Electronics maker JVC on Tuesday announced it will launch the largest hard drive based video camcorders available, which require no tapes and will record at near-DVD quality for around $1,000. The models will include either a 20 or 30GB hard-disk, capable of recording 7 or 10.5 hours of high-quality video.

"To put the storage capacity in context, it would take 22 DVD camcorder discs to hold seven hours of video," the company said in a statement. There will be two models of each capacity, a standard model, and another that adds a 1.33 megapixel CCD.

The camcorders are lightweight and roughly the same size as standard mini DV cameras. Like most modern camcorders, the units will include a flip out LCD monitor for easier viewing. To transfer the movies taken from a camera, a user will be able to connect the camera to a PC or Mac, or directly connect it to a DVD-burner to record movies straight to disc.

The movies will be recorded in MPEG-2, which JVC says saves time over competing models, as there is no conversion needed. MPEG-2 is the format used for DVD video and audio.

JVC says that hard drive based recording offers benefits over traditional tape, such as easier location of recorded video and the ability to rearrange playback on the fly for dubbing purposes. Also, there is no risk of accidental erasing of video as each new recording is saved to a new file.

The hard drive camcorders are expected to hit retail shelves this August.