Samsung SC-HMX20 Camcorder Review

Around back, behind a hard plastic port cover is a mini microphone jack. This is great for handheld mics, but there's no accessory shoe on the camcorder to provide a home for a shotgun or other type of on-camera mic. Fortunately, you wouldn't have too much trouble finding brackets that attach to the tripod mount for just such an occasion, but it feels like Samsung only put in half the work on this feature. There are also no mic level controls to adjust volume, and no headphone jack either.

Playback (6.75)
In order to play clips on the SC-HMX20, either press the Playback button located in the bottom left corner of the LCD touch screen or shift into Playback mode by pressing the Mode button. In Playback mode, icons appear in a tabbed menu, each representing the clips or still images that you've recorded. Clips are sorted into three groups: high definition video, standard definition video, and still images. Tap on an icon to play that clip within the entirety of the LCD screen. Playback controls are accessed by tapping anywhere on the playback screen. A series of buttons appears: Volume, Previous Clip, Next Clip, Rewind, Play/Pause, and Fast Forward.

As in video and still mode, there are two menus: the Q. Menu and the Administrative, or Main, menu. (Read more about the menu layout and touch screen interface in the Menu section.) The basic "greatest hits" menu is accessed by pressing the Q. Menu button located on the LCD panel. It includes the following options:

The Administrative menu is accessed by pressing the Menu button, a touch screen button located in the lower right hand corner on the screen. It has the same two tabs as seen in the main menu of video mode, but offers slightly different options:

Connectivity (8.0)
The Samsung SC-HMX20 has some ports on the body, as well as some on a docking station. On the camcorder itself, you'll find mini-USB 2.0 and Component / composite-AV / S-video jacks in the LCD cavity under a sliding port cover. The placement of these is good, as you'll rarely use them while actively recording, so who cares if they get in the way of the LCD? The rest of the ports are on the back. A large swinging hatch covers the battery and SD/SDHC card port. Underneath that is a cheap but aesthetically pleasing port cover that masks a DC-in port. To the right is a near-invisible port cover, underneath which you'll find a mini microphone jack. All the port covers on the back feel in imminent danger of tearing off with the slightest bump, so be careful.

Clockwise starting above: 1) DC-power on the back 2) Microphone-in on the back 3) USB and Component / composite-AV / S-video in the LCD cavity

On the docking station, all the ports are laid out in a row. You'll find a DC-in, mini-USB 2.0, Component / composite-AV / S-video, and HDMI. When the camcorder is plugged into the dock, it sits at a weird angle that we suppose is meant to elicit "coolness." Unfortunately, it means that the hand strap drapes across the ports, blocking access. It's a small annoyance.

The Samsung SC-HMX20 siting in docking station.	Ports on docking station: DC-power, USB, Component / composite-AV / S-Video, and HDMI