Sony DCR-SR42 Camcorder Reviewby Michael PerlmanPublished on Nov 15, 2007 10:13 AM
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Compression (4.0)
The DCR-SR42 utilizes MPEG-2 compression and is capable of recording video in three different quality settings: HQ, SP, and LP. HQ records at 9 Mbps, SP records at 6 Mbps, and LP records at 3 Mbps. The DCR-SR42 interprets footage via a Variable Bitrate (VBR) that adjusts itself based on the complexity of the footage. Shooting a hockey game requires a much higher bitrate than a shot of paint drying on a wall. The benefit of a VBR is that it is a major space saver in terms of file size. Even if you’re shooting at 9 Mbps, the rate is fluctuating continuously, requiring less HDD space to store the footage.
Recorded video clips are given an .MPG file extension, which is widely compatible among consumer editing suites, unlike some HDD camcorders that split audio and video data into separate files that must be reassembled through additional software. The .MPG files can simply be dragged and dropped into a timeline.
Media (6.0)
The DCR-SR42 is equipped with a 30GB non-removable hard disk drive (HDD) capable of storing 440 minutes of footage in HQ mode, 650 minutes in SP mode, and 1,250 minutes in LP mode. HDD camcorders offer the longest record times of any media by a long shot, and those who care more about quantity than quality will find themselves with close to an entire day’s worth of video. The only downside to this is that the DCR-SR42 will now hold hundreds, even thousands of video clips — a mega library that could take a significant amount of time to wade through.
HDD is also the only media that cannot be removed, unlike tape, DVD, and solid state camcorders. If the DCR-SR42 is damaged, that’s it — say goodbye to that prized footage. Of course, the DCR-SR42 features Drop Detection, which shuts the camcorder off in the event of a sudden gravitational shift, but what about water damage or a large Mack truck? SD cards, MiniDV tapes, and DVD discs can fit inside a pocket, but the DCR-SR42 must remain in hand or in the camera bag, making it more vulnerable to threats.
Editing (6.0)
The DCR-SR42 ships with Picture Motion Browser Version 2.0.06 for Windows — an exceedingly rudimentary editing program that allows you to trim clips, export stills, and burn footage to DVD. Popular NLEs like Adobe Premiere, Apple Final Cut Pro, and Ulead Video Studio are highly compatible with the DCR-SR42’s .MPG file format, and files need only be dragged and dropped into the program to start editing.
Due to MPEG-2’s relatively small file sizes, you will not need a super computer to manipulate clips. All that is needed is a USB connection and a fairly recent version of Windows of Mac OS — the DCR-SR42 will actually show up as a hard drive, and files can be dragged and dropped right to the computer.
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