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stars
"An excellent DVD camcorder." on by mukunth_raj
Pros: 3CCD, excellent low light videos, easy play back of recorded video, touch screen, line in recording, wide screen
Cons: Bundled s/w Picture Package needs a lot of improvement, the View finder is not tiltable like other models
Summary: I upgraded from my Sony Hi8 to the Sony DCR-DVD403 on 01 April '05 for $750 + s&h. I have been doing a lot of research on the different DVD models available in the market. 403 is the latest of all. Here are some Pros.
1. Has 3 CCD which means true-to-life color.
2. The 3 MP picture mode also delivers good pictures. (Though I have a 5 MP digicam, its still handy to know that 403 can take good quality digi pics)
3. The best of all that I like is the way you navigate through the recorded scenes. No more REW and FF's and no more accidental over writing.
4. Each recording session is stored as individual tracks. What this means is that you have smaller files to edit and manipulate. Which means less time consuming while editing.
5. The touch screen is another feature that I like. No messy buttons on the body like other models.
6. Watching video in wide screen looks good. Its compatible with normal TVs as well.
7. The line-in recording is super. I can convert any movie to a DVD.
8. It operates good in low light.
Now lets come to some cons.
1. The view finder, is always straight. I would have appreciated if it can be tilted up and down like other Sony Camcorders.
2. Mini DVD media is expensive. I work around this by having a few DVD-RWs.
3. The provided software, Picture Package, is a YUK. I never like it. You can use PP to only burn a MiniDVD on your camcorder. It cannot burn on my external DVD burner. Why would you wan to burn a MiniDVD? But one good thing about that is that the sound can be converted from 5.1 CH dolby to the normal 2 layer stereo. If you ask me why you want to do that, the answer is, if you want to use the MPEG with 5.1 CH Dolby on your other video editing s/w's like Photo Studio etc., you will not hear the sound. You need to convert the audio before using other s/w. I currently use PIXELA Image Mixer (This is provided for other older Sony DVD models) and its able to recodnize the 5.1 CH sound. DVD encoding is also excellent in that software. If you can get a copy of that, then you need not use Picture Package at all.
Overall, The best DVD camcorder in market.
- 3 replies to this review
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I buy a stack of 20 for $29.95 at Fry's. So about $1.50 each. Mini-DV tapes are 5 for $20 so about $4 each. (not marked video quality but seem to work fine)<br><br>YOu can also get DVD+RW online at amazon, about $3 each, hard to find locally, only the -Rw normally sold. +RW can be copied to your PC without finalizing, might help when the 403 gives you the horrible 'C:13:02' error message while finalizing, meaning you've hosed your disk. (usually caused by bad media or dirt on disk or in compartment)<br><br>Since I can store 800 to 1000 highest quality and largest size pix on one disk, this is invaluable in having a permanent record. I shot the equivalent of 7 1.5 gig memory cards on recent vacation. <br><br>For printing or web use, 3 mp is way more than adequate. With a good printer and pix saved on highest quality jpeg, I was able to blow 640x480 pix from old sony pc-10 up to almost a page with almost no noticable blurriness.
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DVD403 does NOT have a 3-CCD sensor.
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Raj, your comment that you like being able to convert videos to DVD caught my eye, because the only reason that I haven't pulled the trigger for one of these is that it is my understanding the 403 doesn't support analog to digital conversion. I want to be able to convert tapes from my hi-8 to DVD. Does the 403 do this?
