Sony Introduces Five 'Simpler' MiniDV Models, Shrinks CCD Sizes

by News Editor
Published on May 17, 2004 12:00 AM



At a press conference at the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show today in Las Vegas, Sony announced six new MiniDV Handycam camcorders that
focus on simplification as a primary design goal. In addition, the new camcorders are significantly smaller and have a new naming structure. They include the DCR-HC20, DCR-HC30, DCR-HC65, DCR-HC85 and the matchbox style DCR-PC109. Sony is trying to make their camcorders more user friendly and appeal to a broader audience with the 2004 line.

The press release stated that "Sony streamlines MiniDV camcorder line leaving room for quality and ease of use." These upgrades include a smaller size, a more rounded design and broader implementation of the 3D menu navigation system. The smaller camcorder size is fueled by users demands for portability. Rosemary Flynn, spokesperson for Sony camcorders said that the trend in consumer camcorders is towards lighter and smaller models "By making it smaller and lighter we're trying to make them more comfortable in look, and feel and usage."

It's clear now that Sony is pursuing a market strategy away from the hobbyist consumer and towards the beginner who wants simplicity. The changes to the camcorder emphasize one touch operation and size over video quality and image control. In what could be interpreted as a clear statement of Sony's market strategy, the one button which they have added to this year's models is the one-touch 'Easy Handycam' button. Pressing the button reduces the number of menu options and throws the camcorder into full auto.

The size reductions are greatest in the lower end models, the DCR-HC20, DCR-HC30 and DCR-HC40. Sony reduced those camcorder's volume by 25% when compared to last years DCR-TRV19, DCR-TRV22 and DCR-TRV33. "We realized this size by a size reduction of each block in the camcorder. We redesigned every single block to get the smaller size," said Yoshi Nishimura, Camcorder Product Manager for Sony.

The camcorders also have more rounded edges than last years models, making them look similar to Canon's ZR series, which has had a more rounded look for a while. The ZR series has been very successful among consumers, and Sony may be trying to copy their round 'friendly' look. How the new design will affect shooting and handling is still unknown, however, Flynn stated that the rounded edges were designed to improve usability and appeal "Part of having the more rounded edges, or the more curved design is we are trying to appeal to a broader audience with camcorders to make them more friendly in use and in look."

Once again Sony reduced the CCD (charge coupled device) size almost across the board in this years models, which typically reduces the quality of the image both in normal light and low light. Sony however maintains that although they shrunk the CCD size, they made other changes which still maintain the LUX ratings (low light performance) of last years models "Every year we are making smaller CCDs, the die size is smaller but we also are making a huge effort to keep our sensitivity," said Nishimura. "To keep our sensitivity we are investigating how to do that. The manufacturing process on the CCD is key. The CCD is a semiconductor, to make a CCD, you have a have certain know-how and Sony has a very good know-how on how to make a CCD smaller and maintain the sensitivity."

Other than the DCR-HC85 all of the 2004 model's feature CCDs that are smaller than their similarly priced 2003 models. The DCR-HC85 on the other hand, when compared to the similarly priced 2003 model offers larger size and more Megapixels. The CCD size reductions are generally disappointing, however Sony says that the camcorder's performance has not been compromised. Last year, the entire Sony line stood out in both low light and normal light when compared to similar models by Panasonic, JVC and Canon. According to the spec sheets, the LUX rating, which is a rating of the minimum light which a camcorder can be operated under, has remained the same between this years and last years models. The DCR-HC20 and DCR-HC30 have a LUX rating of 5, the DCR-HC40, DCR-HC65, DCR-HC85 and the DCR-PC109 have a LUX rating of 7. Those are all the same minimum LUX ratings as the similarly priced Sony 2003 models. Because the LUX ratings are counterintuitive, that is, we would expect the low light performance to drop with the CCD size reductions, officials at Sony stressed to CamcorderInfo.com to trust the ratings and withhold judgment until we are able to test the models hands-on under controlled circumstances. Nishimura maintained that because of the developments in CCD technology, Sony was able to maintain video and low light performance despite shrinking the CCD size.

The DCR-HC20 includes a 1/6 in. 680K gross, 340K effective pixel CCD, which is a 55.5% reduction in CCD surface area when compared to last years DCR-TRV19. The DCR-HC30 features the same CCD as the DCR-HC20, which is also a 55.5% reduction in CCD surface area when compared to last years DCR-TRV22. The DCR-HC40 features a slightly larger 1/5 in. 1,070K gross, 690K effective pixel CCD, which is an 11.6% reduction in CCD surface area when compared to last years DCR-TRV33. The DCR-HC65 features the same CCD as the DCR-HC40, which is also an 11.6% reduction in CCD surface area when compared to last years DCR-TRV38. The DCR-HC85 includes a much larger 1/3.6 in. 2,110K gross, 1,080K effective pixel CCD which according to Sony is the exact same CCD which was included in last years DCR-TRV70. Compared to last year's similarly priced DCR-TRV39, that's a 70.4% increase in CCD surface area, quite a large increase. The matchbox style DCR-PC109 features a 1/5 in. 1,070K gross, 690K effective pixel CCD which is also a 11.6% reduction in CCD surface area when compared to last years DCR-PC105.

An important note about all the new MiniDV camcorders is that they use Sony's Memory Stick Duo format, instead of the normal full sized memory stick format which older camcorders have used. Duo is a smaller, half size version of memory sticks. Older, full sized memory sticks will not be compatible in the new models. The DCR-DC20 has an effective still resolution of 340K, and captures still images to tape at with a new Photo Mode which enable the users to store hundreds of images on seven seconds of tape. The DCR-HC30 has an effective still resolution of 340K, and saves stills to Memory Stick Dou media at 640 x 480 of pixel resolution. The DCR-HC30 adds Sony's Progressive Shutter for enhanced still clarity. The DCR-HC40 has an effective still image pixel rating of 1000K. The camcorder captures stills at 1,152 x 864 to Memory Stick Dou media. The DCR-HC65 has the same still specifications as the DCR-HC40. The DCR-HC85 has an effective still resolution of 1920K, that translates to a memory capture resolution of 1,600 x 1,200. In addition, the DCR-HC85 has a pop-up flash. The lack of an inclusion of a pop-up flash on the DCR-HC65 should be considered a downgrade, last year's similarly priced model, the DCR-TRV38 had a flash.

Although physical CCD size has been reduced, pixel counts, which affect resolution have remained the same or increased. The DCR-HC20 and DCR-HC30 have 340K effective pixels for still which is the same as last years similarly priced DCR-TRV19 and DCR-TRV22 respectively. The DCR-HC40 and DCR-HC65 have 1,000K effective pixels for still which is the same as last years similarly priced DCR-TRV33 and DCR-TRV38. The DCR-PC109 has 1,000K affective pixels for still which is the same as last years DCR-PC105. The DCR-HC85 has 1,920K effective pixels for still which is much better than last years similarly priced DCR-TRV39, which was only a one Megapixel camcorder.

The high pixel count of the DCR-HC85 is certainly notable. The DCR-HC85 is unquestionably the first sub $1,000 2 Megapixel camcorder. With this year's CES introductions, Sony didn't introduced a model over $1,000. There still are over $1,000 Sony models, the DCR-PC330, DCR-TRV950 and the DCR-VX2000, however each of those is very unique, the first one is a 3 Megapixel matchbox camcorder and the second two are 3 CCD camcorders. Sony now does not have an above $1,000 horizontal standard 1 chip camcorder model. At first glance, it might seem that Sony is just creating a large void in their line, but in reality they've just dramatically dropped the price of their top, non three chip horizontal standard camcorder - a huge move. The DCR-HC85 includes the same chip, and presumably has similar quality as last year's DCR-TRV70 and DCR-TRV80. Those two camcorders went for $1,300 and $1,500 respectively. What Sony has effectively done is drop the price of the DCR-TRV70 by $300 by introducing the DCR-HC85, a major move.

The new introductions consolidate the Sony MiniDV horizontal line from seven models to five. What has been removed are the Bluetooth capable models. In last years line, the DCR-TRV38 and the DCR-TRV70 had upgraded models with networking and Bluetooth capabilities, the DCR-TRV39 and the DCR-TRV80 respectively. Those models did not sell well at all, and it appears Sony has abandoned the idea of putting Bluetooth in a camcorder since none of this years models include Bluetooth capability.

Sony has also upgraded the touch screens on this year's models. All of the models except the DCR-HC20 include Sony's 3D menu navigation system which was introduced in August on the DCR-PC330. All the the picture functions, VCR functions, and pretty much everything else is controlled through the touch screen LCD. There are very few buttons on this years models. The 3D menu navigation system improves upon the original 3D system with icons and a simpler menu layout. Sony however, has not changed the manual control options on the MiniDV models. They still don't offer manual gain control, shutter speed control, audio level control and exposure is not controlled through a dedicated dial. However, the DCR-HC65 and the DCR-HC85 do include focus rings. When questioned as to why Sony isn't upgraded the manual control options, Flynn stated "Looking at what the customer wants and what we want as a feature set we do have some manual control, we wanted to broaden the feature set. In an effort to reach a broaden audience we wanted to make it easier on the consumer."

Experienced users will notice that Sony has changed the naming structure of some of the models. While consumers often are befuddled by the apparent random assortment of numbers and letters that identify their favorite camcorders, at Sony there is more than a method to the madness. Currently, there are two types of Sony camcorders, DCR and CCD. Digital models start out with DCR, which stands for digital camera recorder, and analog models (Hi8 and 8mm) start with CCD, which stands for charge coupled device. The second part of the name is a letter, which has evolved over time. The first camcorders had an F in their name, which stands for family series. Soon, advances in technology made it possible to take the once bulky camcorder out of the home and into the streets, and the F was replaced by a TR, short for travel. When Sony starting putting LCD screens on their camcorders, they added a V, for vision. For the past few years all digital camcorders have started with DCR-TRV. Now, according to Sony, they've run out of numbers to put after TRV, so, they are switching to a new naming structure, HC, which stands for Handycam.

Making a concerted effort to bridge the gap between shooting video and creating watchable footage, Sony has taken the innovative step of including PicturePackage digital video capture and editing software with each camcorder in their new product line. The software is based on an engine developed by Muvee Technologies who has their own consumer automated video editing software, but has been made proprietary by Sony through simplification of the desktop interface and overall ease of use. "The software is designed to encourage consumers to edit," said Linda Vuolo, Director of Camcorder Products and Digital Imaging Accessories for Sony Electronics.

One step video importing, two step titling and three step music video creation features enable newbie's to create short segments that will bring taped footage off of the shelf and onto DVD. The software has a slew of effects like the popular Old Movie, and has audio track synching abilities that will allow users to set their footage to a favorite MP3. The software brings photographs to life with a slide show feature that allows linking series of images to music and transitioning with effects like wipes and zooms. In addition to paint-by-numbers editing, Power Package also comes complete with more sophisticated editing tools that will come in handy once the basics of DV editing are understood by new users.

Sony has also upgraded the night shot feature on all the camcorders with a new, 'Night Shot Plus.' Night Shot Plus eliminates the green hue of the old night shot mode and adds some color to the image. The Night Shot Plus mode allows some color to enter the CCD while the camcorder is in almost complete darkness. "The color processor inside the camcorder can detect the real color even if it's in a dark situation. We can reproduce the real color in the Nightshot mode," said Product Manager Nishimuara "Even with the Night Shot plus, if the camcorder is in total darkness [however] it is impossible to detect the color. We need some light."

Sony has now put the Hybrid LCD which was featured on some MicroMV models as well as the DCR-PC330 on all the MiniDV models. The Hybrid touch screen LCD. According to company materials "The Hybrid Reflective-Transmissive LCD Screen provides accurate viewing in sunlight or bright light, virtually eliminating the “wash-out” common with traditional LCD Screens." The DCR-HC20, DCR-HC30, DCR-HC40 and the DCR-PC109 all have a 2.5 in. LCD, while the DCR-HC65 and the DCR-HC85 have a 3.5 in. LCD. Sony has also added a record button to the side of the LCD screen on each model, which should be helpful because of the increasing reliance on the LCD for controlling the camcorder. All of the camcorders have color viewfinders except for the DCR-HC20.

Because of the new smaller size of the camcorders, the new models require different batteries than last years models. The new models all take F series batteries so your old Sony batteries won't work, however Sony has been using F series batteries on various products for a while now so they are widely available on the market. According to Sony officials, the battery time has not been compromised with the smaller batteries. All of the new camcorders also include a built in lens cover which can be opened or closed using a switch on the camcorder, so users don't have to worry about a dangling lens cab. Sony has also added multi-language capability to the camcorders so that the menu can be changed to your language of choice. All of this years models also include USB Streaming, MPEG Movie EX, and with the exception of the DCR-HC20, analog to digital on the fly video conversion. The DCR-PC109 also now uses a docking station for Firewire and other connector jacks. The docking station is similar to what is used on the DCR-IP1.

Below is a chart of all the essential features of each model:

DCR-HC20
 DCR-HC30
 DCR-HC40
 DCR-HC65
 DCR-HC85 DCR-PC109
Price
$500
$600
$700
$800
$1,000
$900
Availability
February
February
February
April
April
March
Imaging Device
1/6 inch 680k Pixel gross Advanced HAD CCD
1/6 inch 680k Pixel gross Advanced HAD CCD
1/5 inch 1070k Pixel gross Advanced HAD CCD
1/5 inch 1070k Pixel gross Advanced HAD CCD
1/3.6 inch 2110k Pixel gross Advanced HAD CCD
1/5 inch 1070k Pixel Advanced HAD CCD
Video Actual
340K pixels
340K pixels
690K pixels
690K pixels
1,080K pixels
690k pixels
Still Actual
340K pixels
340K pixels
1,000K pixels
1,000K pixels
1920K pixels
1000k pixels
F-stop
1.7-2.3
1.7-2.3
1.8-2.3
1.8-2.3
1.8-2.1
1.8-2.3
Focal Distance
2.3-23mm
2.3-23mm
3.2 -32mm
3.2 -32mm
4.5-45mm
3.2 -32mm
Optical Zoom
10x
10x
10x
10x
10x
10x
Digital Zoom
120x
120x
120x
120x
120x
120x
Stills
Not listed
640 x 480
1,152x864 or 640 x 480
1,152x864 or 640 x 480
1,600 x 1,200 or 640 x 480
1,152x864 or 640 x 480
Focus Ring
No
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
Night Shot
NightShot Plus
Super NightShot Plus
Super NightShot Plus
Super NightShot Plus
Super NightShot Plus
Super NightShot Plus
LUX Rating
5
5
7
7
7
7
LCD
2.5 inch 123k
2.5 inch 123k
2.5 inch 123k
3.5 inch 123k
3.5 inch 123k
2.5 inch 123k
Exposure
24 Step Dial
24 Step Dial
Panel 24 Step
Panel 24 Step
24 Step Dial
24 Step Dial
Ports & Jacks
Audio Video Out; SVideo; Microphone; Accessory Shoe; IEEE1394; USB
Audio Video In/Out; SVideo; Microphone; Memory Stick; Accessory Shoe; IEEE1394; USB
Audio Video In/Out; SVideo; Microphone; Memory Stick; Accessory Shoe; IEEE1394; USB
Audio Video In/Out; SVideo; Microphone; Memory Stick; Accessory Shoe; IEEE1394; USB
Audio Video In/Out; SVideo; Microphone; Memory Stick; Accessory Shoe; IEEE1394; USB
Audio Video In/Out; SVideo; Microphone; Memory Stick; Accessory Shoe; IEEE1394; USB

So what are the major changes between the 2003 models and the 2004 models? Besides shrinking the camcorder size and shrinking the CCD not much. Sony has certainly made some changes, but none are as drastic as the differences between the 2002 and 2003 line when Sony completely revamped their model line. Below is a chart comparing the 2003 models and their similarly priced 2004 models.

2004
  
2003

DCR-HC20
vs
1/6 in. CCD Vs 1/4 in. CCD (55.5% smaller), 25% smaller by volume, rounder design, adds LCD record button, adds Hybrid LCD, adds NightShot Plus, adds PicturePackage Software, F series Vs M series battery, adds built-in lens cover, and adds multi-language support.

DCR-HC30
Vs
1/6 in. CCD Vs 1/4 in. CCD (55.5% smaller), 25% smaller by volume, Memory Stick Duo Vs standard Memory Stick, rounder design, adds LCD record button, adds Hybrid LCD, adds NightShot Plus, adds PicturePackage Software, F series Vs M series battery, adds built-in lens cover, and adds multi-language support, adds 3D menu navigation.

DCR-HC40
Vs
1/5 in. CCD Vs 1/4.7 in. CCD (11.6% smaller), 25% smaller by volume, Memory Stick Duo Vs standard Memory Stick, rounder design, adds LCD record button, adds Hybrid LCD, adds NightShot Plus, adds PicturePackage Software, F series Vs M series battery, adds built-in lens cover, and adds multi-language support, adds 3D menu navigation.

DCR-HC65
Vs
1/5 in. CCD Vs 1/4.7 in. CCD (11.6% smaller), removes pop-up flash, Memory Stick Duo Vs standard Memory Stick, rounder design, adds LCD record button, adds Hybrid LCD, adds NightShot Plus, adds PicturePackage Software, F series Vs M series battery, adds built-in lens cover, and adds multi-language support, adds 3D menu navigation.

DCR-HC85
Vs
1/3.6 in. CCD Vs 1/4.7 in. CCD (70.4% larger), Memory Stick Duo Vs standard Memory Stick, rounder design, adds T Star lens,adds LCD record button, adds Hybrid LCD, adds NightShot Plus, adds PicturePackage Software, F series Vs M series battery, adds built-in lens cover, and adds multi-language support, adds 3D menu navigation, removes Bluetooth and Network capability.

DCR-PC109
Vs
1/5 in. CCD Vs 1/4.7 in. CCD (11.6% smaller), Memory Stick Duo Vs standard Memory Stick, removes pop-up flash, removes focus ring, rounder design, adds LCD record button, adds Hybrid LCD, adds NightShot Plus, adds PicturePackage Software, F series Vs M series battery, adds built-in lens cover, and adds multi-language support, adds 3D menu navigation, uses docking station for external connections.