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Sony's latest DVDirect camcorder-to-DVD recorder creates AVCHD DVDs with 5.1 sound
It's some 60 percent smaller in size, but other than that Sony's new VRD-MC6 DVDirect looks and acts an awful lot like the previous VRD-MC10 and VRD-MC5: it can take 1080i video with 5.1 audio off your Handycam's drive or Memory Stick and shoot out an AVCHD DVD that plays back on compatible Blu-ray drives like the PS3. If you're not into the all-Sony seamless end-to-end HD experience, you can also bring in SD video over FireWire, composite, or USB to churn out regular old DVDs with automatic chaptering and custom menu backgrounds, or you can go totally old-school and just drop in an SD card full of photos and MP3s to generate a slideshow. Yeah, it's not nerd heaven and you won't be editing Oscar-winners here, but at $230 it's a pretty painless way for everyone else to archive and share their videos. Ships in September.
GPS-equipped Sony HDR-XR520V camcorder now available to order
We already knew that Sony's GPS-equipped HDR-XR520V camcorder (and the slightly lower-end HDR-XR500V and HDR-XR200V models) would start shipping in March, but you'd be rightly skeptical if you thought that meant it'd be arriving closer to the end of the month than the beginning. Sony looks to be bucking the usual trend, however, as the camcorder is now in stock at Amazon and selling for the not-so-discounted price of $1,499 (SonyStyle itself, meanwhile, lists the camcorder as shipping on March 8th). It seems like quantities may be a tad limited to start with, however, as Amazon lists only four left in stock as of this writing. A handful of sellers also appear to have the HDR-XR500V and HDR-XR200V available, which each pack 120GB of storage as opposed to the 240GB on the HDR-XR-520V.[Thanks, Dave]
Sony's DCR-DVD850 and DCR-DVD650 DVD Handycams: perfect for the anti-edit crowd
Regardless of your camcorder needs (well, outside of the professionals in attendance), Sony's got you covered. Today at CES, the company is introducing the DCR-DVD850 and DCR-DVD650 DVD Handycams to complement its GPS-packin' HDR line and the perfectly midrange flash-based Handycams. These buggers include Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lenses, a 60x optical zoom, 1/8-inch 680k-pixel CCD imagers and instant recording to three-inch DVDs. Thankfully, there's also the option of capturing to a Memory Stick PRO Duo card, and the DVD850 even adds 16GB of internal storage for the truly indecisive. The pair also features a 2.7-inch LCD touchpanel and Steady Shot image stabilization, and they'll run you $430 and $300 in order of mention when they ship next month.%Gallery-40943%
Video: Sony's $900 HDR-TG1 -- world's smallest 1080i camcorder
We'll go ahead and let those other guys battle it out for the "world's smallest" camcorder title -- meanwhile, Sony's just cranked out the one to really pay attention to. The HDR-TG1 Handycam checks in at just 1.3- x 4.7- x 2.5-inches and weighs ten ounces, all while boasting the ability to capture those oh-so-precious vacation moments and unannounced streaking episodes in 1080p 1080i. Aside from that, it'll snag stills at 4-megapixels and holds everything on MS Pro Duo / Pro Duo Mark2 cards, while the 2.7-inch touchscreen keeps your eyes glued to the action. Furthermore, you'll find a 10x Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar optical zoom lens, BIONZ processing engine, 5.1 Dolby Digital audio recording and a bundled 4GB Pro Duo Mark2 card for $900. Get ready -- this one's comin' at you next month. Video of Japanese model after the break.Update: Will be called the HD TG3E in Europe. %Gallery-19716% [Via AkihabaraNews]
Sony's $900 HDR-TG1: world's smallest 1080i camcorder
We'll go ahead and let those other guys battle it out for the "world's smallest" camcorder title -- meanwhile, Sony's just cranked out the one to really pay attention to. The HDR-TG1 Handycam checks in at just 1.3- x 4.7- x 2.5-inches and weighs ten ounces, all while boasting the ability to capture those oh-so-precious vacation moments and unannounced streaking episodes in 1080p 1080i. Aside from that, it'll snag stills at 4-megapixels and holds everything on MS Pro Duo / Pro Duo Mark2 cards, while the 2.7-inch touchscreen keeps your eyes glued to the action. Furthermore, you'll find a 10x Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar optical zoom lens, BIONZ processing engine, 5.1 Dolby Digital audio recording and a bundled 4GB Pro Duo Mark2 card for $900. Get ready -- this one's comin' at you next month.[Via AkihabaraNews] %Gallery-19717%
Sony offers up hard drive upgrades in camcorder line
While we'd already seen a couple of noticeable offerings from Sony that mysteriously touted larger than usual internal hard drives, it now seems that a bevy of Sony's Handycams are eligible for an upgrade. According to the SonyStyle website, the DCR-SR42 and DCR-SR62 can grab an "A" on the end of its title and double the HDD capacity from 30GB to 60GB for $100. The DCR-SR82 can morph into the DCR-SR82C and go from 60GB to 100GB for just a Benjamin, while the DCR-SR200 and DCR-SR300 can make the same leap in size for $200. So there you have it, nothing revolutionary, but a whole lot more capture time can be yours if you've been holding out on picking one of the smaller models up.[Via CamcorderNews]
Sony announces three new Mini DV Handycams
Along with all those new DVD-based Handycams announced this week, Sony's also seen fit to give its line of Mini DV camcorders a bit of a boost, introducing three new models for those who prefer to keep things tape-based. The top-end of the three is the DCR-HC48, packing a 1 megapixel CCD, 25x optical zoom, a 2.7-inch widescreen LCD, and a Memory Stick slot, although you can't record video directly to a card, just still pics. Moving down the lineup, there's not a whole lot separating Sony's DCR-HC38 and DCR-HC28 from each other, each boasting 680k CCDs, 40x optical zooms, and 2.5-inch LCDs, with the HC38 adding a still image mode and USB streaming capability, among other minor upgrades. Look for all three to hit sometime next month, coming in at $400, $330, and $280 for the HC48, 38, and 28, respectively.
Sony Ericsson rumors aplenty
Member shaliron over at Esato appears to have done some serious homework compiling a list of all known Sony Ericsson handsets in the pipeline, complete with nifty color coding to indicate verified, debunked, and new intelligence. We encourage Sony Ericsson fans and non-fans alike to go check out the real deal, but in the meanwhile, we've put together a Reader's Digest peek here at some of the highlights. First up, the music-oriented Walkman series could be growing by a solid six devices in the coming months, topped off by a successor to the UIQ-based W950 codenamed "Maria," a (possibly UIQ-based) clamshell dubbed W910, and the oft-discussed Ai. The camera-focused (no pun inteded) Cyber-shot series will be enjoying a bumper crop itself: a successor to the K800 is allegedly already in the works, "Sofia," packing a 5 megapixel shooter, UMTS, and QVGA recording, while a possible Handycam-branded M600 variant would obviously reign supreme for its video capabilities. Other highlights include a promise that HSDPA will factor into the company's 2007 plans, a wide-scale migration of the FastPort connector to the sides of the handsets, and a shortening of the span from announcement to release of UIQ-based models (a move we applaud). As we said, there's plenty more juicy tidbits to digest over at Esato -- but even with what we've presented here, it's safe to say Sony Ericsson's shaping up for a killer '07. Any UIQ or 3G love for the US of A, folks?
Sony's new Handycam DCR-SR80, DCR-SR60 and DCR-SR40 hard drive camcorders
Sony's all out assault on the marketplace didn't stop with those wonderful new HD camcorders of theirs, they've also got three new standard definition Handycam units to show off. The DCR-SR80 leads the pack with a 1 megapixel CCD, 60GB drive, 2.7-inch widescreen viewfinder, 12x optical zoom, a hot shoe, and $800 price tag; the DCR-SR60 is essentially the same unit as the SR80, but with a 30GB drive and $700 price; the DCR-SR40 features a 40GB drive, 20x optical, 2.5-inch 4:3 aspect ratio touchscreen viewfinder, and $600 price point. All are due September, during which time we'd roughly estimate they'd vanish from store shelves in short order.
Sony hit with another patent infringement suit
More legal woes for Sony: the computing and consumer electronics giant is being sued by Pennsylvania-based Agere Systems over a number of devices spanning several product categories that, you guessed it, may be infringing upon some eight different Agere patents. Specifically, Agere is claiming that the PSP, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 -- along with several Vaio, Handycam, Walkman, and Location Free TV models -- are in violation of patents covering such varied technologies as a "wireless local area network apparatus" and "barrier layer treatments for tungsten plugs," whatever those are. Furthermore, the integrated circuit component manufacturer believes that Sony "willfully" violated the patents, and is thus seeking damages that could end up being three times what non-willful infringements would warrant. For its part, Sony is putting up a multi-pronged defense: its lawyers are first trying to get a judge to invalidate all of the patents and make the whole mess go away quickly; but if they do turn out to be valid, Sony is claiming that it's in the clear anyway due to cross-licensing deals dating back to 1989 with AT&T and Lucent Technologies (from whom Agere was spun off) that cover seven of the eight patents in question. Our uninformed legal opinion? Without knowing all of the specifics, it's difficult to ascertain who's got the stronger case here, but we can say that Sony's recent track record in fighting infringement accusations hasn't exactly been spotless, so as much as we'd love to cover yet another ugly, drawn-out court battle, maybe a quick settlement is the way to go with this one.[Via PSP Fanboy]
Sony DCR-DVD505 Handycam camcorder
Here are the deets on the Sony DCR-DVD505 DVD Handycam from last night's press preview -- like the DCR-SR100, the DCR-DVD505 records in 5.1 channel Dolby Digital Surround Sound with support for the ECM-HW1, an optional Bluetooth microphone allowing you to record center channel audio wirelessly from up to 100 feet away. It supports DVD-R/RW/ RW formats as well as capturing 4.0 megapixel stills to Memory Stick Duo storage. It's also got dual recording functionality so you can capture 3.0 megapixel stills concurrently while shooting video.