr-dz7.html