A bit long, but I know that there are people out there who are interested in
the move of MD into new territory.
MK
SONY ANNOUNCES DISC-BASED DIGITAL CAMCORDER
MD Discam Camcorder Brings Convenience of Instant Random Access To
Digital Video Shooting, Editing and Playback
PARK RIDGE, NJ -- (INTERNETWIRE) -- 11/03/99 -- Sony announced today
a disc-based digital camcorder with video capture and editing
capabilities all in the same unit. This breakthrough product, MD
Discam� digital camcorder (DCM-M1), takes advantage of MiniDisc (MD)
technology to give consumers the versatility and convenience of
instant random access - now with video. Disc-based video gives
consumers the speed and freedom to quickly edit video, not possible
with linear tape-based video systems.
MD Discam offers an unprecedented home movie-recording-and-editing
experience with intuitive, easy-to-use and creative controls,
including:* touch-screen controls to enjoy the speed and convenience of
Scene
Shuffle�, and non-linear editing with index images of video scenes; *
easy-to-understand menus with user hints for playback and edit
functions, such as "touch a track to copy;" * titling and special effects,
including scene transitions to give home movies a more professional
look;* touch-screen, pen-based handwriting for instant titling and
paint-type graphics; * Sony camcorder InfoLithium� rechargeable battery with
AccuPower� Meter system that indicates the amount of power remaining
in minutes on the LCD screen; * Super Steadyshot� Picture Stabilization
which
removes camera shake; * easy connection to a television with Audio/Video out
jacks; and * crystal clear slow motion playback.
"The MD Discam camcorder lets people create and edit the movies they
truly want to watch without scanning hours of footage to find their
favorite moments," said Jay Sato, vice president of digital imaging
marketing at Sony Electronics. "It is an all-in-one video capturing
and editing camcorder that offers a fast and easy PC-free editing
experience."
The MD Discam camcorder records up to 20 minutes of video, up to 4,500
still images in MPEG2 file format, and more than four hours (260
minutes) of recorded audio with three digital still images in
Interview Mode. The image quality of MD Discam video delivers more
than 400 lines of horizontal resolution.
MD Discam camcorder uses MD Data2 media, called MD View (MMD-650A),
which was developed to handle the high capacity video storage needs
of the MD Discam camcorder. It holds 650 MB of audio/video
re-writable data. Building on its developments in magneto optical
technology, Sony designed MD View to expand the benefits of the
MiniDisc format to a visual medium for the first time. Although not
the same format, MD View and MiniDisc audio media share the benefits
of instant random access playback, quick and easy editing and digital
recording.
No More Lengthy Tapes to Watch
Scene Shuffle editing with the MD Discam camcorder is easy and
intuitive. Users no longer have to rewind or fast forward movies with
Scene Shuffle, because it lets them do on-the-spot editing. On-screen
controls let users play, copy, move, trim, or erase scenes at the
touch of the stylus to the screen. Changing the order of scenes,
erasing, copying and more can be accomplished in seconds.
An index window on the LCD screen shows the starting image of each
scene to let users mark each video segment for editing.
The MD Discam camcorder offers a number of ways to digitally edit
scenes, including: Copy, Cut, Delete, Trim, Divide, Group and
Combine. Here is how some of the editing features might be used: * If users
Copy a scene segment, it can then be repeated anywhere in the video.
Imagine repeating footage of a baby's delightful laugh again and
again throughout a home movie compilation of a child's first few
years.* Special moments of a home movie are often embedded in the middle of
lengthy footage. The Trim function lets users set a new start and end
point to select the portion of the scene they want to pare down. * The
Group function takes two or more consecutive tracks and plays them as
one track.
To add to the fun and creativity of shooting and editing home movies,
Sony built-in a number of professional-looking transitional effects
to give camcorder users eye-catching ways to transition from scene to
scene. Some transitional effects that can be inserted between tracks
include: Wipes, Dissolves, Mosaic and Fades.
As Easy as Using a Pen
MD Discam camcorder comes with a handy stylus to operate on-screen
functional control or to hand-write notes, drawings or add simple
clip-art graphics in one's home movies. Because the notes or graphics
are not embedded in the recorded scene, they can be deleted with the
stroke of the pen.
Another graphics function is Titling, which allows users to create
their own titles (up to 100 characters) across the center of the
image.
Playback The Way You Want To
Just as music enthusiasts may repeat a favorite track on a compact disc
or create a play list of favorite songs, MD Discam camcorder gives
users the ability to playback scenes the way they want to view them.
The camcorder has a variety of playback options, including: Repeat
Play, A/B Repeat, Shuffle Play and Nine-Frame Sequence.
One can repeat a single scene, all the scenes or any portion of a scene
segment throughout the movie, show the scene in a random sequence
with Shuffle Play or display nine consecutive frames from any scene
with Nine-Frame Sequence.
With Nine-Frame Sequence, for example, golfers will have a new way to
analyze their own or a friend's swing by displaying any nine
consecutive frames recorded with the MD Discam camcorder.
Unique to MD Discam camcorder is a variable-rate Crystal Clear Slow
Motion Playback function that lets users enjoy a frame-by-frame slow
motion viewing of any video sequence.
Because the MD Discam camcorder is an expansion of MiniDisc audio
technology, pre-recorded MD audio discs can also be played back in
the unit for convenience. Play lists of the artist's name and track
appear on the LCD.
With an optional Ethernet card, MD Discam connects to a PC so users can
save JPEG still images to their system's hard drive.
The MD Discam will be available in January at consumer electronics
retailers and through Sony VAIO Direct and is expected to sell for
$2,299. One MD View disc comes with the camcorder and additional
discs will be available the estimated selling prices of $14.99.
Sony Electronics Inc. Background: Headquartered in Park Ridge, NJ, Sony
Electronics has more than 26,000 employees in North America. Sony
leads the worldwide personal video market with its line of Handycam�
camcorders and its top-selling Digital Mavica� camera. Sony is the
co-developer of CD and DVD technologies. Sony Electronics has annual
sales of more than $10.5 billion. For information regarding the
nearest Sony authorized dealer or service location, your readers can
call 1-800-222-SONY (7669). On the Internet, you'll find Sony at
http://www.sony.com.
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