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JVC GV-PT2 VIDEO PRINTER
INTRO
This versatile and highly compact video
printer delivers near photographic quality, postcard-sized images in just one
and a half minutes
COPY
Right now a video printer is probably way
down on your list of priorities. They’ve been around for at least the past five
years but until recently the cheapest ones sold for at least £1000. This has
tended to confine them to somewhat specialist applications, like producing
photo identity cards, we also understand they’re very popular with estate
agents... That could all be about to change. JVC are one of a number of
companies launching a new generation of low-cost video printers, targeted at a
much wider audience, that includes domestic users.
The GV-PT2 was launched at the same time as
the new GR-DVM1 digital camcorder, they’re meant to compliment one another, but
it will actually work with PAL video source, and that includes other
camcorders, VCRs and digital still cameras. However, unlike most of the other
video printers we’ve seen, this one has a parallel port, for connection to a
PC. Moreover, the software suite bundled with the DVM1 camcorder includes
control and image export applications for the printer.
It is unusually compact. Video printers tend
to be housed in VCR-sized cases; this one actually takes up less deskspace than
a sheet of A4 paper. It is fairly basic. In addition to single images on
postcard-sized sheets of printing paper it can generate multiple images, with 4
or 16 pictures per sheet. These can all be the same, captured or ‘strobed’
sequentially from a moving video sequence, or individually, one at a time.
There’s a choice of layouts (landscape or portrait), and pre-formatted styles
for calendars, business cards and cassette labels. Titles and simple graphics
can be superimposed on the finished print. Consumables, in the form of packs of
printing paper and ink film cartridges put the cost of prints at just under £1
each. The printer holds up to 25 sheets of print paper and each image takes
around 90 seconds to emerge, after the print button is pressed.
The printer uses a technique called dye
sublimation which is capable of reproducing a palette of 16.7 million colours. That sounds quite
impressive but it has to be said that low cost units like this one are not an
alternative to chemical photography, when it comes to the ability to reproduce
fine detail. Video images and those generated on a PC contain a small fraction
of the information that can be resolved on photographic film, and that includes
cheap disposable cameras.
However, the lack of detail only becomes
apparent when you study the prints at close quarters. It also highlights the
relatively narrow contrast range; images to be printed need to be chosen with
care as the printer has only rudimentary picture controls. Nonetheless, the
printer does a good job of eliminating video line structure and there’s no
evidence of pixellation. Colours can look a little flat and it definitely
favours brightly lit scenes and subjects.
Video printing, like digital still
photography still has a considerable way to go before anyone needs to worry
about chucking out their Instamatics and 35mm cameras. If instant results are
important then Polaroid cameras are just as quick and far better quality, but
maybe that’s missing the point. No other system at present can rival the
flexibility of video, and the all-important connectivity with a PC, that
enables images to be processed, manipulated and archived in a way that no other
technology can match.
BOX COPY 1
An affordable taste of the future, on the
lookout for some problems to solve
How much? £500
What is it? digital video printer
System PAL I/VGA
Connections video in (phono & S-Video) video
out (phono), remote pause & JLIP
(minijack), parallel port (25-pin D-sub)
Contact: JVC UK Ltd., 0181-450 3282
Image quality ****
Ease of installation ****
Ease of use ****
Build quality *****
Value for money ***
CV Rating 78%
HEAD
SANYO DIGICAM
INTRO
Digital still video camera technology is advancing
in leaps and bounds, this cute little snapshooter from Sanyo has certainly won
us over...
COPY
As recently as a year ago about the kindest
thing you could say about most low-cost digital still video cameras, was that
they were interesting toys. To be perfectly honest that still holds true for a
lot of them, but the technology has been progressing at a tremendous rate and
we’re now seeing second and third generation products, that deserve to be taken
a lot more seriously.
The new Sanyo Digicam is one of them. It’s
the company’s second digital camera and clearly a much more refined product.
It’s no larger than a conventional 35mm compact, and from the front it could
easily pass for one; it has a built-in flash, optical viewfinder and sliding
lens cover, that doubles as an on/off switch. It becomes obvious this is no
ordinary camera when you take a look around the back. There you will find a
2-inch polysilicon TFT colour LCD screen, that can be used as a viewfinder, or
to replay captured images on the spot.
It has only a small handful of controls, the
shutter button is on the top, alongside a small LCD display frame counter, mode
and status display. A group of four buttons selects flash mode, high or low resolution,
single or continuous shot, self timer, and an interesting facility that allows
you to record a 6-second voice caption for each frame. On the back there’s a
selector switch for record or replay mode, a four-way function knob for the display,
and on the front there’s a power-save switch for the display. The camera is
powered by a set of 4-AA sized cells, that live in a compartment on the
underside of the camera.
There’s a choice between high and
low-resolution image recording; the internal (and non expandable) 4 megabyte
memory can store 60 (640 x 480 pixel) high-res images, or 120 (320 x 240 pixel)
in low-res mode. Recording sound captions reduces the image capacity to 40
high-res and 60 low resolution shots. The camera has both digital and PAL analogue
outputs, so it can be connected to an ordinary TV, via it’s AV input socket.
The outfit includes a video connection lead and serial interface cable, the
supplied Photosuite software comes on a CD ROM, MGI Photoviewer is included for
MAC PCs.
We needn’t dwell on how simple the camera is
to use, it is an almost idiot-proof point and shoot design. In the replay mode
there’s a choice between single or multiple frame display. If you like what you
see keep it, if not erase it. Downloading to a PC is pretty straightforward
too. PhotoSuite has well designed front-end, that makes it easy to copy across
images, and once stored on hard disc, organise into an album or slide show.
There’s a good selection of image manipulation tools, and plenty of fun
features, including templates for creating calendars, posters signs, advertising
flyers, greetings cards and magazine covers.
So what about resolution and quality? There’s
no point comparing digital stills with normal photographs, we’re talking about
chalk and cheese, but if we confine ourselves to its ability to get pictures
onto a TV screen, or into a PC, and out again, via a colour printer, then we
have to say the results are quite excellent. Obviously with only 640 x 240
pixels to play with it doesn’t do to go in for much enlargement, but on-screen
images look clean and bright, colours are reasonably faithful -- on shots taken
in good natural light. Indoors flash pictures can be a bit variable, but the
hit-rate is no worse than a conventional 35mm compact. More good news, when the
time comes to print out images. We tried it first on a cheap and cheerful Canon
BJ210, using ordinary photocopy paper, and they really looked good. It looked
even better on a middle of the range HP Deskjet and with high-grade inkjet
paper the results were quite simply excellent.
This is one of the best little digital still
cameras and software bundles we’ve tried. It’s a great way of getting pictures
into a PC; once there, there’s a million and one things you can do with them,
from incorporating them into documents and newsletters, to creating your own
web pages, but is this the best or cheapest way to do it? You can now get good
quality colour scanners for less than £200, video digitisers cost around the
same, and both are more flexible. True, but you can’t ignore the fun factor of
this little beauty, and in the end that’s what won us over. They’re going to
get cheaper and the quality will improve, but hey, life’s too short. If you can
afford it, why wait?
How much? £550
What is it? digital still video camera
Features 2-inch TFT colour LCD viewing
screen, 4Mb memory for 60 high definition (640 x 480 pixels) or 120
low-definition (320 x 240 pixels), built-in flash, voice caption recording (6
seconds per print), auto focus, multi-shot function (16 images at 0.1 or 0.2
second delay), AV output, IBM/MAC compatible, Photosuite SE software included
Lens auto-focus, 5mm, F2.8/5.6/11
Image sensor 0.3-in CCD, 350k pixels
Shutter 1/4 - 1/10,000th sec
Connections digital out, AV out and earphone
(minijack), DC power connector
Contact: Sanyo UK Ltd., (01923) 246363
Image quality ****
Ease of use *****
Build quality ****
Value for money ****
CV Rating 80%
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Ó R. Maybury 0905 0905
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