Sanyo VPC-HD1 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Apr 5, 2006 12:00 PM
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Audio (6.0)
The Sanyo Xacti HD1 has two audio recording options: the in-camera microphone or an external microphone that can be attached via the Mic-In port on the right side of the flash housing. The in-camera stereo microphone has an interesting placement on the exterior face of the OLED. While this solves the problem of placing a mic on a camcorder with a front face grip, it prodces a few problems of its own.
The first problem is that the field of audio recording will vary depending on the angle of the OLED. If the user is viewing the OLED from the front of the camcorder, the recording will be composed of audio produced from the rear. In a less extreme, though no less detrimental, example, the microphone can be positioned to face downward whenever the OLED is facing upward.
In addition, problems are bound to arise whenever the OLED is touched. The monitor is a device that, when shooting quickly, will need constant adjustment to adapt to a number of shooting demands. While this is certainly not an issue with camcorders that position the microphones on the front or top of the camcorder, the Sanyo Xacti HD1's mic placement means that the microphone almost certainly will be touched, bumped, or rubbed in the process.
The inclusion of an external microphone port on the right side of the camcorder is great for users who want to overcome the in-camcorder mic problems discussed above. The mic-in jack is located under a rubber cover on the right side of the flash housing and, although the placement won’t block or obscure controls, ports, or other features, it would be nice if this camcorder had some sort of attachment so that users could really capitalize on the small design. The external microphone recording levels can be adjusted through a sub-menu located within the shooting menu.
The Sanyo HD1 records audio files in the MPEG-4 format. While this uses much of the same structure as the MPEG-2 format, it provides better audio quality when compared to MP3 formats and has larger file sizes while being recorded at the same bit rate.
VCR Mode (5.0)
VCR mode for the Sanyo Xacti HD1 has an in-camcorder playback mode that allows users to edit video files, rotate still images, resize still images, and view images in both multi-up and single image displays. The files can be viewed in both 1x playback as well as being scanned in both rewind and fast forward at rates of 2x, 5x, and 10x.
The joystick controls allow a number of controls to be engaged when the user views single files. Users will be able engage playback by pressing inward, erase video files via the up arrow, skip to the next clip by presing right, and view the previous clip by moving the joystick left. Once the video file begins to play, the control structure for the joystick changes slightly: the up arrow controls no playback feature, while the left arrow rewinds, the right arrow fast forwards, the down arrow stops, and the set button pauses the file. With both playback control structures, the accidental engagement of the wrong feature is a constant problem; in the first menu, it's easy to unintentionally erase files.
It is possible to edit video files in the camcorder. While these cuts are very basic and rudimentary, they provide users with some options without making them enter a PC's external editing system. When viewing footage, the user can pause the video at appropriate editing points and press the menu button, enter the second tier of the playback menu, and accessing the edit video sub-menu. This menu will allow users to select, join, or delete the first or second parts of files. The length of downtime during processing is hardly acceptable, even though it can definitely be shortened by not saving the original file in addition to the new edited clip. Playback zoom for still images has a maximum level of 113% to 4050% which translates quite nicely, for the most part, into indecipherable pixels. The user will be able to press the shutter button at all digital playback levels to record additional still image files.
The playback menu for the Sanyo Xacti has the following control options available in the first menu structure: playback method, multi up, playback volume, protect, and erase. In the second menu structure, these additional options are provided: rotate (for still), resize (for still), extract still (for video), edit video, print setting, and smooth playback.
The microphone port (left), docking station ports and SD card slot (right).
Cable adapter, which has DC power and USB/AV ports
Ports (6.0)
The ports located on the actual body of the Sanyo Xacti HD1 are limited to a mic-in port on the right side of the camcorder and an SD card slot on the back. The mic-in port is well positioned on the flash housing and won’t compromise the functionality of the buttons on the HD1. The SD card slot on the back of the camcorder has a cover that is composed of the same plastic composite as the camcorder casing and opens via tab located on its left edge. A third connecting point is the docking station terminal located on the HD1's base.
The docking station is an included disc of plastic that allows the camcorder to stand up and provides users with a number of ports that would otherwise not fit on the small frame of the Sanyo Xacti HD1: the AC adapter, USB to S video/AV interface cable, dedicated USB connection, and dedicated component cable. A smaller and more portable plastic cable adapter can also plug into the docking station terminal, allowing connection to DC IN or USB/AV ports. While these external features are partially responsible for the minimal body size and port ease of use for the Xacti HD1, they also can easily be lost or misplaced due to their small size, especially in the case of the petite cable adapter.
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