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Product Review: Page (1) of 1 - 11/21/05

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Hitachi DZGX20A DVD Camcorder

Capture MPEG video to DVD

By John Virata

MiniDV camcorders have been around for about 10 years now, and have been proven to be popular tools for capturing video. The issues with regard to video cameras though is their connections to view the home movies on television. Many consumers still don't have the inclination to fiddle with cables so they can view their videos on TV or a computer. There was a format called VHS-C that enabled users to drop specialized cassettes into a specialized reader that was in the same form factor as a regular VHS tape, but it didn't really catch on. The tagline was "Will this play in my VCR?" Many people still don't want to read the manual to enjoy their movies on their TV screens, so a few manufacturers, in an effort to ease the viewing transition from camcorder to the TV screen began shipping DVD camcorders. That was about five years ago. Now several generations on the market, DVD camcorders are loaded with features, and the best thing for consumers is that they should be able to pop the DVD media into their DVD player and watch their movies on their television sets or computer displays.

Hitachi, the inventor of the DVD camcorder is one such company that continues to offer DVD camcorders. It currently offers its DZGX20A as its top line DVD camcorder. It is the fifth generation DVD camcorder in the Hitachi lineup. Similar in size to miniDV camcorders, the DZGX20A records on 80cm DVD optical media in both DVD-R or DVD-RAM format. It captures video in either variable bit rate or constant bit rate MPEG-2 file format. It can capture up to 60 minutes of video on a DVD-RAM disc, as well as up to 2000 JPEG images at 1600 x 1200 resolution. It also comes equipped with a 32MB SD/MMC card slot for capturing still images in three quality modes.

The DZGX20A supports both DVD-R and DVD RAM media

Features
The DZGX20A features a 2.1 megapixel CCD and is capable of recording in the 16:9 aspect ratio. It includes a 10X optical zoom and a 240x digital zoom. Your subjects can be framed via the 2.5-inch LCD display. The DZGX20A includes S-Video and Composite AV inputs and S-Video and Composite AV outputs, as well as a USB 2.0 connection, and a microphone mini jack for stereo in.  The DZGX20A  features an electronic image stabilizer, auto/manual focus and white balance, and exposure, .2 inch color viewfinder, as well as a self timer for still image capture. It ships with a 1400ml two hour battery, Ac adapter/charger, one single sided 8cm DVD-R disc, USB cable, S-Video- and Composite AV cable, PC software Ac adapter/charger, a remote control shoulder strap and lens cap.

The DZGX20A  can also capture still images to DVD media or SD/MMC media.

Included Software
Once you've captured your DVD video, you can bring it into the computer if you wish to create a DVD movie with the included DVD Movie Album and DVD FunStudio software.  DVD MovieAlbum gives you access to the video captured on the DVD disc. With DVD Movie Album, you can preview the clips captured, divide them, delete them add chapter points, and even export them out. DVD FunStudio includes prebuilt templates and themes that enable you to create a DVD disc complete with menus and text.

In Use
The Hitachi DZGX20A, at 1 lb 20z is a fairly light camcorder, even with the battery pack. It is easy to cradle in the palm of your hand, and the controls are simple enough to navigate through. The video isn't as high quality as what you'd get from miniDV, but the convenience of just popping that disc into your computer or supported player takes confusion completely out of the equation. It is a different feeling to pop in a DVD disc rather than a miniDV cassette. It does get some getting used to, but if you are using the the erasable DVD-RAM format, you don't have to worry about churning through DVD-R discs. Plus, if your computer drive doesn't support the DVD RAM format, you can always transfer the video via the included USB 2.0 cable. Either way, you've got options for transferring the video to the computer if you so choose. The DZGX20A is priced at $899. For more information, visit http://www.hitachi.us/tv/