Sony DCR-DVD505 Camcorder Review by David Kender Published on Mar 17, 2006 10:00 AM

One of the major selling points for the Sony DCR-DVD505 (Review, Specs, $664) has been the 5.1 channel surround sound audio recording. While it is true that recorded audio is output to 5 channels and one subwoofer when played back on appropriate surround sound units, this doesn't mean that shooting with this camcorder is going to produce the intense surround sound experience of Hollywood movies. While Dolby has officially analyzed the camcorder and said it is true 5.1, we don't think you're going to get a very rich sound experience from it.

The microphones are placed on the top of the camcorder and are positioned so that they will pick up front left, front right, rear left, and rear right. But let's take a minute to really examine whether this camcorder is recording 5.1 surround sound that is actually composed of 5 channels of distinctly different audio without additional microphones. Firstly, there are physically only four internal microphones (not five) whose channels are then mixed using a Dolby Digital conversion system that outputs captured audio to a 5.1 channel setup. If played back on a surround sound system, there will be audio playing through all five channels, but the difference between front left and rear right is going to be slim to none.

This leads to the second reason you're not going to get 5.1 like what you experience in the theaters: the proximity of the four internal microphones to one another. Physically the microphones are all positioned inside of a square inch of each other. Even if the pickup paths of each microphone are drastically angled away from one another the actual audio signal is going to vary only slightly when recording. In fact as we tested this camcorder, it seemed the only times real audio distinction occurred between audio channels was when controls like the zoom toggle were quickly released, which caused a peak in the right rear microphone.

The allure and "unique" nature of this feature becomes even more dubious if users consider that many DVD players with surround sound capabilities also have a little feature which mixes two channel (stereo) recordings into 5.1 channels. The only real benefit to this four channel system is perhaps that inconsistencies and glitches in one channel will be better masked by the presence of three corrective channels. If you're buying this camcorder thinking that suddenly your DVD recordings are going to come to life with the roar of Jurassic Park, think again. If you want to play back four channels of predominantly identical audio on a 5.1 surround system that doesn't have a 5.1 conversion system for stereo recordings, then well, this is the camcorder for you.

Although the in-camcorder microphone performance failed to impress, the inclusion of the Active Interface hot shoe does provide some interesting additional audio options to help out where the internal microphones perhaps fall short. The hot shoe can accept only Sony proprietary audio equipment, which is unfortunate since this does limit the customization. The Sony DCR-DVD505 can currently accept three different types of microphones via the Active Interface shoe: a shotgun microphone, a four channel "surround sound" microphone and a high-fidelity microphone. These microphones vary in price from $69.99 to $149.99 on the Sony website. They are definitely good ideas for video makers who are more serious about audio recording quality; these mounted external microphones are less likely to pick up handling noise caused by control navigation, shifting hands and internal mechanisms. Sony also sells a wireless microphone option that can connect to this hot shoe, although this option is not available in all countries.

In terms of control and monitoring, the Sony DCR-DVD505 does provide some interesting options for its users. The surround monitor feature is located within the P-menu and when selected allows users to visually monitor the audio levels of the final 5.1 channel output. This screen blocks access to all other LCD features and must be exited to re-enter into other displays. Also included with this monitoring feature is a control for microphone levels. The micref level feature offers recording levels of normal or low. The low setting is intended recording of surround sound, although it won't be able to handle situations like conversations. The low setting was slightly more successful with recording differences in directional audio recording; however, it still wasn't quite living up to the hype of Sony.

We should note that we didn't listen to the DVD505 on a 5.1 Surround Sound system. The way we came to these conclusions on the quality of the 5.1 performance was that we used the audio monitor on the DVD505 to look at the pickup pattern for the microphone. When we tested that we didn't see any difference between the pickup of different sounds at unique places in a testing room. We are working on a method for testing the audio properly to paint a better picture of the audio pickup of the DVD505.

Sony ECM-HM1 Bluetooth Microphone
And now for something completely different. To draw out our audio studies a little bit further, we got a hold of the Sony ECM-HW1 Bluetooth microphone. This is an accessory, we should note, and does not come included with the DVD505.

The ECM-HW1 Bluetooth wireless microphone is an accessory external microphone that connects a Bluetooth receiver to the Sony DCR-DVD505 via the Active Interface shoe on the top of the camcorder. While the receiver connects to the camcorder the wireless mic can be attached to lapel, lanyard, or armband. Regardless of how you attach it, this microphone is anything but subtle - 1 3/8 inches by 2 5/8 inches by 29/32 inches with a prominent blinking blue light which should make this hunk of plastic visible in even the lowest lighting. Even the construction of the transmitter is questionable, with the seams opening slightly when inserting and removing the AAA batteries that were not included in the purchase of this $199 accessory.

The ECM-HW1 Bluetooth wireless microphone can weigh heavily on a shirt.

The ECM-HW1 can be used as a mono mic or as the center channel of a 5 channel set-up. In the latter scenario, the center front channel becomes the most prominent channel in terms of audio levels and presence, and you’ll find yourself struggling to create a balanced mix.

According to specs, the mic has a range of 100 feet in a straight line. On paper, this sounds great, but in actuality, the signal translates to less than 30 feet of a moving subject. When they say “straight line” they mean straight and uninterrupted. If anything so much as a hand gets in the way of the mic, the signal cuts out. On the plus side, it continued receiving a clear signal up to about 150 uninterrupted feet.

It can also be worn inconspicuously around the neck.

So what does this mic do for the Dolby 5.1 channel surround sound? The only chance users have of even approximating a surround sound recording with this camcorder is by using an external microphone. The major benefit to this overly expensive accessory is that it can physically separate itself from the other four in-camera mics. This will result in an front center channel distinctly different from four largely identical audio channels. Of course, if Sony had a universal-fit accessory show rather than a proprietary fit, you could easily pick up a wireless lavalier mic and receiver at half the price and a fraction of the size.

Finally, a wireless mic small enough to fit around an arm.

VCR Mode (9.0)
To review both still images and video footage, either the play/edit button on the left side of the camcorder or the power switch on the back has to be activated. Once in playback mode, both video and still images can be viewed as single frames or six or twelve image multi-up thumbnail displays. These thumbnail pages can be scanned via the up and down arrows on the left side of the LCD screen. Toggling between six or twelve image viewing is accomplished through the zoom lever. When viewing images in the multi-up arrangement it is also possible to move between video clips, still images on DVD, and still images on MemoryStick by pressing the appropriate tab on the bottom of the LCD screen. Actual selection of an image must be done by pressing the thumbnail image on the LCD. Once single images or video clips are displayed the user can engage up to 5x digital playback zoom. The standard rewind, fast forward, play/pause and stop controls are listed on the bottom of the LCD screen.

Actually editing video footage or still images in-camcorder is a bit hairy. Users should consider whether in-camcorder editing is important since it will be necessary to choose either video or VR format options when beginning to shoot. The VR format allows in-camcorder editing of video clips, although this format cannot be played back on non-VR devices. The regular video format can play back on various DVD devices but will not permit in-camcorder editing. If footage is recorded in VR mode, upon entering the multi-up window the user will find an EDIT tab that can be pressed on the LCD. This allows the selected clip to be played back with a time elapsed bar directly above the standard VCR control buttons on the bottom of the LCD. When the proper moment has been reached the play/pause button can be pressed, followed by the OK button. This action will separate the video clip into two separate files. In addition to this feature, the Edit control can also add files to a playlist as well as delete single or all files.

Ports (5.5)
The ports for the Sony DCR-DVD505 are all located on the left side of the camcorder body. Beneath the LCD screen on the camcorder body, along the bottom edge, is a port cover which masks three ports. The hard plastic port cover is easily opened with tabs located along its top and bottom edge, and is attached to the body of the camcorder via the cover’s back edge. The hinge connecting cover to camcorder seems suspiciously weak and could snap easily with rough handling over time. The ports located beneath the cover allow are a LANC remote jack, a composite A/V / S-video in/out, and a DC in jack. These ports are well spaced for comfortable access and the close proximity to the LCD didn’t seem to create any real problems in opening the port cover or accessing the ports. If the LCD screen is opened, a fourth port will be discovered in the center of the camcorder body, directly beneath the playback speaker. This is the connection for Hi-speed USB 2.0.