ASUS W1N
While we wait with bated breath for the imminent (or was that eventual?) release of Microsoft Media Centre into Australia, the number of companies cashing in on the media functionality of next generation consumer electronics is growing quickly.
Canon MVX10i
Whereas a couple of years ago Canon might have described this as a mini camcorder, it now describes it as a compact multimedia DV camera. Certainly by comparison with the others in this month's labs it's not mini, however it does manage to pack a lot of features into a relatively small package.
It is an upright camera rather than the longer, squatter shape of the MVX250i and weighs 43 grams less than its bigger but cheaper brother.
Canon MVX250i
Canon typically puts out a good digital video camera and for a while had the market fairly well sown up. However, there is now plenty of competition and Canon can no longer just rely on its reputation to keep it at the top.
The MVX250i is a mid range camera designed for average users who want something more than the bare basics. Its 860,000 pixel (effective) CCD provides a good quality picture in most cases, including in night mode. However, it can be slow to find a good colour balance.
Epson Stylus Photo R800
Printer manufacturers have steadily been increasing the number of ink cartridges in their top of the range photo printers on the basis that the more basic colours they have to work with the more precise the overall result.
EzyCashBook+
Imagine having a 'Too Hard Basket' in your accounting software where you can file problems for your accountant to sort out. It is a good idea and one that has been incorporated into this new player in the accounting software market -- with a subtle change.
Hitachi DZ-MV550E
Hitachi pioneered the idea of consumer cameras capable of recording video direct to DVD. The early models were large and relatively expensive but high quality.
It has taken a while for the idea to take off but it is certainly gaining momentum with a number of competitors now coming into the market. Hitachi has responded by progressively making its cameras more compact and adding extra features such as a SD memory card for storing still images or compressed video clips.
Hitachi DZ-MV580E
There is not a huge difference between this and the MV550E.
In fact, if you put them side by side you have to look closely to see the difference in looks, which is model number in small print on one side.
Jargon Buster: Broadband
More DSL flavours than colours of the rainbow. Tim Dean breaks some of the acronyms apart.
JVC GR-D230
At first glance the JVC GR-D230 looks very much like one of the DVD-R/RW cameras. But it's the stylish design and disc like LCD screen that leads you astray and it is in fact another of the Mini DV tape cameras with the cassette cleverly concealed.
JVC GR-DX77
Selecting a winner from the 11 cameras in the lab was not an easy task. While there was a $1300 variation between the cheapest and the dearest, the difference in quality and features was not as obvious.
For example the Samsung D701i, which was the cheapest of the cameras, had more features than some of the cameras that were several hundred dollars dearer. The only problem was a question of reliability because the first unit to arrive at the Labs was inoperable.
Labs roundup: DV cameras: Introduction
Digital video camera technology is constantly changing. The transition from analog to digital has been slow, with tape still being the standard. But, while the Mini DV tape may be the most popular recording media today, many experts tip that within a few years most of us will be recording direct to disk. Already several companies are producing DVD-based camcorders and with the introduction of Blu-Ray disks in coming years it seems the days of tape may be limited.
Lite-On SHOW-832S
DVD burning has been around for some time now and became widely accepted for its superior storage capacity over its little brother the CD. While we see single layer formatted 4.7GB discs now getting into the 12-speed writing range, the real action is dual-layer burning.
Panasonic NV-GS120
If the CCD is the brain of a digital video camera it is logical that three should be better than one. A single CCD has to deal with all colours together while a 3-CCD system divides the primary red, green and blue (RGB) colours to individual CCDs to give a much more precise and accurate picture.
The result is a high quality image that is as good as any of the cameras tested - including the Sony DVD201E, which provided the benchmark for most of the others.
Panasonic NV-GS15
The Panasonic NV-GS15 is the cheaper version of the NV-GS120, but you wouldn't pick it to look at them. It is not until you start to use it that you discover why it is $600 cheaper than its big brother with the three CCD's.
The single, 800,000 (400,000 effective) pixel CCD produces average picture quality and certainly nothing that would compare with the 1.62 million (1.02 million effective) of the NV-GS120.
Samsung D701i
Just because something is cheap does not always make it nasty, nor does it necessarily make it the best buy. The possibility of the D701i being cheap and nasty was certainly a concern when the first one arrived and failed to operate, however, it was quickly replaced and the replacement worked fine straight from the box.
Sony DVD201E HandyCam
Sony's DVD201E HandyCam is a good example of how far DVD cameras have come and what a bit of commonsense can do when selecting the right format.
Unlike some of the earlier DVD cameras which opted for the unpopular DVD-RAM rewritable format, Sony elected to go with the more common DVD-RW format.
Sony PC108E HandyCam
Good things often come in small packages and that's the case with Sony's PC108E. It is only fractionally larger than the JVC GR-DX77 (the smallest camera in the lab) but weighs in 65 grams lighter.
Sony has kept it compact by providing a separate docking station that contains the USB, DV and S-Video ports. There also are AV and additional microphone connectors on the camera itself.
Tech Support - Windows Compatibility Mode
Are your Windows 95 apps not running under XP? Tim Dean goes through a few tricks to help you get it running.
Tech Support - Windows Search
Can't find a file? Tim Dean looks at some tips to make Windows XP's Search work for you.