Sony Announces MiniDV Video Walkman VCR

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Jan. 8, 2002 -- Sony is taking viewing, editing and recording video and still images out of the editing suite and "on location" with today's announcement of the GV-D1000 MiniDV Video Walkman VCR. Similar to a standard VCR, the GV-D1000 unit is a fully functional playback and recording deck. Using the same MiniDV tapes found in MiniDV Handycam camcorders, users simply insert a cassette and view video on the 4-inch LCD monitor or connect to a television set for full-size viewing.

Transferring Video and Still Images to a PC
The MiniDV Video Walkman VCR also provides two new ways to connect to a PC. USB Streaming uses a simple universal serial bus (USB) connection allowing videos to be streamed over the Internet for on-line viewing with Microsoft® Windows® NetMeeting® software. In addition, the GV-D1000 model is the first of its kind to incorporate a Memory Stick media slot. Users can capture still images at 640 x 480 resolution directly to Memory Stick media from the MiniDV tape for easy transfer to a PC, which can then be shared via email.

Video enthusiasts can also capture and share video within seconds with MPEG Movie Mode. Select up to 60 seconds of digital video from the MiniDV tape and easily convert it to MPEG1 with the touch of a button. These mini-movies can be stored directly on Memory Stick media and can be shared instantly by sending video clip attachments to email or posting to the Internet.

Advanced Feature Package
With a 4-inch LCD display, the GV-D1000 Video Walkman VCR offers viewing clarity with improved resolution. The 123K-pixel, high -resolution LCD offers sharp detailed images for monitoring or playback.

Available this month for about $1,300, the GV-D1000 MiniDV Video Walkman VCR also includes:

Playback Zoom, Trim and Resize -- 2X playback zoom allows for high-speed playback in forward and reverse, and playback zoom enables zooming into selected areas of video for a superb editing option. Users can also crop and resize still images to smaller or larger file sizes.

Optional InfoLithium Battery with AccuPower Meter -- For true portability, the optional NP-FM91 M-series battery provides almost 6 hours of playback or record time. In addition, Sony's exclusive AccuPower meter continually displays the battery time remaining in minutes.

S-Video and Composite A/V Input/Output -- The S-Video connection offers superior video signal transfer by reducing "dot-crawl" ? commonly seen as distortion around the edge of the recorded video signal. Composite A/V provides the versatility to connect to virtually any other video device.

Drop Frame Time Code -- Frame time coding assigns each video frame a sequential code number, providing frame-accurate editing for each of the nearly 30 frames contained in one second of DV video.