Sony DCR-DVD910 Handycam Camcorder Reviewby Michael PerlmanPublished on Jul 1, 2008 3:08 PM
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Audio (5.0)
This year, all Sony camcorders have Zoom Mic capability, which is now becoming a standard in the industry. With Zoom functionality, subjects that are in the distance will be picked up gradually as the camcorder zooms in. The DCR-DVD910's 5.1 Channel Dolby Digital microphone is mounted to the top of the camcorder, which is a disadvantageous placement. Your grip hand will most likely overshoot the top of the camcorder, hindering audio recording. Fortunately, the DCR-DVD910 has a hot shoe (Sony's proprietary Active Interface Shoe). There are a handful of aftermarket Sony mics that are compatible with the DCR-DVD910, which will prove to record better sound than the onboard mic. On the downside, Sony does not tack a Mic jack on the DCR-DVD910, which should be essential on their top standard definition DVD model.
You can set audio recording to either 5.2-Channel Surround or 2-Channel Stereo recording, but the quality of the onboard mic will make it difficult to discern between the two modes. Sound can be recorded at two levels, Normal and Low. When audio recording is set to Low, the DCR-DVD910 is more sensitive. The Normal setting utilizes a built-in decibel restraint to keep pops and hisses to a minimum. Low is free to record at any level. Low is best for controlled environments, such as stationary interviews while Normal will fit atmospheres rich with unpredictable sound, like a parade.
Playback (6.5)
Thanks to Sony's simple Home menu structure, reviewing record video clips and stills is a snap. In order to access Playback, press either the Playback button located above the LCD cavity or the Playback button in the bottom left hand corner of the LCD screen. A screen will appear with two tabs at the bottom, representing Video and Photo. Icons that represent individual video clips and still images are located above the tabs in an index format. You can scroll through the icons using the arrows to the left. In order to access a clip or still, press the icon and the clip or still will play/fill the LCD screen.
Playback controls as they appear onscreen
In Video Playback, a row of Playback controls is located along the bottom of the screen: Previous Clip, Next Clip, Stop, Rewind, Play/Pause, Fast Forward, and Function. Fast Forward and Rewind have four different speeds and pressing Stop brings returns you to the Index page. Still images can be reviewed in a slide show format in Playback.
The Video Playback Function menu consists of the following options:| Video Playback Menu |
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| Visual Index 1 |
Add, Add By Date |
| Visual Index 2 | Delete, Delete By Date, Delete All |
| Visual Index 3 | Divide |
One of the coolest new features this year, if not necessarily the most useful, is the Face Index sorting tool. This uses the face recognition to sort and gather all clips with certain faces in it. Our testing showed that it was pretty reliable.
The DCR-DVD910 also has a Film Index feature that lets you search for clips based on the date they were recorded. This is useful for camcorders with ample amounts of storage capacity, like some of Sony's high capacity HDD cams (HDR-SR12). On the DCR-DVD910, it's not particularly are useful unless you record a plethora of short clips or use a 16GB MemoryStick PRO Duo.
Connectivity (5.0)
The DCR-DVD910 is does not excel in connectivity, but it offers a small collection of ports. You won't find a Mic or Headphone jack, which are essential for advanced shooters. Sony's top tier standard definition DVD camcorder should offer more, but as far as connectivity goes, the DCR-DVD910 falls short.
The LCD cavity harbors the USB terminal and MemoryStick PRO Duo slot. The USB terminal is secured by a thin plastic tab that swings down to open. To Sony's credit, they really know how to design their ports in a way that they blend in with the architecture of the camcorder. The MemoryStick slot is a bit precarious because the card has a tendency to slide quickly when releasing it. As a result, your precious proprietary media can go flying across the soccer field, and nobody wants that.
Lastly, the DCR-DVD910 has a proprietary hot shoe (Active Interface Shoe), but it only accepts Sony mics. There are converters on the market for third-party mics, but they only covert for size (they cannot power the device), and without a mic jack, a converter would be useless.
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| The DC power and AV-out on the back of the DCR-DVD910 |
The USB out, located in the LCD cavity. |
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