Sony HDR-UX1

Sony has been getting really aggressive with its consumer High-Definition (HD) camcorders. The HDR-UX1 claims to be the world's first HD camcorder that can record on 8cm DVD discs. At S$2,699, this consumer camcorder is just a little pricey, but comes with plenty of features. Now, if you've always wished that you could get more HD footage onto a single tape, your solution is here. With DVD discs, it also means you can simply pass it around to friends and family who can slot it into their PC or DVD player to playback the videos. Unlike playing back MiniDV tapes, your mum won't need to mess around or even own a camcorder to play the footage back.

The UX1 is in all respects almost identical to its harddisk drive cousin, the Sony HDR-SR1 camcorder. The look and feel between the two is also identical. Both of them also make use of the new AVC (Advanced Video Coding) HD video standard instead of the traditional HDV format. Because the compression technology in AVC is more efficient (it uses MPEG-4 versus MPEG-2), you will be able to get more footage space from your DVD discs compared with using HDV-based camcorders.

However, the SR1 is more versatile as you can record both HD and Standard Definition (SD) footage on the same harddisk, but with UX1 you need to make a choice to format your DVD discs for either HD or SD. In addition, you are not able to store your still pictures into DVD discs, only into the Memory Stick DUO cards. Again, with the SR1, you can choose either the harddisk or memory card to store the images. With the UX1, though, you can share your footages much easier with the convenience of recording directly onto DVD discs.

Note, however, that traditional DVD players don't playback in HD, and you may have to record in SD to ensure playback compatibility. The UX1 is also S$200 cheaper in Singapore compared with the SR1. Recording Duration and Disc Types
The UX1 is able to record onto four different types of discs--DVD-R, DVD-R, DVD+RW and DVD+R dual-layer. It can also record in both HD and SD quality with four sub-modes in HD and three in SD. At the highest HD quality (12Mbps), you can record for 27 minutes using a DVD+R DL disc (which has about twice more capacity than the other discs), while at the lowest SD quality you can shoot non-stop for 110 minutes per disc.

	Front profile

The type of discs you choose also makes a difference to your user experience. For example, while the dual-layer discs have more capacity, they are write once only. So you cannot re-record over them like the rewritable (RW) discs.

Size and Weight
In terms of size, the UX1 is not the most compact of modern camcorders as it is about 20 percent larger than most portable tape-based HD camcorders. But it is relatively smaller if you compare it with HD camcorders of one to two years ago. Although it weighs over 700g (with battery) and 20g heavier than the SR1, it is portable and light enough to carry it around with you on long hours of shoot without straining your forearm muscles.

Easy-To-Use Touchscreen Menu
The new menu interface of the UX1 is simply excellent. It is one of the easiest menu interfaces to operate, if not the easiest, and viewing playback on the generous 3.5-inch LCD screen is fabulous. You can quickly access the various settings like program AE, white balance and telemacro with a few presses. Unlike tapes where you need to rewind or fast forward manually to find a specific footage, all your recordings are now displayed as thumbnails. Just click on one and watch Baby's birthday celebrations that are smack in the middle of the DVD.

The surface grip at the right side of the UX1 is also where the DVD cover is located. Even though your palm is essentially gripping the top of the DVD cover, you won't feel any mechanical movement or hear mechanical noises or get extreme heat emanating from the DVD disc below.

To start recording, you simply flip the power dial either to movie or picture mode. This dial is located at the top of the surface grip so you can access it with your index finger, which is naturally resting on the dial when you are gripping the camcorder with your palm. To the right of this switch is the photo button which you use to click your digital pictures. Next to that is the 10x optical zoom switch. You can choose either to use your index finger to access all three buttons and switches or you can combine your index with your middle finger.

The UX1 also has 80x digital zoom, and you can set the device to use only optical zoom or to combine both. Personally, we don't recommend digital zoom; you really shouldn't need to use digital zoom as 10x is more than enough for your close-up shots.

Your thumb is used to press the start/stop recording button, which is located right in the middle of the surface grip rear. Alternatively, you can use both hands to work the start/stop and zoom buttons located just below the LCD screen. Great Options For Audio
The UX1 offers plenty of options when it comes to audio. First of all there's the four-channel microphone, located right at the top of the camcorder just behind the lens. Even though it is only four channels, this microphone is able to record in Dolby 5.1 surround sound for homes with 5.1 surround systems (although it plays back in only two-channel audio on the camcorder).

	Carl Zeiss lens.

Behind the microphone is the proprietary Accessory Interface shoe where you can add on accessories like wireless microphone, flash and more. There is also a microphone jack just next to your last finger when you are gripping the camcorder. This can be used to plug in an external microphone for better sound recording quality when recording a distant subject.

Video, Picture and Audio Quality
The UX1, together with the SR1, are Sony's first two camcorders to make use of the new AVC HD format instead of the traditional HDV format found in the company's MiniDV tape camcorders. The AVC format is based on the MPEG-4 codec which is more efficient than the MPEG-2 codec found in HDV. What this means is that the file size of AVC footages will be smaller than its HDV cousins, theoretically offering no significant loss in video quality. That means you can record more hours of movies within the same amount of storage.

However, because AVC camcorders are so new, there are not many third-party video-editing applications available in the market right now, so you have fewer options to edit your footages. But if you just want to record, watch and archive your video, this really isn't a problem. Sony has bundled some useful software for you to create playlists as well as to view your HD footages on your PC via the bundled AVC player software.

	UX-1 with door closed.

From our tests, we found the video quality of the UX1 to be quite good. Compared with SD-quality camcorders, the UX1 offers very crisp and detailed HD-quality videos. When it is bright and sunny, the UX1 really performs. However, we felt the camcorder was a little weak with its indoor shots when there was less light. Under low-light conditions, we noticed there was some "noise" which led to grainy pictures. This was less noticeable when viewing on the camcorder, but when watching on the PC it was quite obvious. Audio quality was good, and this reviewer could hear both his kids and his own voice clearly when playing back. However, the voice of the videographer seemed to be a tad louder than the subjects in the background. This issue can be easily solved by plugging in an external microphone or getting a wireless one.

For still shots, the UX1 can shoot up to 4 megapixels, but only in 2.3 megapixels when you re using the Dual Recording mode. Dual Recording lets you take your still pictures as you are shooting a video footage. However, you can snap only three still images per recording while using this function. The picture quality is decent but not comparable with those shot using a digital camera of the same megapixels. This is not unexpected as camcorders always fare poorer in comparison when it comes to stills.

You can also capture footages in slow motion, such as catching water droplets from a tap with the Smooth Slow Recording feature. However, you can capture up to only 3 seconds of footage which is then converted into slow-motion frames lasting four times as long. Shooting Features
This camcorder is great for users who just want to point-and-shoot. In its default auto mode, the UX1 will make all the necessary lighting and color adjustments plus image stabilization to ensure you get pretty decent video footage. If you like a little more control, you can easily make use of the pre-programmed configurations to take clips of specific situations like close-up shots, at the beach or ski slope, sunset shots, a subject under spotlight shots, and many more.

	The disc enclosure.

The UX1 also has pretty good NightShot and Super NightShot modes which let you take footages in the dark where you would ordinarily not be able to get anything beyond pitch-black images.

You will love the manual ring located around the front lens. You will feel like a pro as you focus using the manual ring, which can also be employed to change other settings such as white balance and exposure.

Connectivity and Playback Features
The UX1 has plenty of options for you to playback your footages on your TV. If you recorded your clips in HD, you can playback over an HDTV plus 5.1 surround sound home theater system via the HDMI port on the camcorder. If you are playing back over a normal SD TV, the HD footage will be automatically scaled down to fit the lower-resolution screen. Here, you have the option of using either component- or composite-out cables.

To copy the footages onto your PC, you can make use of the USB 2.0 jack located in the cavity of the LCD screen area. This is also where the Memory Stick DUO card slot is located as well as the camcorder speakers. Having the USB jack in the cavity is not ideal as it means you have to flip open the LCD screen while you are transferring movies to the PC.

However, the HDMI, component and composite jacks are smartly located below and outside of the LCD cavity, and covered until you open them with a little switch inside the cavity. Ideally, the USB jack should also be located in the same location, but this is likely hampered by the limited real estate within the confinements of portable camcorders.

Note that your PC needs to be of high enough specifications to be able to playback the HD content smoothly. Having a PC with low processing speeds will cause jerkiness and degradation in playback quality.

Conclusion
Like the SR1, the UX1 is a great first-generation AVC HD camcorder. It is an ideal all-round performer with a superbly easy touchscreen menu navigation. It's great for point-and-shoot, too. Making use of DVD discs makes it easy to store and share your videos. Your friends and family can simply slot the DVD into their DVD player and watch your favorite shots. However, because standard DVD players are not built for HD, you may have to end up recording in SD quality to ensure playback compatibility.