Between a tape and a hard place: JVC GZ-MG30

Your children giggle delightfully in the sand somewhere just out of sight behind a dune. A few hours of lazy sunbathing later, you hear a shrill cry, "Daddy, Daddy, look what I've done!" Clambering over the dune, you discover little Timmy sat in the middle of a perfect sand-sculpture of the ancient Acropolis of Rome.

 "Jesus, Timmy!" you shout. "How did you manage this?" He sits there nonchalantly, examing his nails. You grab your JVC GZ-MG30 camcorder and capture the moment straight to hard disk. The future is here: you are recording history.

Light passes through the 25x optical zoom lens and onto the single CCD where it's converted from analogue light frequencies into binary strings magnetically etched to the hard disk platter. There's no pesky tape in the way to get tangled or lost, and you think to yourself: "I am riding the cutting edge of camcorder technology. And getting a tan. Yes!"

The MG30 may not be true widescreen, but it has a widescreen mode for fakers. There's also a remote control for when you don't want to get too close to the action, and some built-in special effects, such as chequer-board transitions, for cheese kings.

As with all current hard disk camcorders, you're committed to using the disappointing proprietary editing software bundled with the camera. Elite hackers may be able to convert the codecs, but for most of us this will remain an irritation. Expect a full review soon. -CS