Samsung SC-DC173 Camcorder Reviewby Michael PerlmanPublished on Aug 23, 2007 4:40 PM 
|
|
Audio (3.0)
If you’ve taken notice of our scrutiny regarding the SC-DC173’s poor entry-level offerings throughout this review, get ready for more. The SC-DC173’s front-mounted stereo microphone features a wind cut function, and that’s it. This is all the audio control you have over the SC-DC173. No mic jack like last year’s SC-DC164 (Review, Specs, $249.95). No headphone jack. No level controls. No hot shoe. Nothing. This is about as point-and-shoot as you can get.
Playback (3.0)
Playing back footage on the SC-DC173 is not rocket science, but you’ll have to take a few steps before you can enjoy your treasured moments. To play back video clips, make sure the disc/card switch is set to “disc.” Then, shift up once on the large mode dial. A screen with up to six icons at a time will appear, representing individual video clips. You can scroll through the clips via the joystick and select a clip by pressing the center of the joystick. When a clip is selected, it begins playing within the entirety of the LCD screen or viewfinder. To pause a clip, press the center of the joystick, and to stop a clip and return to the main icon screen, shift down. Rewind and fast forward are controlled by the left and right positions on the joystick, and you can choose between two speeds. Audio is controlled via the zoom in/out buttons in the LCD panel. The joystick has very small labels indicating which direction is play, which is fast forward, and so on. It’s not easy to read, but miles beyond what JVC offers – no instructions.
While in video Playback mode, the Administrative menu can be accessed by pressing the menu button. This time, a list of four options appears—Memory, Disc Manager, Display, and System. Memory lets you set the photo quality. Disc Manager consists of disc finalize, disc un-finalize, disc format, and disc info settings. Display offers LCD bright, LCD color, date/time, and TV display settings. System is comprised of clock set, beep sound, and language settings.
To play back still images, slide the disc/card button to card. Shift up on the mode dial and a 4:3 aspect screen will appear, consisting of up to six icons representing still images. Two tabs appear at the top—photo and video. To view recorded still images, use the joystick to select and press its center to view an individual image. Use the left and right joystick controls to scroll through pictures, but beware—it takes up to five seconds to shift to the next image. At any point, you can press the multi display button, which will bring you back to the main icon screen. Here, the Administrative menu consists of three options—Memory, Display, and System. Memory is composed of delete, delete all, protect, print mark, and format settings. Display consists of LCD bright, LCD color, date/time, and TV display settings. System offers clock set, beep sound, USB connect, and language settings.
Connectivity (4.0)
Last year’s SC-DC164 featured an intelligent port design, characterized by a convenient vertical strip located in the LCD cavity. The camcorder even included a mic jack mounted to the back. This year, Samsung obliterated that solid idea and opted for randomness and carelessness. Ports on the SC-DC173 are strewn throughout the camcorder’s body in odd, hard-to-reach places. The USB terminal is located underneath the rear hand strap anchor, the DC input is tucked in back, and the SD/MMC card slot is slapped to the bottom of the camcorder. At least all of these ports are secured by rugged plastic enclosures. However, you may be wondering where the AV jack went. Well, it’s mounted to the top of the back next to the viewfinder, uncovered and naked to the world. This is pure silliness, Samsung. Was it that much of a budget threat to toss on just one more port cover?
 |
 |
 |
|
The AV jack |
The USB jack |
The DC power jack |