New Sony Digital 8 Camcorders Include Digital Still Imaging

 

 

 

 

New Line Also Includes First Built-in Color Printer on a Camcorder

LAS VEGAS -- Sony announced new Digital 8 Handycam camcorders featuring Memory Stick media to give consumers more capability to capture, create and share digital still images on a camcorder. Four of the five new models include Memory Stick media and will be available this spring.

This new line includes the DCR-TRV820, the first camcorder with a built-in color printer. It prints business card-sized color photos on the spot, like an instant camera. Pictures can be printed from either a favorite video scene or a digital still image saved on the Memory Stick media.

A number of advancements in the new line also strengthen Sony's complement of convenient "Worry-Free" features, including:

  • Super LaserLink connection, which provides 60 percent longer wireless connectivity - up to 26 feet
  • 30 minutes more recording time on 120 minute Hi8 tape - up to 90 minutes of video in long play mode
  • Longer zoom range - with 25x optical/ 450X precision digital zooming power
  • Super NightShot infrared system - with automatic slow-shutter control to deliver brighter, smoother video for shoot-in-the-dark videotaping

"Sony is leading the consumer migration to digital camcorders with more flexible, functional and fun features," said Tim Alessi, director of camcorder marketing for Sony Electronics. "People want more creative features that help them enjoy digital imaging on their camcorders."

According to Alessi, Sony's Digital 8 camcorders are versatile units designed with convergence in mind. For example, the camcorders let users play back their library of old Hi8/8mm tapes in their camcorder; record digital video onto standard Hi8/8mm tapes; and connect to a PC via i.LINK (IEEE 1394) interface for digital video editing.

Digital 8 Handycam Camcorder Pricing and Availability

  • DCR-TRV120 - available in March for about $800 -- DCR-TRV320 with Memory Stick media capability - available in April for about $900
  • DCR-TRV520 with Memory Stick media capability - available in April for about $1,000
  • DCR-TRV720 with Memory Stick media capability - available in April for about $1,200
  • DCR-TRV820 with Memory Stick media capability and integrated color printer - available in May for about $1,300

The Flexibility of Digital Still Imaging on a Handycam Camcorder

The supplied 4 MB Memory Stick card and a Handycam camcorder allow users to instantly photograph digital still pictures or capture a still image from their videotape. The pictures can be transferred to selected printers, desktop or notebook PCs, or other digital devices, such as Sony's CyberFrame digital photo frame. The supplied Memory Stick card can store up to 63 pictures (640 X 480 on 64 MB capacity) that can be printed, e-mailed to friends and family or used in an electronic presentation or other graphics project.

Sony also incorporated "Memory Mix Effects" such as the Camera Chroma Key the Memory Chroma Key and the Memory Luminance Key on the new Digital 8 Handycam camcorders with Memory Stick media. These combine digital still and video functions to create new and creative ways of enjoying digital imaging. For example, a landscape of the beach can be superimposed on a motion video of your family.

Each Handycam camcorder includes a 4MB Memory Stick media card preloaded with an assortment of "fun frames" and backgrounds that can be used to create customized digital image borders. Frame themes include birthdays, holidays, graduation and beach and winter scenes. Or, the user can create his or her own frame.

Digital 8 Handycam camcorders with digital still camera capability come with a serial cable for direct connection to virtually any PC, and everything to make seeing digital still images fast and easy, including PictureGear digital photo editing software. This software allows camcorder users to upload images to a PC and perform a variety of imaging enhancements, including color alteration, drawing and more.

Crop Still Pictures in the Camcorder Most of the new line includes a "Play Back Zoom" function so users can use the 2x zoom to crop an image and create a new picture from a "freeze frame" on the tape. For example, a group shot can be cropped and then saved on the Memory Stick media as a close-up of one person.

It's a Printer, Camera and Camcorder In One With its built in color printer, the DCR-TRV820 Handycam camcorder creates prints on the spot, like an instant camera. Still images from a videotape or stored on a Memory Stick card can be printed anywhere. Standard prints are 3-1/2 - by - 2 inches and are ideal for wallets, tabletop frames or to distribute to friends and family.

Users have the choice of standard-sized stickers (3-1/2 - by - 2 inches), which are great for creating picture postcards; or multi-picture stickers that have nine stickers on one sheet. These stamp-sized stickers are great for labeling children's books and toys with a personalized photo, putting on business cards, giving as a keepsake, or decorating packages. Twenty standard paper sheets and 10 sticker sheets of each type with two ink ribbons are packaged with the camcorders.

Replacement printer packs will be available at Sony retailers and through Sony's accessories on-line sales site, Xtras Direct at http://xtrasdirect.sel.sony.com/. Standard print packs with 40 sheets and two ribbons (CPPM-NR40) are expected to sell for about $20. Sticker paper with 20 standard-sized sticker sheets and 20 mini-sticker sheets, plus two ribbons, are expected to sell for about $30.

Flexibility to Digitize Any Format and Edit on PCs

All Digital 8 models feature analog audio/video inputs that enable Digital 8 to function as a "media converter." By connecting the Digital 8 camcorder to an analog source (such as a VHS or VHS-C camcorder) and a PC, users with VHS, VHS-C, Hi8 or 8mm format tape libraries can digitize their analog tapes for digital editing and archiving.

Digital 8 camcorders also connect directly to Sony VAIO PCs with i.LINK (IEEE1394) interface or any 1394-enabled PC. Sony offers a complete built-in solution for digital video editing with its VAIO Digital Studio Series line of desktop PCs. i.LINK interface is an industry standard. It is a bi-directional digital interface that allows for fast and easy movement of digital video between two camcorders or a camcorder and PC, thereby eliminating generational loss.

Easy, Fast, High-Capacity Image Storage and Transfer with Memory Stick Media

Memory Stick media is designed to connect to a host of different digital products and virtually any notebook or desktop computer with Sony's line of adapters. Available now are a floppy disk adapter (MSAC-FD1A) for about $100, a PC card adapter (MSAC-PC2) for about $80, and a parallel port adapter (MSAC-PR1) for about $90.

Beginning this month, Sony will offer the following new prices on Memory Stick media:

  • About $30 for 8 MB capacity
  • About $50 for 16 MB capacity
  • About $80 for 32 MB capacity
  • About $140 for 64 MB capacity

A Memory Stick media card is very small, about the size of a key, and yet is highly reliable and durable. With a 10-pin enclosed connector, it reliably transfers data, and it has a lock on the back to prevent accidentally recording or erasing digital images.

Sony Electronics Background:
Headquartered in Park Ridge, N.J., Sony Electronics (SEL) has more than 26,000 employees in North America. SEL is the largest operating unit of Sony Corporation (NYSE: SNE), with annual sales of more than $10.6 billion. Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its music, pictures and computer entertainment operations make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. In the most recent fiscal year, Sony Corporation recorded consolidated annual sales of more than $56 billion.

SOURCE Sony Electronics, Inc.