New Sony NSC-GC1 Pushes Online Videoby Michael PerlmanPublished on Jul 18, 2007 8:35 AM 
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The summer news rush is in full swing. New camcorders are being announced left and right. Last year the headlines rang for AVCHD when high definition finally became available for consumer-friendly formats like DVD and HDD. This year the trend is smaller, faster, and lighter, all directed to the one location everybody wants to be seen: YouTube. Say hello to the tiny NSC-GC1 Net-sharing CAM ($199 MSRP).The pocket-sized NSC-GC1, on show later today at a press event in New York, records MPEG-4 video to Memory Stick PRO Duo cards in standard definition 640 x 480 (VGA) 30 fps, 320 x 240 (QVGA) 30 fps, and 320 x 240 15 fps. Specs like this make it clear that Sony has geared the NSC-GC1 toward a young, hip crowd of online video makers. Should the point have been lost, the Net-sharing CAM also provides users with the ability to upload footage directly to YouTube and other video sharing sites.
The NSC-GC1 ships with two pieces of software. Picture Motion Browser has been coupled with Sony camcorders for years, and offers very basic video editing. The camcorder also comes with built-in, menu-operated software for direct uploading to video sharing sites. No doubt Sony hopes this camcorder will leverage their own video sharing site, Crackle (formerly Grouper). Earlier this week, Sony silently re-launched Grouper after their purchase of the company in 2006.
The NSC-GC1 features a 1/2.5” 5MP CMOS sensor, a far larger sensor than the likely competition, which includes the new Samsung SC-MX10 ($299 MSRP) and the Pure Digital’s Flip Video Camcorder (approx $119). The Samsung camcorder features a 1/6” CCD and 34x optical zoom and records to SD/SDHC cards. The form factor is quite different from the Sony NSC-GC1, but the feature set is likely similar. Pure Digital caters to a more budget-minded crowd, retailing the Flip in grocery stores and pharmacies. It offers no-frills shooting and uploading to YouTube.
All three models push portability as a major feature, as increasingly sophisticated cell phones cut into the standalone camcorder market. The Sony NSC-GC1 measures 1 3/16” x 4 1/8” x 2 1/4” and weighs only 5 oz. It remains to be seen whether online video creators will find the superior video quality enough of a benefit to choose camcorders over multifunction devices.
The NSC-GC1’s captures stills in 5MP, 3:2, 3MP, 2MP, and VGA resolutions. Other specs include a 40x digital (only) zoom, 2.4” LCD screen with 112,000 pixel resolution, built-in flash, and USB 2.0 support.
According to Sony, the NSC-GC1 features a rechargeable built-in Lithium-Ion battery with an approximate battery life of 90 minutes and can record up to five hours of footage on a 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo card in the default settings. The Net-sharing CAM also includes built-in, pre-loaded PMB software that allows users to upload tagged videos from the camcorder to the web via a USB cable. For more extended editing capabilities, the NSC-GC1 ships with Picture Motion Browser, and the camcorder can also function as a webcam.
The Sony NSC-GC1 has an expected MSRP of $199. Pre-orders begin today at sonystyle.com.