Sony DCR-HC48 First Impressions Reviewby John NeelyPublished on Feb 1, 2007 12:00 PM
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Compression
The DCR-HC48 employs standard DV 25Mbps compression for video recording. DV compression generally produces the highest quality standard definition video among consumer camcorders, due in part because its 25Mbps data rate is much higher than the 8.5Mbps maximum seen in MPEG-2 video compression. MPEG-2 compression is commonly used in DVD, HDD, and flash media-based camcorders. While MPEG-2 video has made great strides in recent years, DV remains the superior format in terms of video quality.
Media
The DCR-HC48 captures video to standard MiniDV tapes. These tapes are inexpensive compared to DVDs and record 60 minutes of SP video or 90 minutes of LP video. While videotape enables the capture of high-quality DV images, it is a linear medium that necessitates real-time transfer of footage to a PC. DVDs and other random access media have grown in popularity due to their convenienceand despite their inferior compression. They can be played instantly in most home DVD players, searched by clip on-camera, and offer in-camera editing options that DV cannot match.
The DCR-HC48 also supports a digital still memory mode using Memory Stick Duo and PRO Duo memory cards, a proprietary Sony card format. Still images can be captured to Memory Stick Duo at resolutions up to 1152 x 864 resolution.
Editing
MiniDV is a mature media that has been widely available since the mid-90’s and is supported by professional NLEs (non-linear editors) like Apple Final Cut Pro, Avid DV Express, Adobe Premiere, and Sony Vegas, as well as most consumer NLEs. The DCR-HC48 ships with Picture Motion Browser ver. 2.0, a rudimentary NLE that allows users to import footage and perform basic edits. Picture Motion Browser is only compatible with Windows PCs, so Mac users will need to find their own editing solution.
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