Toshiba Shipping PDR-M70 Three-Megapixel Digital Zoom Camera.Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 5, 2000 -- Priced At Only $899, New 3.37 Megapixel Camera Delivers Professional Photographic Quality In An Easy-To-Use Design With 3X Optical Zoom Changing the focal length of a camera by adjusting the physical zoom lens. All zoom lenses in film cameras and digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras are optical zoom. Digital point-and-shoot cameras as well as consumer and prosumer video camcorders have optical zoom, but they also , Ultra-Fast USB USB in full Universal Serial Bus Type of serial bus that allows peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, digitizers, data gloves, etc.) to be easily connected to a computer. Downloading & AVI (Audio Video Interleaved) A Windows multimedia video format from Microsoft. It interleaves standard waveform audio and digital video frames (bitmaps) to provide reduced animation at 15 fps at 160x120x8 resolution. Audio is 11,025Hz, 8-bit samples. Video Capture With Audio -- Building upon its award-winning suite of digital imaging products, Toshiba Imaging Systems, a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced it is shipping the new PDR-M70(TM), the company's first three-megapixel digital camera. With an MSRP MSRP Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price MSRP Message Session Relay Protocol MSRP Multi-Species Recovery Plan (US Fish & Wildlife Service) MSRP Member of the Society for Radiological Protection (UK) of $899 (U.S.), the camera offers the value, performance and reliability that consumers have come to appreciate from Toshiba. Compatible with Windows(R) and Macintosh(R) operating systems Operating systems can be categorized by technology, ownership, licensing, working state, usage, and by many other characteristics. In practice, many of these groupings may overlap. , the PDR-M70 camera enables photo enthusiasts to capture universal JPEG JPEG in full Joint Photographic Experts Group Standard computer file format for storing graphic images in a compressed form for general use. JPEG images are compressed using a mathematical algorithm. images in resolutions up to 2048 x 1536 pixels with unsurpassed sharpness, color accuracy and clarity. Professional-grade digital images can be confidently printed in framable sizes up to 11" x 14" free of jagged edges, artifacts artifacts see specimen artifacts. or pixelation This article is about the graphics artifact. For the stop motion animation technique, see pixilation. For the censorship method, see pixelization. In computer graphics, pixelation . Key to this success is the camera's 9/16-inch, 3.37-million pixel CCD CCD in full charge-coupled device Semiconductor device in which the individual semiconductor components are connected so that the electrical charge at the output of one device provides the input to the next device. which is matched to the highest demands of digital photography. The CCD is less noisy than smaller CCDs, resulting in better imaging performance. Even with the larger CCD, however, the PDR-M70 remains lightweight and compact, fitting easily into a pocket, purse or briefcase. Significant new features of the PDR-M70 include: an all-glass aspheric a·spher·ic also a·spher·i·cal adj. Varying slightly from sphericity and having only slight aberration, as a lens. Adj. 1. lens system (f=7.0-21mm, or 35-105mm in 35mm conversion) with macro; 3X optical zoom and 2X digital zoom Simulating a longer focal length in a digital camera via software. The digital zoom is accomplished via image enhancement software within the camera itself rather than the inherent mechanics of the physical zoom lens. For more details, see optical zoom. ; 52mm threads for optional filters and lenses; an extra-large aperture of F=2.0-2.5; lightning fast download speeds (12 mbs/second) via its USB port; video-output in NTSC (National TV Standards Committee) The committee that developed the television standards for the U.S, which are also used in Canada, Japan, South Korea and several Central and South American countries. Both the committee and the standard are called "NTSC. and PAL formats; 1.8-inch LCD with illuminator illuminator (light box), n a source of light with uniform intensity for viewing radiographs. illuminator the source of light for viewing an object. ; built-in speaker/microphone; plus an exciting and fun AVI movie function that records up to two minutes of video (15fps) with audio. For added versatility, the camera lets the user select an audio-only function to record up to one hour of audio on a 16MB SmartMedia card. To further improve performance, the PDR-M70 employs a custom-designed gate array with Toshiba's advanced "PictOP' circuit and "Double Noise Reduction" circuit to enable 20 times better AE accuracy and far superior noise-free picture quality. Styled after traditional point-and-click cameras, the PDR-M70 has an easy-to-navigate graphic user interface See GUI. that enables everyone from professional photographers to "digicam See digital camera. " rookies to be pointing, clicking and downloading images in minutes. The camera ships with a 16MB SmartMedia(TM) Card. Image capacity of the card is 13 images at high resolution, or up to as many as 165 for web usage. AVI Movie Function With Audio In addition to being a powerful digital still camera, the PDR-M70 has the capability to record AVI video with audio onto a SmartMedia(TM) card. Movies can be viewed on the LCD screen with audio provided by the built-in speaker, or downloaded to a computer to share with friends. These videos are excellent for e-mail attachments, documentation, demonstrations or web pages. When the camera's movie mode is set for the best resolution ("Full Fine") and the size is 320x240 at 15 frames-per-second, the shooting time is 30 seconds. If set at the lower "Half Basic" resolution/jpeg compression, the size is 160x120 at 15 frames per second and the shooting time is 120 seconds. Versatile Performer According to Doug Freck, Vice President & General Manager, Toshiba Imaging System, the PDR-M70 is well suited for those who demand uncompromising quality in digital images for business or personal use: "Professionals in real estate, law enforcement, insurance and graphic design will find the PDR-M70 to be a highly effective communications and documentation tool, whether it is employed as a digital still camera or for the production of short video clips with audio." "By combining increased resolution with ultra-fast USB downloading, the PDR-M70 makes it easy to incorporate digital imaging into marketing materials, web sites, presentations, sales proposals, business reports, and e-mail. Of course, it is also the perfect digital camera for capturing and sharing special moments with friends and family," Freck notes. Built for Speed Unlike other three-megapixel cameras, the PDR-M70 does not sacrifice processing speed for higher resolution. Equipped with a 24MB D-Ram buffer for accelerated performance, it boasts one of the industry's quickest "off-to-on" boots for an optical zoom camera (under three seconds), along with outstanding recycle times between shots (about 1.0 seconds). Playback time is approximately one second. In burst mode, the camera performs high-speed continuous shooting at a rate of 1.4 frames per second. Plus, in the Multi Shot mode it is possible for the PDR-M70 to capture up to thirty-six 320 x 218 fast action shots in only 2.3 seconds (10 320x218 images/second). Photos and video clips are quickly downloaded from the postage-stamp size SmartMedia(TM) card via the included USB connection cable at a rate of 12mbs per second, or about one high-resolution image every three seconds. Photos are saved as industry standard JPEG files allowing instant viewing in image-editing software or browsers. Optional FlashPath floppy disk adapters and PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, San Jose, CA, www.pcmcia.org) An international standards body and trade association that was founded in 1989 to establish a standard for connecting peripherals to portable computers. PCMCIA created the PC Card. See PC Card. adapter cards can also be used to readily download SmartMedia cards. SmartMedia cards are currently available in 8, 16, 32 and 64MB sizes. More Control, More Creativity The PDR-M70 offers advanced photographic controls, including two levels of recording images: 2048 x 1536 and 1280 x 768 in user-selectable fine, normal and basic compression modes. Shutter speeds can be set from 1/2 second to 1/1000 of second, while the camera's six-mode flash system (automatic, on, off, red-eye reduction, forced-fill flash, slow synchro syn·chro n. pl. syn·chros A selsyn. [Short for synchronous.] Noun 1. ) is easily adjusted to any lighting condition up to 13-feet (4 meters) from the subject, extending the camera's effectiveness to a wide range of lighting conditions. With the use of an optional filter/lens ring adapter, commercially available 52mm optical filters or lens can be attached to this camera. The PDR-M70 comes bundled with multi-platform CD software from Sierra Imaging for accessing, managing and enhancing digital photos. Also included is a rechargeable lithium battery with extended power capacity; a USB cable (Mac/PC); audio/video-out cable; neck strap; soft case; and a 16MB SmartMedia Card. For information, U.S. customers call 1-800-288-1354. Fax, 1-800-640-8674. Or visit Toshiba on the Web at http://www.toshiba.com. Headquartered in Irvine, California, Toshiba Imaging Systems is a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., and part of the $48 billion Toshiba Corporation, a global leader in high technology products with 307 major consolidated subsidiaries worldwide. EDITOR NOTE: SmartMedia(TM) is a registered trademark of Toshiba Corporation. |
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