Sony Announces a 3CMOS Camcorder

[Filip Norrgard]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sony.jp%2FCorporateCruise%2FPress%2F200502%2F05-0202%2F&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8' target='_blank'>http://www.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sony.jp%2FCorporateCruise%2FPress%2F200502%2F05-0202%2F&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8</a><br /><br /></div>Sony has announced a new DCR-PC1000 camcorder that includes <b>3 CMOS sensors</b> to deliver better images, as <i>simulated</i> in the image below. :cool:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/newSonyCamFilter.jpg" /><br /><br />The videocamera has got the usual Carl Zeiss lens, and is capable of doing 16:9 video. The resolution is 2.8 megapixels and, according to Sony, the resulting recorded video resolution is HDTV quality. <a href="http://www.sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/200502/05-0202/">Click here</a> for the specs in Japanease.

[Philip Colmer]

Unfortunately, there is a big difference between high-definition quality and actually being high-definition.

Ultimately, the camcorder is a DV camcorder so it won't record images with a higher resolution than standard DV.

DMT posted on the announcement of this new model a while ago (along with the announcement of the 3MP DCR-HC90E):

http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7413

The posting includes a link to Sony Europe's English specifications.

I think I've also started to figure out how they are managing to store 5.1 surround sound audio, which is a new feature they are introducing on a lot of their camcorders this year.

In a nutshell, they aren't - storing 5.1 audio, that is. The special microphone is actually just four microphones. DV has long been able to record two stereo streams at 12-bit resolution. My suspicion here is that the microphone will record front left &amp; right, and rear left &amp; right. As the audio streams are pulled off the camcorder, the Sony software will interpolate the front stereo pair to create a front centre signal. The ".1" can be created by fudging any sounds below the typical subwoofer threshold.

The good news, though, if I'm right, is that you won't be stuck with using the Sony software. It will be possible to pull the standard audio streams off and then use an audio tool like Adobe's Audition to re-create the surround sound field.

I'm definitely thinking about the PC1000, though - it looks like one heck of a sweet camcorder.

--Philip