HDTV Television

Although broadcast High Definition Television still seems to be a few months away, that is no reason not to have your Christmas celebrations in High Definition.

As reported over the summer, Sony have released the ??1,500 Handycam HDR-HC1E (street price ??1,300), a delightful little camera which I have been playing for the past week or so. This review isn??™t going into the technical wonders that allow you to record 1440×1080 onto the same DV tapes that you find in most camcorders these days, nor worry that 1440×1080 isn??™t the full 1920×1080 of professional cameras - I am told that many pro cameras are only 1440×1080 as well - but will look at the process of using it in every day use.

My review unit arrived without a manual but the camera is very easy to use and set up ??“ all the complicated options that you can configure are set on a touch screen-based menu system and other than a few technical queries I didn??™t worry about the missing manual at all. I have had a DV camcorder for a number of years and one of the things that annoyed me was the fact that you had to carry around a separate charger base unit to charge the batteries ??“ the more professional of you would consider this a benefit ??“ but for the HC1E you just plug the charger into the camera and the battery is recharged. A painless process and one less thing to pack on one’s travels.

Taking the camera around was easy and although not truly pocket sized, it did fit into a big overcoat pocket and was happily carried around on my journeys. The camera never felt too bulky or out of place and I didn??™t feel silly pulling the camera out (the HC1E looks like hundreds of other camcorders out there). So overall the camera can??™t be faulted in its performance for a consumer.
digitalspy.co.uk