Performance

Those familiar with our First Impressions reviews know that we can only estimate this camcorder’s video performing prowess based on its specs. A full evaluation with testing will come as soon as we can get our hands on one of these camcorders.

The HDR-SR1 features a 1/3" ClearVID CMOS sensor, with 2.1 gross MP (1.07 effective MP in 4:3, 1.43 effective MP in 16:9).  Clearly a favorite of Sony’s, this chip is also found in their top standard definition DVD camcorder, the DCR-DVD505, and their new AVCHD DVD camcorder, the HDR-UX1. While the HDR-SR1 may borrow many features of the standard definition DCR-SR100, that camcorder uses a traditional CCD.

Sony claims multiple benefits to the CMOS over the CCD. The pixels are tilted 45 degrees and the number of green pixels has been boosted (humans perceive the most detail in the green portion of the spectrum). In comparing the DCR-DVD505 (1/3" ClearVID CMOS) and the DCR-DVD405 (1/3" CCD), we saw almost no difference. Of course, the CMOS chip does have added benefits, like lower power consumption. Its visual superiority, however, remains to be seen.

What we're really looking forward to here is the new AVCHD standard and its effects on video performance. Of the camcorders that we saw on exhibition in New York, none of them had the latest firmware updates, and were unavailable for testing. The Compression section towards the bottom of this review should give you a better idea of what this format entails. Compression methods and data rates have a lot to do with how good a video looks. But the truth is we don't know what the performance of this camcorder will look like. Don't worry, though. We'll tell you all about it soon enough.

Low Light Performance

The 1/3" CMOS sensor is certainly large enough to promise some decent low light from the Sony HDR-SR1. The camcorders that contain this same chip – the HDR-HC3 and the DCR-DVD505 – had excellent performance. What we’re really eager to see here are the compression artifacts. The clearest distinction between DVD and MiniDV or HDV is sometimes the artifacts, which tend to become more apparent in low light. The new AVCHD has yet to be tested in our secret labs, but we’ll get the answer back to you as soon as we can.

Format

**

Compression**

Much of the news in the last few months surrounding Sony has been the development of the AVCHD standard. For those whose heads are swimming with all the different formats flying around, here’s a simple explanation.

In May, Sony and Panasonic announced that they had co-developed a new method of recording high definition video to 8cm DVDs, the kind that fit in a DVD camcorder. Everyone has heard of the Blu-ray / HD DVD wars brewing in the home video and data storage markets. That battle will continue to rage, but not for camcorders. The technology is too new and too difficult to fit inside a camcorder body.

High definition already exists in the camcorder market. A format called HDV was developed years ago, and prices for HDV camcorders have begun to drop in the last year so that consumers can afford it – notably the Sony HDR-HC1 and HDR-HC3. But HDV is tape-based, and tape-based camcorders have started to lose ground to other media, like DVD and hard disk drive. Clearly the public wants high definition, but they’ve also grown accustomed to the convenience of DVD camcorders. What to do?

Well, engineers got together and looked at the latest developments in codecs, the systems that compress and play back all that data that makes up the visual and auditory information. MPEG-4, in particular, had been making huge strides with a codec called AVC (Advanced Video Coding) / H.264, which allowed large chunks of high definition video to fit in a small space. Sony and Panasonic built on H.264 to create AVCHD. They also expanded its range, so that in addition to 8cm DVDs, it could also store video to hard disk drive camcorders and flash media cards (SD cards and MemorySticks).

But is AVCHD that good? To be honest, we can’t say yet. The camcorders exist, but we haven’t seen the footage. We’re not even sure how they’ll match up against HDV. The maximum bit rate for AVCHD is 24Mbps. Unfortunately, that appears to be a distant goal. The maximum bit rate for the HDR-SR1 is only 15Mbps. That’s better than standard definition DVD and hard disk drive camcorders, which have a bit rate of 8.5 – 9Mbps, but still not the codec’s potential. Bit rate, however, does not dictate all. AVCHD is a very different codec from the MPEG-2 codec that the DCR-SR100 and DVD camcorders use. H.264 has a big following of fans behind it that swear by its quality. We'll have to wait and see. 

We can report that the HDR-SR1 has four high definition quality settings and three standard definition quality settings. The HD settings are as follows: XP (15 Mbps), HQ (9 Mbps), SP (7 Mbps), and LP (5 Mbps). The SD settings, which are in MPEG-2, include: HQ (9 Mbps), SP (6 Mbps), and LP (3 Mbps). All bit rates are variable rather than fixed.

In HD mode, the HDR-SR1shoots 1080i (or 1080 lines of vertical resolution at an interlaced rate of approximately 60 fields per second).  In SD mode, it shoots 480/60i (or 480 lines of vertical resolution at an interlaced frame rate of approximately 60 fields per second).

Media

The Sony HDR-SR1 captures video to a 30GB internal, non-removable hard disk drive. Hard disk drives camcorders have been gaining popularity in the last couple of years, due to their convenience. When your recording medium is inside the camcorder, there are no tapes to lose, no DVDs to scratch, and no flash memory card to break.

Of course, the medium has its drawbacks. Until now, hard disk drives were only recording MPEG-2 video, which has a much lower quality that MiniDV. JVC’s entire Everio hard disk drive camcorder series was simple and convenient, but we repeatedly slammed the cameras for their poor performance. Sony’s first hard disk drive camcorder, the DCR-SR100, seemed to tackle several of the performance issues, but was still not as good as MiniDV. With the advent of AVCHD, we’re all hoping for something better. Until we have a working model, we can only speculate.

The specs available to us right now do not indicate exactly how much recording capacity is available with 30GB (mathematicians are welcome to speculate in the comment section below). Sony does state that the hard disk drive can hold up to 10 hours of footage in LP mode.

The hard disk drive in the HDR-SR1 is protected by a shock absorbing system. The types of disk drives are also typically protected against accidental erasure if the camcorder is dropped during recording.

Editing

Finding simple ways to edit AVCHD footage will likely remain a challenge for the next year or so. Even years after its introduction, standard definition MPEG-2 footage from DVDs can be difficult for consumers to work with, due to byzantine file structures.

Sony and Panasonic are attempting to stave off potential compatibility problems by courting multiple companies for licensing arrangements. They want AVCHD to become as ubiquitously accepted as MiniDV, and early signs are showing that they may be successful. The list so far for NLE manufacturers planning to support AVCHD reads likes a Who’s Who of entry-level consumer editing: CyberLink, InterVideo, Nero, Sonic Solutions, and Ulead, along with support on Adobe’s Production Studio and, of course, Sony Vegas.

There will be some editing software bundled with the HDR-SR1, but the exact name and versions are unknown at this time.

Tour

**The Front
**Many of the design elements of the HDR-SR1 seem derivative of the DCR-SR100, though some major improvements have been made. The front of the HDR-SR1 features an F1.8 – F2.9 Vario-Sonnar T* lens with a 30mm filter diameter. It has a focal range of 5.1 – 51mm (35mm equivalent = 41.3 – 485mm). The lens is protected by an automatic lens cap which opens when you turn it on. Directly above the lens is a flash for stills, just as you’ll find on the DCR-SR100.

The first major improvement over the DCR-SR1, and a huge feature for us as camcorder fans, is the multi-function ring. It’s a nice, wide design, with a rough, textured grip for easy movement that allows for focus, exposure, AE shift, and white balance shift. Manual focus is crucial for shooting high definition, which makes flaws that much more apparent. It would be remiss of Sony not to include it, but a well-designed ring is something to appreciate.

**The Right Side **

The right side of the HDR-SR1 is busier than most camcorders. Usually, you'll find a flat surface to grip and not much else. Sony, however, has actually placed two of the most exciting features on this side. Towards the front of the right side, on the lens barrel, you’ll find the microphone jack hiding under a rubber port cover. Sony rarely includes mic inputs on their camcorders, so when they do we must give them credit (because when they don't were pretty hard on them). Clearly there is a demand from users who want prosumer features to accompany prosumer HD video quality. Above the mic jack is the flash on/off button.

The lens barrel portion of the body is approximately 1", eventually giving way to the rest of the black plastic body. A wide, comfortable hand strap traverses the lower half of the right side. The large, flat surface of the body provides a sold grip. Towards the rear of the right is another great surprise – a dedicated headphone jack. Under the same rubber port cover is a wired remote jack. We never thought we’d see the day, but Sony is actually surpassing Panasonic in its pro-level features in the consumer market.

Overall, the right side has a smart, integrated design. There right wall is eay to grip, with a decent ledge across the top for your fingers to grab on to. A wide hand strap always helps, too.

**The Back
**The rear of the HDR-SR1 looks more like the HDR-HC1 than any other camcorder. The battery pack takes up most of the real estate, but its open design does allow for expanded battery packs – always a plus. Underneath is a battery release mechanism.

Above the battery pack is the viewfinder (0.27", 123K), which can pivot up about 45 degrees. The HDR-HC1 had this movement, but the HDR-HC3 did not. It's always reassuring to see a smart design choice like this resurrected. The viewfinder does not extend out, however, so you’ll still have to hold the camcorder quite near your face when operating.

Directly next to the viewfinder, in the upper right corner of the rear, is the mode dial to toggle between video mode, still mode, and power off. The button is well positioned for the forefinger, though that space would have better have been allocated for the zoom toggle, which is given to the middle finger instead. Along the middle of the right side is the record start/stop button, in perfect position for the thumb. Overall, a clean, intelligent design.

**The Left Side
**The left side of the HDR-SR1is a busy place, full of lots of interface controls. Let’s start with the big LCD screen, an impressive 3.5" and 211K pixels. You should accept nothing smaller on a high definition camcorder, which requires a great deal of attention to focus. The company’s latest HDV camcorder, the HDR-HC3, has a 2.7" LCD, which we found to be one of the model’s weakest points. 3.5' LCDs have fallen out of fashion in the last few years, likely due to manufacturing costs and power consumption. The Sony DVD505 managed to get one, but the DVD405 did not. Panasonic's PV-GS400 featured one, but the PV-GS500 does not.

Along the bottom of the LCD panel, beneath the screen, are some redundant buttons that you may find more convenient here, like record start/stop and zoom controls, along with two other buttons: Home, which returns you to the first page of the menu, and One-Touch Disk, which automatically uploads video to a PC and begins the burning process to a full-size DVD.

The LCD cavity and area directly below are home to a number of features and a few surprises. On the left-center of the LCD cavity is the battery information button. Next to that is a switch cover that reveals – like some dusty candelabra in a haunted house – a whole host of ports along the bottom edge of the left side: AV (output only), component video (output only), and HDMI (a special port for high definition devices).

Also in the LCD cavity are a USB 2.0 port and a MemoryStick Duo card slot. Beneath the card slot, to the left of the AV, component, and HDMI ports is the DC power input. To the right of that input set is a button labeled "Image Restoration."

But wait, there’s more. Sony managed to cram even a few more buttons onto the left side of the lens barrel. This is where you’ll find the NightShot on/off switch and Backlight button, as well as the Manual button, which turns the multi-function ring on and off. All in all, there are some very exciting features here.

The Top

The top of the HDR-SR1 is simple, by comparison. Towards the front, on the lens barrel, is the built-in stereo microphone. Behind that, hidden under a hard plastic port cover, is the Sony-proprietary Advanced Accessory Shoe: great for attaching mics and video lights, it only works with Sony-licensed products. Towards the back is the zoom toggle, a raised, textured button with good tension and feel. Our only problem is that it falls under the middle finger instead of the index finger. Sure, you can make the reach if you have to, but a little user research would have let Sony designers know how much better a different position would be. The index finger instead falls on the photo shutter button, located right behind the zoom toggle. Behind that is the top of the mode dial.

We would, of course, prefer to see a non-proprietary fit shoe, which would open up the range of items you can work with. We've seen some pretty interesting DIY adapters, but we'd have to recommend against tinkering too much with your brand new HD camcorder.

Auto / Manual Controls

Picture & Manual Control

Automatic Control

The HDR-SR1 features Sony’s ubiquitous Easy Handycam Mode, which we expect to offer the company’s excellent automatic control performance. In addition to this mode which places the camcorder in full-auto, the HDR-SR1 also has automatic controls for Spot Focus and Spot Metering. These features provide users with the ability to fine-tune the camcorder’s automatic controls by selecting small parts of the screen for calibrating focus and exposure. The HDR-SR1 should be exceptionally as easy to operate in Easy Handycam mode as its standard definition Sony predecessors, with the addition of its high definition video capability.

*

Overall Manual Control*

The HDR-SR1 includes manual controls found on some of Sony’s top camcorders, and improves upon them with its multifunction manual control ring.  This ring is similar to the one we lauded in our reviews of the HDR-HC1, and is also found on the new HDR-UX1 AVCHD DVD camcorder. The multi-function ring is a pleasure to use with a smooth feel and a studded surface that provides lots of purchase.  The ring also benefits from the lens barrel's diameter, much larger than on the DCR-DVD505, giving the ring the kind of natural feel that comes with larger camcorders.  

 

The works for focus and exposure adjustments, as well as AE-Shift and WB Shift, based on which manual control mode is selected.  This camcorder also has a zebra pattern option that can be set at 70 or 100, a feature seldom seen on a camcorder at this price point.  Manual controls are not Sony’s traditional strength in the consumer camcorder market, but the HDR-SR1 boasts a relatively strong feature set.  While not quite comparable to the range of manual controls offered on Panasonic camcorders, the multifunction ring is the best we’ve seen on a Sony consumer camcorder since the HDR-HC1. It really brings this camcorder to a different level.

 

The HDR-SR1 camcorder retains Sony’s touch screen interface for manual controls not adjustable via the ring, and our usual criticisms of this control apply. Touch screen LCD’s get dirty – there’s no escaping finger grease, and this can impair a user’s ability to assess an image.  Though we must say that the 3.5 in. size of this LCD screen makes it less of a pain then their typicall 2.7 in. screens. Although touch screens are an efficient and user-friendly means of menu navigation, they are less than ideal for making manual control adjustments. We prefer manual controls to be governed by external controls, like the multifunction ring on this camcorder, or the joysticks found on Panasonics. External manual controls don’t clutter the display, or require you to touch touch the screen while shooting. The camcorder does allow manual control over focus and aperture via the touch screen, this would be preferable when the ring is out of reach, such as during overhead shooting.

Overall, we're thrillled to see shades of the Sony we knew from long ago, the Sony that wasn't afraid to load a consumer camcorder up with features rather than the undeviating protection of its pro line. Really the only weaknesses on manual control are the lack of Shutter Speed and gain control.

Zoom

The HDR-SR1 offers 10x optical zoom and 80x digital zoom. Like most Sony camcorders, it provides you with two sets of zoom controls. The primary device is the zoom toggle located on top. It’s always a pleasure to see a good zoom toggle. Chances are this is the manual control that gets the most use over a camcorder’s lifetime, so you’d better like it before you buy it. We do; the zoom toggle is raised above the body of the camcorder, and pivots back and forth with a decent amount of tension. You can get about three distinct zoom speeds, depending on how hard you press.

The second zoom controls are located on the LCD panel just below the screen – two little buttons (W and T) that are not pressure sensitive and move the zoom at a fixed, medium speed. While convenient for left hand zoom operation, they offer far less control. We really love it when camcorders include two zoom controls.

*Focus
*Focus is perhaps the most crucial manual control for high definition, even more so than standard definition. When you have a picture with four times the resolution of standard definition, your audience is that much more likely to wince at an out of focus image. Even slight focus problems come to the forefront. There are two ways to deal with this issue. The first is to let the camcorder take control of the focus on its own. Sonys have great automatic control, so you usually don’t have to sweat it.

The second option is manual adjustment. Manual control freaks will likely leap for joy when the see the multi-function ring, which can adjust focus. Wide enough to provide a comfortable grip, the ring is also textured with a rough feel, so even a sweaty-palmed student filmmaker will be able to operate it effectively. Don’t like the adjustments you’re making? You can revert to automatic control by pushing the Manual Control button on the left side of the lens barrel. This is an excellent feature, and one of the strong points of the HDR-SR1.

One helpful feature missing from the HDR-SR1 is an extended focus. Called Expanded Focus on the HDR-HC1, this feature performed a quick, 4x digital zoom to help with manual focusing, then jumped back to your original framing automatically.

*Exposure (Aperture)
*Exposure can be adjusted on the HDR-SR1, via the touch screen menu or the multi-function ring, in EV steps of 23 increments (plus or minus 11). There is no direct aperture control in F-stops, however. The multi-function ring also gives you the option for AE shift. The ring is a great time-saver here, particularly for those who find Sony's touch screen menus a bit cumbersome to wade through.

*Shutter Speed
*The camcorder does not offer manual shutter speed control. While Sony’s HDR-HC1 included this feature, it was dropped by the time the HDR-HC3 was released. Full manual shutter speed would, of course, nicely round out the manual control suite, but I guess we can’t get everything.

White Balance

The white balance on the HDR-SR1 can be adjusted in three ways. First, there are the pre-sets that come standard on most Sony camcorders. They include automatic, outdoor, and indoor settings. Pre-set white balances are rarely the best option for shooting, as they merely approximate what your shooting environment actually calls for. The automatic white balance on Sonys is generally very good but manual control is always best. Preliminary testing showed that the HDR-SR1 performs just as well.

The second method is performing a manual white balance. This is a simple manual adjustment that many novices do not feel comfortable making. But a good white balance can make a huge difference in image quality. Sony calls their method "One push," and it’s as simple as it sounds.

The third method is to use the white balance shift, offered through the multi-function ring. When activated, it allows you to adjust the red and blue channels to adjust for more subtle changes (i.e., shooting outdoors on a partly cloudy day). This is a very handy feature indeed, and allows you to side-step the more ham-handed approach of pre-sets when you can't perform a manual white balance.

Gain

There is no manual gain on the Sony HDR-SR1. Despite all the improvements from Sony with this new product line, Panasonic is still the only camcorder that provides manual gain on their consumer camcorders. That Sony continues to abstain from such a desireable and convenient feature is a more than a tad frustrating. It's a $1500 camcorder. The buyer deserves it.

Still Features

Still Features

The Sony HDR-SR1 captures stills to the 30GB hard drive or to MemoryStick Duo or MemoryStick PRO Duo (not included). In still mode, the 4:3 resolution options include: 2304 x 1728 (4 MP), 1600 x 1200 (1.9 MP), 640 x 480 (0.3 MP), and a single 16:9 option of 2304 x 1296 (3 MP).

Sony also gives you the option of shooting relatively high-res stills while in video mode. Many camcorders offer this option, but limit the resolution to 640 x 480. The HDR-SR1 allows for 1512 x 1134 (1.7 MP) stills in 4:3 mode, and 2016 x 1134 (2.3 MP) stills in 16:9 mode. Additional still features include a flash, which can be set to forced on, forced off, automatic, and red-eye reduction).

These are more or less the same still options found on the DCR-SR100.

Handling and Use

Handling

The general take on handling a Sony is that, if you’ve tried one, you’ve tried them all. And chances are, you found the experience a simple, if not pleasant one. Our biggest complaint about Sony camcorders is usually the touch screens. Given a choice between a touch screen and a good joystick, we would always take the joystick. The reasons for this are manifold: fingerprints smudging the screen, overly complex menus due to the need for large, touch-friendly icons, and the need to keep the LCD open all the time, thus draining power.

The HDR-SR1 addresses many of these complaints with the inclusion of its multi-function ring. As I’ve mentioned before, the ring has a great textured surface, making is easy to grip. The action on it is just right too, without too much give or tension.

The rest of the body handles very much like the DCR-SR100. The right side makes for a good gripping surface, though the strap could have been placed a little higher to help center the weight. All the necessary buttons are within reach. The zoom toggle tends to fall under the middle finger rather than the index finger, which might have been fixed with a little rearranging of the photo shutter button and mode dial.

The viewfinder has been improved over that on the DCR-SR100, and is now able to pivot upwards about 45 degrees. Though the HDR-SR1 has a number of additional ports, they are all well-placed. The hideaway port cover for the AV, composite, and HDMI ports is particularly clever.

The larger LCD also makes for some handling improvements. Sony interface is largely dependent on touch screen buttons, which appear larger on this screen. Despite the panel's increased size, it did not seem to weight it more heavily to the left. Most users tend to steady the camcorder with their left hand on the LCD panel anyway. Thankfully, the engineers seem to have taken note of this fact and beefed up the hinge. Whereas many panels seem as though they might snap when you test their stress points, this camcorder (albeit a hand-built prototype model) remained solid.

LCD/Viewfinder

The big 3.5", 211K LCD is one of the stronger features of the Sony HDR-SR1. A large, high resolution screen is a key necessity for shooting high definition video, where focus is important. The reduction of the screen size to 2.7" on the HDR-HC3 was one of the biggest losses from its parent model, the HDR-HC1.

Another reason that a Sony screen should be large is the touch screen function, which accounts for a large percentage of your interface with the controls. We’re not always huge fans of the touch screen system (due to problems with dirty fingerprints all over the screen), but they do have a fan base. The HDR-SR1 manages to avoid some of the inherent problems by offering a multi-function ring. If you can skip touching the screen for focus needs, so much the better.

The viewfinder is 0.27" and 123K. It pivots upwards about 45 degrees, which the HDR-HC3 cannot do. This is a substantial handling problem that I’m glad Sony took the initiative to correct. However, the viewfinder on the HDR-HC3 could not telescope out, and neither can the HDR-SR1. This is less of a problem that pivoting, so we’re not complaining too much. It could become more of an issue if you opt for a long life battery, which tends to jut out much farther than the included battery.

Audio / Playback / Connectivity

Audio

Kaloo, kalay! A mic jack and a headphone jack. And we're not talking about a mic jack and headphone jack that need to share their glory with an AV-out. These are each dedicated jacks. Not for many a season (one, I suppose, but it feels like more) have we seen these two features paired on a consumer camcorder. These were both on the HDR-HC1, but dropped on the HDR-HC3, which we found upsetting. We've been even more disappointed over the past three years with all the Sony camcorders than have been neglected of a mic jack, including $1000+ models. We've really taken Sony to task for not including them in the past, so, we must say thank you, thank you, thank you! We were happy when we found out about the mic jack, but the headphone jack is the icing on the cake. This brings the camcorder close to the level of the Panasonic PV-GS400, though the curent PV-GS500 dropped the headphone jack. We sensed a pattern developing, and are pleased to see an upsurge in attention to audio features. Well, done, Sony.

Audio is recorded to the HDR-SR1 through the built-in microphone and encoded as Dolby Digital 5.1 channel. We’ve already gone through the long-winded exploration of what constitutes 5.1 channels in the DCR-DVD505 and DCR-DVD405 reviews. The short description is this: the built-in mic area on top of the camcorder has four separate mics spread out over about 1.5 square inches. Because they are so close, you shouldn’t expect a whole lot of aural variance between these four channels. The elusive fifth channel is actually a digital composite of the front right and front left mics, creating an approximation of the center channel. The point one in 5.1 is also the result a digital process that boosts the low end or sub-woofer frequency. Frankly, we think that adding the Dolby name is more marketing than consumer benefit, but we can’t complain much, considering the other audio features. Heck, we don't even care, they could call it 4D Interactive Multiplex Action Super Sound with Cup Holder, this camcorder has dedicated mic and headphone jack - we're too giddy to really care about the Dolby.

The HDR-SR1's headphone jack (left) and mic input (right)

VCR Mode

Random access during VCR or playback mode is one of the strongest draws of HDD format camcorders, especially in comparison to tape-based formats. HDD camcorders treat footage as data, and present clips as thumbnail images in a menu rather than linearly. This greatly reduces the time it takes to find a given clip and is a definite ease-of-use enhancement.

The HDR-SR1 shares much of the playback functionality of the DCR-SR100, Sony’s first HDD-based camcorder. That camcorder offers clip browsing at either six clips per page or twelve clips per page. It also offers the ability to toggle between video, still, and playlist display screens by pressing the tabs located at the bottom of the LCD screen making for efficient access to all of the camcorder’s media types. This improves upon camcorders that require the user to switch a mode dial in order to review different formats, making on-camcorder browsing more efficient.

While viewing single clips or images in video or still mode, it is possible to zoom into the display up to 5x via the zoom toggle. It is also possible to move the viewing frame, when playback zoom is engaged, by touching different parts of the LCD. On the SR100, moving the frame caused a delay that became irritating, but it’s a nifty feature nonetheless.

Review Mode allows limited editing of clips and stills on the camcorder, and the Sony DCR-SR100 limits users to a few choices: delete, delete all, delete date, and protect. The HDR-SR1 does include an ability to direct burn footage directly to DVD with a Sony Vaio computer. When it comes to playing back to an external monitor, the HDR-SR1 offers several options: AV, HDMI, USB and S-Video with an optional accessory.

Ports

The Sony HDR-SR1 has an outstanding array of ports for all types of interface. On the right side of the lens barrel is the much-welcomed mic input (1/8"). Further back on the right are the 1/8" headphone jack and wired remote control jack.

HDR-SR1's LCD cavity, which has many ports inside and just below

The left hand side contains the rest of the port. A high-speed USB 2.0 port is located in the LCD cavity. Also in the LCD cavity is a clever switch which opens a hideaway port cover along the very bottom edge. Inside you’ll find an AV-out jack, a composite-out jack, and an HDMI jack, allowing you plenty of options for connecting to standard and high definition TVs. Next to the HDMI, under a separate port cover, is the DC power input.

Other Features

**

Other Features***

Smooth Slow Record* - The CMOS chip on the HDR-SR1 allows you to take advantage of this special feature. Once activated, it allows you to capture 3 seconds of video, then play it back over the course of 12 seconds in slow motion. The fact that it’s limited to 3 seconds will likely prevent you from using this on the fly, but as a gimmick, why not try to have fun with it?

Zebra Stripes - These are a very useful feature that indicate when parts of the image are blowing out (R, G, and B levels all read 255).Those areas will have moving diagonal stripes superimposed on top to warn you. You can set the zebra stripes to appear at 70% blown out or, if you like a little more leeway, 100% blown out.

EIS - Electronic image stabilization is less desirable than optical image stabilization, as EIS costs you some image quality (though you can likely afford to lose a little more when shooting in HD).

Disc Burn - The HDR-SR1 offers a one-touch Disc Burn feature. By connecting to a PC (with certain software) and pushing a button on the LCD panel, the footage will automatically upload to the computer and begin burning onto a full-size DVD. In order to use this feature, you must have a PC that meets certain criteria.

Comparisons / Conclusion

**

Conclusion**

The HDR-SR1 is one of the best examples of why this is an exciting time for camcorders. Within this single model, we see the major advance of an emerging media – hard disk drive – and the birth of a new video standard – AVCHD. Within the last two months, the possibilities of high definition for home recording have tripled; whereas until recently tape was the only medium available, now DVDs, hard disk drives, and flash media cards have become viable candidates.

We're incredibly excited by this camcorder. We thought this was going to be a year of better developments on the low end, but, Sony suprised us with something truly amazing for a last minute holiday season push with these new models. Even on its own, the HDR-SR1 is something to celebrate. It's a great camcorder, with a big LCD, a control ring (which we loved on the GS400 the king of all camcorders), mic inputs and headphone inputs. Oh yea, and we forgot, it's HD! High definition has finally been matched with the great features at a reasonable price. While we haven’t yet seen solid results of the video performance, the word on H.264 is almost entirely positive and we expect some pretty big things - possibly even comparable to HDV.

Sony's only real competition in the hard disk drive market is JVC and their Everio series. We give all due credit to JVC for innovating and paving the ground, but their camcorders have been racked by poor performance for two years, and Sony is clearly trumping them. Even in their first time out, the SD DCR-SR100 easily out-classed the top-end Everio with video quality. Now that they've upped the ante with high definition plus prosumer features, JVC doesn't stand much of a chance.

Remember, there’s a lot to learn before you should buy, because $1500 is a sizeable investment and there are a lot of choices out there. But take a good look at the HDR-SR1; it’s a compelling glimpse into the future of consumer camcorders.