Sony DCRTRV460 Digital8 Handycam Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom
Digital8 record/play, Hi8/8mm play only * digital photo mode * MPEG Movie EX mode * 460,000-pixel CCD * 2-1/2" color touchpanel *
Sony DCRTRV460 Digital8 Handycam Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom Accessories
 Belkin F3N401-06-ICE IEEE 1394 4-Pin/6-Pin 400 Mbps FireWire Cable (6 Feet)
Sony DCR-TRV280 Digital8 Handycam Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom
Sony Hi8 Camcorder 8mm Cassettes 120 Minute (4-Pack)
Sony VMC-IL4615 1.5 Meter i.LINK 4-Pin to 6-Pin Digital Video Transfer Cable for most Sony Camcorders
Sony NPFM50 InfoLithium Battery for Various Sony Camcorders & Digital Cameras
Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary
Sony DCRTRV460 Digital8 Handycam Camcorder w/20x Optical Zoom Reviews
- Get a 128mb memory stick to start (which means you also need a memory stick reader on the PC or laptop). - To process video files on the computer, you might need to add more memory - if the editing is slow, determine if more RAM will help. for instance if you try to plug in the USB cable to a pc first it screws up the drivers, and you have to go to troubleshooting sections to manual delete the drivers, then reload. (I ordered it, but haven't gotten it yet). being a digital video novice, here are the caveats you need to know after I spent all day on it, plus read all 43 review before this one:. OR, expect to pay $100 or more for Pinnacle Studio, or ULead's Movie product, or Adobe's video maker products. So, a year later, I fired it up this week and spent an entire day trying to play a video I recorded yesterday on my PC.
- Misc - I bought an infrared filter and tripod also for the camera. I ended up using the video capture on my separate Digital camera. Instead, try using firewire and the free Microsoft Movie Maker that comes with XP. - Using firewire - finally, I fired up my previously purchased Pinnacle Studio version nine, which apparently can't recognize the Sony USB connection, as it kept saying it was looking for a connection on ieee 1394 input, which is firewire (Sony refuses to say that common name). ATI Radeon, etc).
- Sony doesn't provide any memory stick card at all so you can't use that storage feature until you buy one. And now, my budding You Tube production might actually happen, once I get those cables. I finally figured out I needed firewire for best transfer to the PC (and so do some of the reviews), and ordered the 4 wire to 6wire Sony iWire cable by part number (read the Accessories catalog) because my PC does have the standard 6 wire Firewire jack on the back. - The battery is charged by plugging the power brick into the camera and charging the battery in the camera. The HandyCam pictures are only 1 megapixel, so I will rarely use it, but the memory stick is how you transfer the pictures to a PC (There might be a way with the USB line, but I don't want to waste anymore time on their software).
Or just make sure you have a good AV card with firewire and the right hardware specs to use the video editing software (i.e. The Sony part number is VMC-IL4615 - but get the Belkin alternate or another supplier - Sony's price is $39.95 when Belkin's is 1/4 of that. - Don't rely on the USB connection for anything except a streaming video to the Sony viewer, but you can't capture it. Mine was an expensive Sony battery.
- Order the 4 wire to 6 wire iWire or Firewire cable for playback and transfer, and if your computer doesn't have firewire, add a card with it. - Get a second battery. ALSO, I happen to have a Sony laptop, and it has a Sony design 4-wire firewire jack on it (not the standard 6-wire jack), so I ordered a Belkin 4-wire to 4-wire cable to connect my camcorder to the Sony laptop. - I like the features of the camera, the zoom and fold out screen, but the pain is usability and working with the videos or pictures once you take them. - Conclusion:. So the user wastes time trying to get provided USB cables to work and after two hours trying to install, reinstall and use the TERRIBLE Sony provided "Picture Package" software, or keep flipping through all the touchscreen menus to turn on "Burn DVD" which uses a CD-R (not DVD) and never find a way to transfer the video to the PC. - Sony uses a 4 wire firewire cable called "iWire" (they don't say firewire anywhere).
Pinnacle has special high end audio visual cards with firewire you might look at. So read on. Go for firewire, which means you need the cable (see below) and a standard firewire port or Firewire card on your pc. Some of the reviews here say you can use 3rd party batteries, but others say an embedded chip prevents using them. - READ the simple manual first for each task you do. Sony also provides an "AV" cable that has three composite rca jacks to plug into your vcr so you could play the video through that method, but I don't have a VCR anymore - I use a Comcast DVR which has the physical jacks, but they are disabled (a whole separate story about Comcast DVRs). VJ MY HP has the right specs, so I didn't need an additional card.
1-2 reviews say that you can't store movies on the memory stick, but I would confirm that - I haven't tried it. I finally got the low budget USB Streaming player to work so I could see my video in a small screen on the PC, but there was no option to capture it to a file (stupid). - You really need a second battery, which I ordered automatically, which added to the price. - There are no tapes in the box, so you have to buy some.
Just after I ordered it, I found that Belkin had much lower priced cables of the same type on Amazon, or you can order used ones or generic ones.
It is slow, and means you can't use the camera while charging, but I always have two batteries charged, so that is what you have to live with, or buy an external charger.
- The camera doesn't come with a bag, so you will need one.
If you just want to take taped videos, and watch them on a TV using the provided AV cable, it is ok, but NOT if you want to see or use the video on a PC and edit it.
I bought mine in late 2005, but didn't use it when I was overseas because the supplied software was TERRIBLE and I never could get it to work.
Other reviews here say 64-128mb are fine for storing the 1mpx pictures it takes.
- Expect to not be able to do ANY work on the PC editing your video with the USB cable or Sony's poor software.
BUT THEY DON'T PROVIDE THE iWire CABLE.
- Cost - So even though you budgeted $400 or so for the camera, the true price with all the above is more like $600-700 to actually be usable.
Would recommend this product. Works well. Has fire wire and is Digital Quality.
It keeps switching to Hi8 mode when the video isn't taken with the Hi8 feature (this makes the LCD screen turn blue so you can't see the playback). I'm just now beginning to find some of the neat features of this camcorder, too. You can take pictures in pitch darkness. I've read some poor reviews on what's happened over time with other people's Handycams, but I must say that mine still works after 2 years, a few typhoons and several 'dropping' accidents. I'll most likely buy another Sony with the color enhanced nightshot, but I think I'll switch to the DVD or harddrive version. Although I must say recently I've noticed problems with the handycam's playback feature. The reason I purchased this camcorder was because of the colored infrared nightshot, which works great.
I've tried cleaning, but am still getting the message. This past summer I started getting the same "Video Heads are Dirty" message that everyone is getting. Looks like I need to take it to be serviced, but I fear what the cost will be. It was a good camera for about a year and a half. I bought this camera in winter of 2004. Now it won't even recognize that there's a video cassette in it.
It's easy to use, takes great still photos as well as awesome video. I did require a special cable that didn't come with the camera though. It's zooms in and out nicely, had night shot and the battery charges quickly and lasts a long time. I know it was under $400.00. I received it as a gift.
I love it. I have had this camcorder for at least 3 years. But as a long time user of this camera I must say its worth the money. I make many little home movies with this camera along with my computer.
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