Pro large sensor, interchangeable lens Sony NEX-EA50 shoulder mount camcorder now costs less than a Handycam!

You can now pick up a sale-priced Sony NEX-EA50UH professional APS-C interchangeable lens camcorder with a shoulder mount, a 18-200mm power zoom lens and XLR mic inputs for $2299 - less than the cost of the NEX-VG30 Handycam with the same lens and a 3.5mm consumer mic input.

These cameras may be limited to 1080p 4:2:0 recording in a 4K 4:2:2 world - but NEX-EA50 shooters such as Henry D.C. Williams nevertheless continue to produce some very good work:






If you're an NEX shooter who wants to upgrade to a professional large sensor camcorder, but who doesn't need 4K, this deal may be for you.

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Price breakthrough - 50" Vizio 4K TV with 240Hz refresh rate for less than $1000

This is a big deal - for both producers and consumers of Ultra High Definition content. US-based Vizio is the first of the major manufacturers to break the $1000 barrier with a 50" 4K TV.

They are also the first to deliver a 240Hz refresh rate at this price point - which will reduce or eliminate blur and artifacts.  It is also 802.11ac and H.265 ready for ultra fast, high quality streaming.

Interestingly, this TV does not have 3D capability.  Vizio seems to have made a conscious decision to ditch 3D in favor of higher resolution.   Good riddance, I say.

Announced at CES in January, this milestone TV is now available for pre-order at Amazon.

As with 1080p a few years ago, screen prices will have to continue to come down for more UHD "4K" content providers to come on board - creating a virtuous cycle and driving screen prices down even further.

In this interview on the Verge, Vizio CTO Matt McRae says "One of the things we like to do is drive transitions faster...use disruptive technology to get people technology they thought they couldn't afford..."

Their stated goal is to "get people to transition to an Ultra Hi Def living room quickly".  Specifically, they want to compress the HD to 4K transition from 3-4 years down to 1-2 years.

With YouTube's rollout of 4K delivery in December 2013, Netflix's delivery of House of Cards and Breaking Bad in 4K - and the Weather Channel's recent announcement of conversion to '4K in 4 years', it looks like the Ultra High Definition era is well and truly on its way.