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CAPTIVE AUDIENCE
INTRO
The uneasy marriage between camcorders and PCs
is finally consummated with the arrival of the JVC GR-DVM1, the first camcorder
with PC connectivity as standard
COPY
You can tell straight away that the GR-DVM1
is different, it’s the first camcorder we’ve encountered, with a CD ROM in the
accessory pack... The obvious question is why? Simple, in addition to all the
usual movie-making functions the DVM1 comes with all the necessary hardware and
software, needed to export high-quality images from the camcorder, into a
computer.
Once stored as data files images can be used
in a variety of ways, from incorporating pictures into newsletters and documents,
to illustrating internet web pages. The package also includes editing software
for the DVM1, and a desktop control program for their recently launched GV-PT2
video printer. Clearly you’re going to need a PC to get the most out of the
DVM1, and not just any old machine, it needs to be an IBM compatible with a fast
486 DX processor, or better still a Pentium model, with at least 8 megabytes of
RAM, 8 megs free disc space and Windows 3.X or Windows 95.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Before
we look at the PC facilities in detail a few words about the DVM1. It’s a
compact DVC machine, the second one from JVC, this time with a 2.5-inch fold-out
colour LCD screen instead of a conventional viewfinder. The general
specification is quite similar to the ground-breaking DV1. It has a very good
range of creative facilities, that includes manual exposure control, digital
effects and advanced editing features. It’s a delightful machine to use, though
the image on the LCD screen can sometimes be difficult to see in very bright
light. There’s plenty of useful extras, like a self-timer, image stabiliser,
digital zoom with up to 100x magnification, snapshot recording mode (with
shutter sound-effects) and a 5-second recording mode. It’s easy to drive, with
most routine operations and secondary functions controlled from a menu-driven
on-screen display.
The DVC format is capable of outstanding
picture quality, comparable with semi-pro equipment, bordering on
broadcast-quality. It sounds good too, with two 12-bit 32kHz stereo
soundtracks, or one 16-bit 48kHz stereo track; both compare well with audio CD,
in terms of frequency coverage and lack of background noise. The machine slips
easily into a coat pocket and the supplied lithium-ion rechargeable battery
gives between 20 to 30 minutes of recording time.
Accompanying the camcorder is the GV-DS1 docking
station. It’s a small cream-coloured box, with a slot in the top, and a set of
contacts, for the DVM1. It has a full set of transport controls, plus a sprinkling
of sockets around the sides, and this is where it gets interesting. The one
marked ‘digital’ connects to the PC’s serial port. A cable is supplied, though
it’s terminated in a 9-pin D socket, we suspect a lot of people will need to
get hold of a 9 to 25-pin adaptor, before it can be used.
The two main options are to use the DVM1 with
the docking station, enabling the machine to be controlled directly from the PC
desktop, for image capture and assemble editing. Alternatively the docking
station can be used as a frame grabber, with the composite video feed coming
from an external device, like a camcorder or VCR.
Loading the software from the CD ROM takes
just a minute or two, using normal Windows conventions. After that it’s
necessary to set the Com Port and data transfer speed, then it’s ready to go. There
are three capture modes: ‘step by step’ or manual, from an external source, ‘program’
and ‘interval’, the last two with the DVM1 seated in the docking station, or used
other JLIP (see below) compatible decks. The desktop is neatly presented, to
grab an image click on the capture button and a few moments later the screen
displays a thumbnail image (80 x 60
pixels), of the grab along with an index number and counter data. The program
then gives the user the option to display a larger window. Up to 99 images can
be captured in single session, that can be organised into an indexed ‘album’.
When used with a DVM1 or another JLIP
controllable deck, program capture grabs frames on the hoof as it were, with
the camcorder or deck playback controlled by the PC. Interval capture does the
job automatically, with frames grabbed at pre-set intervals. Either way it’s as
well to keep an eye on the PCs hard disc; a compressed JPEG image takes up
around 50kbs of space, if you choose to save pictures in the alternative bitmap
file format, you need to set aside 1.3Mb per grab. Bitmap images also take a
lot longer to process, typically between one and two minutes, compared with ten
seconds of so for a JPEG file.
The second piece of bundled software is a
video printer and edit controller. The
editing program can be used with any JVC video recorder, with an edit/JLIP socket, or other brands of VCR using an the
optional RM-V708 or V710 multi-brand infra red remote controllers. The edit
control window features a full set of source machine transport buttons, counter
data, cut in/out buttons, an edit decision list (EDL) and deck mode display.
There are also user-set fields for file names and comments. Scenes may be
copied, moved or deleted; all timings on
the EDL can be modified, a frame at a time if required, and the completed EDL
can be saved to disc.
The printer controller works with the GV-PT2
video printer, connected to the GV-DS1 by a JLIP cable, and used with either a
DVM1 or an external video source. With this configuration it is not possible to
print image files stored on the PC. Images can be grabbed from the video
source, singly, or in 4 or 16 shots per print. It’s a relatively intuitive
piece of software, that’s well laid out and simple to use.
PERFORMANCE
Image capture on a PC is arguably the system’s
biggest selling point. The DVM1 is where it all starts and it’s worth saying
right away that it easily outperforms the majority of digital still cameras, when
it comes to picture quality. Video resolution is in the order of 450 lines, but
the amount of detail, lack of noise and colour accuracy is excellent.
Incidentally this applies to both still (snapshot) mode recordings, or still
frames, taken from a moving image.
The video to PC transfer process does incur
some losses though. It is significant that JVC have opted for what amounts to
an analogue to digital conversion technique. The alternative route, that Sony
have adopted with their digital imaging systems, is to keep image data in the
digital domain. They are using the ‘FireWire’ interface to connect their
digital camcorders to PCs, though it is worth saying that they’re still some
way behind JVC in actually getting product to the market. A to D conversion losses
are actually quite small compared with the mangling that occurs, once the image
is inside the PC and up to the point it appears on the screen, and that holds
true at all screen resolutions. However, that needs to be see in context.
Grabbed images do look very good indeed, they’re sharp with lots of fine detail
and reasonably lifelike colours. In fact they’re noticeably better than most other image capture systems we’ve seen,
though clearly that’s down to the quality of the source image.
SUMMARY
Camcorders and PCs do not mix easily but JVC seem
to have found the right formula. This outfit succeeds on all levels; the
GR-DVM1 camcorder is a fine machine, and combined with the edit control
software, a very useful movie-making tool. However, with the JLIP capture
accessories it is transformed into what must be one of the slickest and most
flexible PC imaging systems on the market, this side of professional equipment,
costing several times as much.
BOX COPY 1
(*) JLIP -- joint level interface protocol
JLIP is basically JVC’s answer to the Sony Control
L or LANC two-way serial bus. It is used to allow devices communicate with
other, carrying control signals and exchanging data. JLIP jacks are now fitted
to all new JVC camcorders, some older models, some VCRs and peripheral devices,
like their new video printer. Unfortunately it’s not possible to say precisely
which products have it since it has been an unadvertised facility on some
equipment for a couple of years.
SPECIFICATIONS
Make/model GR-DVM1EK
How much? £2000
OPTICS
Lens f/1.6, 4.5 - 45mm
Zoom 10x optical, 100x electronic
Pick-up device 0.3in CCD
Min illum 14 lux (7 lux, low-light mode)
Filter diameter 27 mm
MAIN FACILITIES
auto/manual focus, exposure override,
fade/wipe effects, digital effects (b/w, sepia, classic movie, twilight,
shutter, strobe, video echo), manual white balance, audio dub, image
stabiliser, time/date recording, timecode recording, self-timer, tally lamp,
frame-record, photo shooting mode, 2.5 in
colour LCD viewfinder, random assemble edit (8-scenes), insert editing
AUDIO FACILITIES
2 x 12-bit/32kHz stereo PCM, 1 x 16-bit/48kHz
stereo PCM, external microphone socket,
headphone socket
GENERAL
Sockets: composite/S-Video and audio out (proprietary),
AV out, microphone, headphone (minijack), DC power in
Dimensions: 59 x 156 x 94 mm
All up weight: 0.75 kg (inc. tape and battery)
JLIP DOCKING STATION
Make/model GV-DS1
System req. IBM PC or compatible with 486 DX
processor or higher with at least 8Mb RAM and 8Mb free hard disc space, MS
Windows 3.X or 95, free serial port connection
Software included JLIP video capture, JLIP player edit
control
Features timed or manual video capture, (640
x 480 pixels 256 colours, to 1024 x 768/16.7 million colours), camcorder
control and editing software
Dimensions 113 x 61 x 145mm
AV PERFORMANCE
Resolution 440-lines
Colour fidelity good
Picture stability good
Colour bleed none
White balance good
Exposure average
Auto focus good
Audio performance good
Insert edit clean
JLIP BOX PERFORMANCE
Resolution very
good
Colour accuracy good
Image stability excellent
Ease of use fair
CV RATINGS
Video quality 8
PC image quality 9
Audio quality 8
Edit facilities 9
Build quality 9
Ease of use 8
Value for money 8
Overall rating 95%
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Ó R. Maybury 1997 0204
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