JVC GZ-MG130 Camcorder Reviewby John NeelyPublished on May 4, 2007 12:00 PM
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Audio (3.0)
The MG130 (Review, Specs, $467.95) is equipped with a small built-in 2 channel Dolby Digital budget microphone that records 48kHz sound at 384 kbps in ultra fine and fine modes, 48kHz at 256 kbps in normal mode, and 48kHz at 128 kbps in economy mode. You’re going to want to record in ultra fine mode, seeing as how the sound quality of the MG130 is not even close to par. Luckily, the MG130 has no moving parts like a tape or DVD hatch, so in-camera sound is kept to a minimum. There is a wind cut feature that supposedly protects the sound from the harsh elements, but you won’t notice a huge difference in sound quality.
Playback (2.25)
Playing back footage on the MG130 is not very different from most HDD camcorders. By pressing the select/play/record button located in the LCD cavity, a menu of up to 12 thumbnails representing individual video clips is displayed. You can scroll through the thumbnails using the joystick and select a clip by pressing the center of the joystick. During playback, you can control the audio with the zoom toggle, which is an added bonus, compared to Sony’s labyrinth of touch screen menu selections. However, there is no playback control indication located in, around, or on the joystick. Therefore, you have to memorize the actions: left and right control the rewind and fast forward speeds, up starts the clip over, down selects the next clip, and center controls pause. The bummer is that you can only select the next clip, but not the previous one, requiring you to restart the menu and access the desired clip. The video mode function menu consists of: delete, protect, edited copy, change event reg. (for changing the registration of a file), effect, wipe/fader, playback playlist, edit playlist, playback MPG file, and playback normal file.
Playing back stills is a bit easier, as up and down rotate the image vertically and horizontally while left and right allow you to scroll forwards and backwards between images. The function menu here includes delete, protect, copy, move, DPOF (print setting), and effects.
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| Thumbnails for Video Playback | ...and Still Playback |
Connectivity (5.0)
Ports are limited on the MG130, and they appear to be covered by thin plastic leftovers from the production floor. The USB terminal located in the front of the camcorder next to the built-in microphone is equipped with one of the cheapest port covers we’ve ever seen. You can pull it off the body just by breathing on it, so go easy on the tugging. The AV jack and DC connection in the back of the camcorder are housed by a similarly feeble cover with the same frail strip connecting it to the body. Weak. The DC jack is rectangular with a small tab at the top, which is more secure than most conventional round jacks. Finally, the SD card slot is located underneath the camcorder, forcing you to remove the MG130 from a tripod in order to swap cards. The SD card slot, however, is protected by a rubberized, hinged door that is much heftier than the aforementioned port covers.
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The AV and DC ports (left) are located on the back. |
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