Hitachi is leading the high definition (HD) revolution at GITEX Technology Week, by showcasing an impressive range of HD-ready products including what it claims is the world's first range of Blu-ray DVD-recordable camcorders.

"We were the first manufacturer in the world to develop a camcorder with a built-in hard disk drive (HDD)," claims Rohit Lohia, marketing executive at Hitachi Gulf.

"At last year's show we introduced a camcorder equipped with a DVD burner and a HDD with a storage capacity of 8GB. This year, we are showing the latest iteration of that model with an upgraded HDD boasting a capacity of 30GB.

"We are also showcasing two types of Blu-ray camcorders at this year's show: the DZ-BD70, which records direct to Blu-ray DVD and the DZ-BD7H, which in addition to a Blu-ray burner, boasts the added benefit of a built-in large-capacity HDD."

Lohia is confident that the new Blu-ray camcorders will prove popular in the Middle East, despite the fact that rewritable Blu-ray DVD discs are significantly more expensive than their standard DVD counterparts."We appreciate that Blu-ray discs will initially prove expensive, but Middle East consumers place a high value on quality," says Lohia.

"By showcasing these camcorders at GITEX, we expect to be able to measure the kind of broad interest these products are likely to attract in the market," he adds.

Hitachi is also showcasing its full range of HD plasma screens at this week's show.

"Visitors should come down to our stand to check out our new range of full-HD plasma screen displays, which boast 1080 x 1920 resolution," says Lohia. "The displays are available in 42- 50- and 60-inch screen configurations."

Following the success of its ‘Spin the Wheel' competition at last year's show, Hitachi is also offering visitors to its stand the chance to enter the draw to win one of 10 Hitachi plasma screens.