Sony DCR-DVD910 Handycam Camcorder Review

Compression

There are three quality settings on the DCR-DVD910, each of which corresponds to an average bit rate. HQ records at an average 9Mbps, SP at 6Mbps, and LP at 3Mbps. We believe that if you thing something is worth recording, you should shoot in the highest quality

Media (7.0)
The Sony DCR-DVD910 records video to either 8cm DVDs (sometimes called miniDVDs) or to MemoryStick Duo and PRO Duo cards. This versatility is very useful, particularly given the problems associated with the DVD medium. While point-and-shoot consumers love that they can pop a DVD right into their home DVD player, the discs are large and difficult to transport. They don't hold much video, and they're easily scratched if they fall out of their case. Load times for the camcorder using DVD are sluggish. Also, you have to format a disc before you use it the first time and finalize it when you're done and want to play it on another device. There is absolutely nothing convenient about this medium. It's a poor choice, and the sooner it's off the market, the better. There... that's our rant.

Of course, if you want to record to DVD, be our guest. The DCR-DVD910 allows it in the following formats: DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD+R DL.

The MemoryStick Duo/PRO Duo
card slot in the LCD cavity.

The better choice, we believe, is MemoryStick Pro. These tiny memory cards, while more expensive, offer solid state recording that allows for easier transfer to a computer and faster load times on the camcorder.

Editing (6.0)
Editing MPEG-2 video from the Sony DCR-DVD910 is simple, as long as you have moderately up-to-date editing software. The trickiest part will be transferring the video from the camcorder to the computer. DVDs have a file structure that prevents you from being able to drag and drop a single file. You'll need to play around with the import function of your editing software, which usually requires the entire disc to be read and processed. It's slow work.

The DCR-DVD910 ships with Picture Motion Browser 3.0, which allows for simple editing and DVD creation.