Hitachi HS500: 30GB HDD/DVD Hybrid Cam, sub $1,000?

And that’s Australian money, folks!

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The hybrid camcorder concept is interesting, and the upgrade from 8GB drives to a 30GB is sure to grab some more attention from users. The Hitachi crew told us that while their research shows no one really uses more than a couple of hours capacity (8GB perfect), they all WANT the bigger drive. So they’re giving it to ya. 23 hours capacity now on board this one.

The fact this is coming in at a hot entry range price point is nice. No confirm on the price was given, but the hint was “pretty much dead on $1000, if not less” from one of the reps. Does this one stop shop, capture-edit-output, hybrid idea do it for you? Again, more pics after the bump.

UPDATE: This is expected to hit shelves in a couple of weeks, early June at the latest.

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