Sony Announces DCR-DVD301 with 3.5 in. LCD by News Edtor Published on Aug 10, 2004 8:00 AM

Today, Sony announced a third model in their popular DVD camcorder line, the DCR-DVD301. The new camcorder features identical specifications to the DCR-DVD201, but includes a larger 3.5-inch LCD screen. With a price tag of US$1,100, the new camcorder carries a $100 increase in price from the DCR-DVD201.

The DCR-DVD301 completes the second generation of Sony's DVD recording camcorders. The DCR-DVD301 features a 1/5-inch, 1,070K gross pixel CCD that has 690K effective pixels for video. The DCR-DVD301 includes a 10x optical zoom and Sony's Super NightShot Plus Infrared system. The specifications are identical to those of Sony's DCR-DVD201, with the exception of a 3.5-inch LCD screen and the placement of the start/stop recording button on the LCD.

"We are very pleased with the success of our 2004 DVDHandycam camcorders -- the DVD101 (Review, Specs, $469) and the DVD201. Building upon that success, we decided to introduce the DCR-DVD301 with its 3.5-inch screen. The bigger screen continues to be a very sought-after after feature in the U.S.market. People seem to really enjoy the larger display for both recording and for playback," said Linda Vuolo, Director of Sony's US Camcorder Division.

The most distinct upgrade offered on Sony’s DCR-DVD301 is the 3.5- inch LCD screen (as opposed to the 2.5-inch display screen that's featured on the DCR-DVD201, the former winner of the most-expensive-DVD-camcorder-on-the-market award). The other upgrade is a start/stop button on the LCD. The Sony DCR-DVD301 does not include a bigger CCD, nor was Memory Stick media added as an upgrade from the DCR-DVD201.

Sony has long been the "outsider" of the DVD camcorder market, entering two years after Panasonic and Hitachi. Sony’s camcorders record to DVD-R/RW, instead of the DVD-R/RAM formats used by Hitachi and Panasonic. Sony’s DVD camcorders also lack SD card recordability, a luxury which Panasonic and Hitachi camcorders dutifully afford their users.

It is generally accepted that any differences in recording quality are pretty subtle, and therefore not big points of importance for those in the point-and-shoot crowd who buy DVD camcorders for their convenience. However, the solid truths are these: DVD-RWs can be recorded more than once, as can DVD-RAMs; DVD-RW can be played in conventional DVD players, while DVD-RAMs cannot; and DVD-RAMs operate similar to hard disks, so data is easily and quickly transferred and previewed, while data on DVD-RWs are not.

These differences have allowed Sony to claim ultimate convenience for their camcorders, as the DVD-RW formats offer immediate playback in conventional DVD players, after on-camcorder finalization. Hitachi’s and Panasonic’s camcorders, on the other hand, use the DVD-RAM format, and the images must be transferred to either a computer or a DVD recorder for their data to be burned onto full-size DVDs.

Panasonic's DVD-RAM discs, however, can be played directly on special DVD-RAM compatible DVD players, made by Panasonic. Hitachi and Panasonic DVD camcorders, nearly identical in scope and scale, offer better on-camera navigation than Sony camcorders do. Each of these brands can also record to DVD-R, which is capable of direct playback on conventional DVD players; however, such discs can only be recorded once, and are rather expensive. All DVD camcorders on the market now offer elementary software for on computer editing capability, and it is generally true that, on the computer, the DVD-RAM format offers slightly better ease-of-use in that it acts like a hard disk initially.

Hitachi and Panasonic also have another advantage in the DVD camcorder department: in CamcorderInfo.com's past tests, their video performance and performance under low light rise far past that of Sony DVD camcorders. This is probably due to larger CCD size on Hitachi and Panasonic machines. (Hitachi’s best model has a 1/3.8 inch CCD, while the DCR-DVD201 and DCR-DVD301 have 1/5 inch imagers.) Sony does have the advantage in effective video pixels: the DCR-DVD201 and DCR-DVD301 have 690K, while the Hitachi and Panasonic’s top models only have 400K.

Hitachi clearly wins the price battle, with Sony's camcorders costing a premium. Hitachi’s top DVD camcorder, the DZ-MV580 (Specs, $549), lists for US$749.99 while the DCR-DVD201 lists for a whopping US$999.99.

The DCR-DVD301 will be available in October for $1,100.