Panasonic PV-GS19 Camcorder Review by David Kender Published on Jul 21, 2005 10:00 AM

Widescreen/16:9 Mode(5.0)
The PV-GS19 (Review, Specs, $244.74) offers a “Cinema Mode,” which is, unfortunately, not a true widescreen. It simply adds letterbox bars to the top and bottom of the frame, suggesting a widescreen look. True 16:9 widescreen actually captures a wider image than the standard 4:3 aspect ratio.

Standard Aspect Ratio

Widescreen Aspect Ratio

Scan Rates/24P (0.0)
The PV-GS19 records in its native 60i rate, and does not include any other frame rates.

Other Features (7.0)
MagicPix-- This feature allows you to record better colors in low light than you would get in normal video mode. It works surprisingly well for still or slow-moving subjects, but anything that moves too quickly will blur past recognition.

Backlight-- The Backlight (Compensation Function) prevents the subject from appearing too dark in the presence of a strong backlight. It does this by brightening the entire image. Our informal test of this function proved it to be of limited quality.

Quick Start-- Once the power is turned on (in video or still mode), pushing the Quick Start button will have the PV-GS19 in standby mode within 1.3 seconds. This function is only operational when a MiniDV or SD card is inserted.

Fade In / Fade Out-- When this feature is on, the video will automatically fade the video and audio in when the record button is pushed, and fade it out when pushed again.

Web Camera-- When the PV-GS19 is connected to the computer via the USB, and when the proper drivers are installed, the camcorder can act as a webcam.

Wind Cut-- This feature reduces wind noise in the audio track.

Soft Skin Mode-- This feature, which never seems to work as advertised, supposedly softens skin tones, establishing a brave new world of digitized beautification.