AVC is a format that stems from h.264/MPEG 4 pt10, and has a wide range of profiles offering support for mobile communication devices to 4:4:4 10 bit video. AVC-HD is in its infant state, but stands to become a broadly spread format in years to come, provided hardware continues to develop to make the process more efficient and as encoders mature in coming years.
A few comments on initial experiences with AVC-HD;
It requires a fair amount of additional horsepower to work with than HDV or other lesser-compressed formats, so for the professional editor, this will be a bit of a challenge, though the average consumer will likely not know the difference. Consumers will love the ability to put the disc in their DVD player or computer and immediately play, index, and edit the content, even if it's not at fast frame rates, just as it is now. Converting to an intermediary format is likely going to be required in the shorter run, until hardware and software can catch up to the decoding demands of AVC.
Keying is a challenge in this format; I shot against a well-lit Photoflex green panel, and the results were less than stellar, but this is also a pre-production model of the camcorder, so I'll offer it the benefit of the doubt for the time being. I have to also constantly remind myself that this is a lower bitrate, consumer aimed acquisition device, and the cost has to be figured into the value-per-dollar, and not just pixel-per-dollar.
AVC-HD is very open in what it can do, and like MPEG 2, the decoder is where the standard lies, not the encoder. Therefore, AVC encoders, like MPEG encoders, will vary in quality, and while all in the same format, it's quite possible that an uninformed user would blame the format and not the encoding device when in actuality, the encoding device is the most important part of the process.
The UX-1 is a palm-type camcorder, with a large preview screen that is a sweet second generation screen. Sony is already well known for their preview screen technology, and this camcorder doesn't disappoint. The Wide/Telephoto and Record buttons are found on the bottom of the screen, which is a bit unusual when compared to previous camcorders with the buttons to the left of the screen, but for purposes of stability, this is where the controls truly belong, from my point of view. The camcorder is slightly heavier than its HDV-cousin, and while the heft is welcome to my hand, some users may not appreciate the heft. I have little experience with other DVD camcorders, but the couple that I've held are also a tad stockier in build and slightly heavier than their tape counterparts, so I expect this is the norm.
Putting a disc in the camcorder, the system was immediately ready to format the disc, and again, compared to previous experiences with DVD camcorders, this one simply screamed in speed. 4 seconds, the disc was formatted and ready to roll. Using 3 inch DVDs, these discs are capable of holding nearly half an hour of media, depending on the acquisition quality selected by the user. Using the new Sony dual layer, +R DVDs will extend recording time to 60 mins in long play mode.
Sony has stated that the UX1 and its HDD-based brother (HDR-SG1) use DSP and imaging similar to that found in the HVR HC3, so on my excursions through Malaysia, I used both camcorders with which to draw a few comparisons. Both camcorders were used in fully-automatic modes.
The camcorder has all the stock features expected in a consumer-oriented camcorder; the only truly unique features are found in the HDMI output, speed of disc formatting, and of course, the compression format that AVC-HD brings to the table.
With a LANC control, microphone input, and headphone output, the UX1 is also well-suited as a second camcorder in the toolkit for small production crews. The AVC-HD format isn't supported in most video editing applications yet, although Sony Vegas has already been announced as a supporting NLE and other NLE manufacturers have stated they'll eventually implement support for AVC-HD. However, with the AVC-HD reader software that is included with the camcorder and any number of conversion utilities, the AVC-HD format is ready for users at any point in time. It likely won't be long until we find most if not all, NLE systems supporting this new format.
Although the DVD and HDD-based camcorders are aimed squarely at consumers, serious video enthusiasts that are open to the DVD format will appreciate this camcorder. I've never owned a DVD-based camcorder, but found myself very much enjoying this camcorder. I don't care for the start lag of DVD camcorders I've tested in the past, but didn't find that start lag as an issue in the UX1 model.
One feature I really took a liking to is the way that the menu is laid out, with fast access to the most common pages with a single click, without having to set up a menu preference. With six pages of access found at the bottom of the screen, getting to menu settings is fast, but more importantly, the options are well-thought out.
The CMOS imager is clean and impressive, and works surprisingly well in lower light modes. Historically, CMOS has shown noise in lower light, and high pixel counts on a smaller imager only serving to amplify noise in the frame, Moore's Law has applied itself to CMOS technology, and it plainly shows in the recent camcorder offerings from Sony. While neither the UX1 or the HC3 offer control over the application of gain in the image, the images below were both shot near sundown at full optical zoom, with the camcorders set in auto-mode, with Backlight compensation enabled. Note the clean lines in the buildings, and detail found in the windows, towers, and clouds. I fully expected the image to have blockiness in the lower light/shadows of the frame, but didn't see this at all. There is some inherent noise that I'd expect to find in any low-exposure image on a 1/3 chip camcorder.
As a still imaging camcorder, the HDR UX1 is a smooth combination of both still image acquisition and video. A still image resolution of 2.3 megapixels during video recording or 4 megapixels as a still-only acquisition provides for high quality still images without having to carry a second camera around; stills are saved to a memory stick that inserts in the side of the camcorder beneath the LCD screen. With a 3.5 inch LCD, shots are easy to compose, expose, and focus on this camcorder. The Clear-Vid image sensor is a serious step forward in CMOS technology, as the pixels are angled at 45 degrees, offering greater exposure, and also contains a boost in green pixels, therefore increasing image quality. While cramming high resolutions onto small chips generally means loss of quality in low light and less light sensitivity, between DSP and design improvements, I'd suggest Sony is doing every thing possible to dispel the issue while providing the ability to capture pretty pictures. If they take this design implementation forward in other camcorder lines, it will be a terrific upgrade.
The Vario-Sonnar Zeiss lens found on the front of the camcorder, like its cousins in the HDV world, is a sweet lens with a 30mm thread for adapters, and a zoom range of up to 10X optical and 80X digital. Zoom control is touch-sensitive, and is incredibly smooth for this size and type of camcorder. The zoom is not ring-controllable as found on some of the earlier camcorders, but given that the camera only goes to 80X suggests that Sony recognizes users of this sort of camcorder are savvy to marketing hype from some camcorder manufacturers boasting ridiculously high zoom/magnification ratios. While the 80X zoom is likely to satisfy consumers with no video experience, the serious video hobbyist won't be impressed.
Along with the lens, you'll appreciate the manual access to exposure that operates in steps via the multifunction ring or touchscreen menu. Combined with the AE adjustments, this provides for a more-than-reasonable control of exposure. Having a manual shutter might be nice, but this is a feature rarely found in consumer-oriented products. The front end also offers stabilization; this is an electronic system and I found that like most electronic stabilization systems, I was happiest with it disabled in order to obtain the sharpest images.
5.1 Surround ready, the surround sounds quite good, even to a doubting ear like mine. This isn't 5.1 uncompressed audio, and the microphones aren't high end surround mics, but for true-to-life accuracy of most events, the format will satisfy most users very well. Just be aware of heavy breathing noise on the back channels if you're exerting yourself at all. There is even a Bluetooth microphone that allows for remote recording of up to 100 feet away, although that was not accessible during the time I had this camcorder. The microphone is built into the camcorder, or an optional mic plugs into the Intelligent Shoe, just as found on other Sony camcorders.
Another newer feature is the super Slo-Mo recording or "Smooth Slow Motion" option. This is found on the HC3 and on the DCR-DVD 505 camcorder, but no other camcorder I'm aware of. Incredibly impressive slow motion is possible with this camcorder, albeit for short periods of recording due to the way the slow motion is buffered into the camcorder memory. Three seconds of video are recorded, which in turn becomes 12 seconds of playback as it records 240 fps, or four times the standard 60fps. It takes a moment to get used to how the memory buffers in all of the various camcorder models with this feature, but the picture quality is well worth becoming familiar with. The quality matches or is superior that of much more expensive camcorders with overcrank capability, but it's very short in the amount of time that slow motion may be used in acquisition.
Unique to this sort of camcorder is the number of inputs/outputs. I'm tickled at the number of options, as this camcorder offers component, composite, HDMI, Memory Stick, USB2, Advanced Accessory, LANC, headphone, and microphone connections. Owning an HC3, I was a little disappointed in the lack of headphone or microphone connections in this small camcorder even though I'm very happy with the image quality in such a small format camcorder, yet I was delighted to see Sony had returned these necessary tools in the DVD model using similar features and technology.
Battery life is impressive; nearly 2 hours of shooting time with the LCD screen in use, but I'd failed to take note of the length of time the camcorder was actually powered up. However, I'd used the UX1 during most of a half-day event, and the camcorder still had plenty of juice to shoot into the evening, and the overnight charge took me well into the next evening. I didn't keep the LCD open the entire time, however. I did continually expect the big LCD screen to let me know I was on my last second of juice, but I never reached the point of total battery discharge over the course of the week.
The UX1 uses already-existing batteries, so obtaining batteries is easy and inexpensive. With new camcorder models, it's always a concern when manufacturers switch battery formats on users.
All in all, the experience with this camcorder was not only pleasant, but just plain fun. It fits the hand very nicely, feels solid, and has a plethora of features that I was happily surprised to find on a low-cost camcorder. The controls are very well placed, and the menu contexts are very intelligent and user friendly. While the camcorder is marginally heavier than other camcorders in the palm-corder world, it's a comfortable heft, well-balanced and actually preferable I believe, to most users. This likely will be the first (and maybe only) DVD-based recorder I'll ever purchase.
The Sony HDR-UX1 is scheduled to begin shipping in mid-September, 2006.
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