MINITESTS
MEMORY MASTER
Over the last couple of years
we've been championing the cause of nicad dischargers, as a means of
eliminating the capacity-sapping effects of nicad memory and cell imbalance. It
may only be a coincidence, but in the wake of our campaign dischargers have
become cheaper and more readily available, moreover, several camcorder
manufacturers now incorporate 'refresh' circuits into their mains chargers.
Vivanco, who earned our admiration a couple of
months ago with their CAD-300 discharger, have come up trumps once again
with the CAR-3000 triple charger/discharger.
This black plastic box, a little
larger than a VHS tape library case, has slots on both sides for six, 6-volt
NP-style nicad batteries. On one side there are three numbered positions, with
multi-fit lugs and connectors for all the popular types of battery, including
those made for Hitachi, JVC, Panasonic, Sharp and Sony camcorders. The three
slots on the other side are for Canon-style packs only. Despite having six positions the unit can only cope with
three packs at a time, and they all have to be on the same side, though that's
unlikely to trouble most users who will not normally need to mix Canon packs
with other types of battery.
The charger section is powered
from a 12 volt DC supply, via a lead that plugs into a car's cigar-lighter
socket; a mains adaptor is available as an optional extra. If more than one
battery is connected at a time they are charged in sequence, the operating mode is shown by a pair of LED indicators,
for each battery position. It is possible to switch from charge to discharge
mode at any time, by pressing the discharge button (but not the other way
around, i.e. from charge to discharge). The unit can discharge three batteries
simultaneously, charging starts automatically as soon as the battery has been
drained. The charger uses the negative Delta U system, which will take a
typical 1.2AH pack from flat to full in about 90 mins, discharging the same
battery takes just under two hours.
The CAR-3000 is clearly intended
for heavy-duty users or commercial and semi-professional video movie-makers,
running two or more nicads at a time; for them it could easily pay for itself
first time out, rejuvenating low-capacity packs, and keeping them that way.
SPECIFICATION
Make/model VIVANCO CAR-3000
Guide Price £39.99??
System triple charger/discharger
Features sequential charge, simultaneous discharge
Compatibility 6-volt NP-style nicad packs: most common
types including Canon Hitachi, JVC,
Panasonic, Sharp and Sony
Charge system negative Delta U
Input 12-15 volts DC, 1A
Lead supplied Car cigar-lighter type
Dimensions 120 x 50 x 220
Distributor VIVANCO Unit, C ATA House, Boundary
Way, Hemel Hempstead
HP2 7SS Telephone (0442) 231616
VIDEO CAMERA RATING 8
Multiple memory marmalizer
JUST IN CASE
If you've just spent several
hundred pounds on a camcorder it makes sense to spend a few pounds more on a
decent carry case. These days there's quite a lot to choose from, and we have
to say that most of them are quite good, but every so often we come across one
that stands out; this month we have two! They come from Camera Care Systems, or
CCS, who have been in the bag business for almost fifteen years, so they should
know a thing or two by now. CCS bags are unusual on several counts; to begin
with they're designed and manufactured in the UK, Bristol to be precise, and
they come with a 30-year guarantee, which says something about CCS's confidence
in their products.
The two bags we've been trying out
are the 853 Palm-Holdall, and 854 Video-Holdall, designed for palmcorders and
compact machines respectively. The 852 's main compartment has a draw-string
throat for added protection against rain and snow, though we suspect this is a
boots and braces measure as the fitted lid looks perfectly able to keep the
elements at bay. The zippered front pocket is also well protected and is large
enough to accommodate couple of batteries and tapes. The fully adjustable
shoulder strap can be threaded through a fabric flap on the back of the bag, so
it can be used as a belt
The 854 is made for compact 8mm
and VHS-C machines. The main compartment is enclosed by a flap with a double
zip for extra weather protection; inside there's a moveable partition, held in
place by Velcro strips. It has two zippered pockets, one on the flap-over lid,
the other on the front, for spare batteries and tapes etc. Unlike the 852 the
shoulder strap is fixed, though it is still fully adjustable.
Both bags are made to a very high
standard, and the generous internal padding should ensure a high degree of
protection against the inevitable knocks and bangs. Our only criticism, and
main reason they didn't get full marks concerns the lack of a shoulder pad. The
strap webbing is very smooth and slips off the wearer's shoulder quite easily.
Even without a shoulder pad -- and you could always fit your own -- they're
still well worth considering, and you've got until 2023 to claim on the
guarantee.
SPECIFICATION
Make/model CCS VIDEO BAGS, 852 and 854
Guide Price £34.99 and £31.99
Styles 852 - Palm Holdall; 854 - Video Holdall
Features 852 - 'Kobrahead' mouth lock, zippered front pocket,
removable shoulder strap/belt: 854 -
double zip top with flap-over lid, zip pockets in lid and front
Construction outer -- woven polyurethane yarn; inner
-- waterproof 'Oxford nylon'
Dimensions 852 - 190 x 160 x 85; 854 - 110 x 300
x 125
Weight 852 - 400 grams; 854 - 420 grams
Distributor Camera Care Systems, CCS Centre,
Vale Lane, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 5RU, Telephone (0272) 635263
VIDEO CAMERA RATING 8
Bags of confidence
TITLES ON SPEC...
Video titling software packages
for Amiga and PC-based systems are now capable of professional,
broadcast-quality results, but apart from the costs involved -- upwards of £500
if you include the price of basic hardware -- many home video movie-makers are
put off by the complexity and time required to work on these programs. Of
course there are now a number of stand-alone title generators, but these too can be quite expensive, or
have limited capabilities. Apart from using ready-made titles, there is another
possibility, and the key component could be sitting in your loft, or gathering
dust in the bottom of the wardrobe. It's the redoubtable Sinclair Spectrum home
computer. Almost two million of them were sold during the 1980's, and even if
you haven't got one yourself, you probably know someone who has, or you could
always scour your local car-boot sale for one where we've seen them changing
hands for as little as £10. Once you've got your Spectrum -- the later 48k
models produce the most stable images -- all
you need is Protitler 4 and Logo Master, titling and drawing programs
from Hall Products, costing £25 and £20.
Protitle 4 and Logo Master make
full use of all the Spectrums display facilities; it may look a little limited
beside the PC and Amiga, but Hall Products argue that an eye-catching title can
be put together on the Spectrum in a few minutes, whereas more complicated
designs on more powerful computers can take hours or even days to complete. In
any case a simple title done well will look much better than a complicated one
done badly; furthermore, an elaborate title can actually look out of place on a
modest home video movie production.
Using simple menu-driven operating
systems the user can choose from no less than forty different screen effects
with dozens of text sizes and an almost limitless assortment of displays using
a full sets of alphanumeric characters, symbols and graphics. With Logo Master
users can create their own unique drawings and designs, as simple or as
elaborate as you want. These programs can create animation effects, fades,
dissolves, scrolls and wipes, in fact they seem able to do quite a few things
that we didn't know the Spectrum was even capable of...
If you fancy having a go at making
your own titles, but don't relish the expense of a full-blown computer-based
system or a title generator, then dig out that old Spectrum and put it to some
good use.
SPECIFICATION
Make/model PROTITLER 4 and LOGO MASTER
Guide Price £25.00 and £20
System requirements 48k Sinclair Spectrum recommended
Features 40 screen effects, graphics, animation,
fade, flash, scroll, wipe, over 100 text sizes and fonts
Colours choice of 8 for background, text and borders
Distributor Hall Video Products, 147
Gladstone Street, Winsford, Cheshire CW7 4AU Telephone (0606) 551925
VIDEO CAMERA RATING 9
Save a Sinclair, and some
money....
MUSICAL BACKGROUNDS
One of the most effective ways of
livening up a video movie is to add background music but choosing the most
appropriate tunes is not as easy as it seems. NVM have done all the hard work
for you with a five-volume set of copyright-free soundtracks, grouped together
under various subject headings. Volume one is called 'Themes', a selection of
strong melodies which are ideal for opening titles and closing credits; there's
nine tracks in all, six with a fast tempo, three with a more relaxed beat.
Volume 2 is 'Moods', this time there's 13 atmospheric tracks that will
re-enforce the visuals, rather than get the audience tapping their feet. Volume
3 contains nine bouncy 'Jingles, Fanfares and Moods' a compilation of the sort
of hummy tunes that launched a thousand products and personalities. Volume 4 is
simply called 'Traditional' it's a fourteen track tour around British Isles,
just right for establishing a location, or accompanying wildlife, nature and
holiday productions. Finally, Volume 5, another fourteen tracks, this time
dedicated to 'Romance', and yes, it includes the obligatory Bridal and Wedding
Marches, but this time, in addition to the traditional arrangements, there's
an unusual heavy metal version as well.
Professional Soundtracks is available
on a variety of audio formats; ferric
cassettes cost £6.75 each, or £7.75 on chrome tape. A DAT version (48kHz),
costs £16.50, and if you want it on open reel tape (1/4-inch Ampex, 7.5
ips/NAB), that will cost you £26.25. There's an £8.00 discount if you buy all
five, or £5.00 off when you buy three or four together. The music is
copyright-free when used on home video productions, for private use, a licence
for unrestricted use costs £5.00 per volume.
A musically unpretentious
assortment of familiar and not so familiar sounds for enthusiast and
professional video movie-makers alike.
SPECIFICATION
Make/model NVM PROFESSIONAL SOUNDTRACKS,
VOLUMES 1 TO 5
Guide Price £6.75 (ferric tape), £7.75
(chrome tape), £16.50 (DAT):
prices inclusive of P&P
Status copyright free music for non-commercial and
non-broadcast use
Titles Vol 1 - Themes; Vol 2 - Moods; Vol 3 -
Jingles, Fanfares and Moods; Vol 4 - Traditional; Vol 5 - Romance
Average length approximately 30 minutes
Distributor Northern Video Music, Retford
House, Robin Lane, Bentham, Lancaster LA2 7AF. Telephone (05242) 61167
VIDEO CAMERA RATING 8
Dubbing made easy
LIQUID ENGINEERING
As a general rule camcorders can
go anywhere you can go; they're built to withstand extremes of heat and cold,
but one thing they cannot endure is getting wet, which is shame because there's
a lot of fun to be had underwater, especially at this time of year. Waterproof
or 'sports' housings are the answer, and Sony have been one of the few
companies to market them as accessories for their machines. The two latest
additions to their range are the SPK-TRA and SPK-TR1. The TRA is designed to
fit most TR camcorders, with the
exceptions of the TR1, TR8 and TR 50/60. The TR1 is meant specifically for the
TR1 and TR8. Both housings are waterproof
to a depth of 2 metres, if you want to go deeper then you'll need one of
Sony's Marine packs, which are rated to 75 metres.
The TRA is a side-opening
enclosure, made from a bright yellow, high impact-resistant plastic. The two
halves are held together by locking lever toggles, and the seal is maintained
by a rubber gasket around the lip of the casing. Inside the camera screws on to
a detachable plate, using its tripod mounting bracket. There are two
connections to be made, one for the external waterproof stereo microphone, the
other, which plugs into the machine Control L socket, is for the external
controls which are: stop/start and standby, and power zoom. The camera's lens
'see's through a window in the front of the housing, whilst the viewfinder is
visible through a second window on the back. The housing has an accessory shoe
on the top, and a leak warning indicator near the base, this shows red should
water get inside the housing. The outfit is supplied with a tube of gasket
grease, lens cleaning cloths, cleaning fluid and a carry strap.
The TRI has a rear opening, and
like the TRA it is held in place by two locking lever toggles. The machine fits
onto a docking plate, taking advantage of the TR1/8's AV connector system which
uses a row of contacts, built into the base of the machine. These include the
external stereo microphone connection and signals for the external controls.
The TRA also comes with its own accessory and care kit.
Both housings are generously
proportioned, and there's room (in the case of the TRA), for high capacity batteries. The controls are
large and easy to use, even with a gloved hand, though the zoom and stop/start
buttons on the TRA are fairly close together. The locking action on the toggle
latches is positive and secure in both cases, and unlikely to come undone
accidentally. Should you loose your grip whilst underwater both housings will
float to the surface.
Crunch time. Unfortunately the
editorial budget this month did not run to a two-week trip to the Bahamas, to
properly test these housings under real-life conditions. In fact the fiver left
in the kitty just about ran to a one-way coach trip to Southend, or a morning
at the local swimming baths. The swimming baths won. Before we set out both we
gave both enclosures a quick dip in a bath full of lukewarm water and to our
surprise the TRA actually began to fill up! Before it went under we had noticed
that the O-ring looked a bit dry and dusty; a dab of grease on the rubber and
the problem was cured. Down at the local swimming baths we were able to take
the housings close to their maximum recommended depth, both of them survived
the ordeal with no sign of leakage. Underwater the camcorder's viewfinder is
only useful as an occasional guide, it can be quite difficult to see, and if
you run the risk of bumping into things if you swim around with one eye
closed.. The underwater microphone picks up some interesting noises, none of
them intelligible, okay for capturing the watery atmosphere, maybe... Our only
concern is the integrity of the O-rings, judging from our experience it's a
good idea check it carefully and grease it every time the housing is used.
The TR1 and TRA seem fairly
expensive, as accessories go, but believe us, compared with proper underwater
marine housings they're a bargain. If you've got an exotic holiday lined up, a
suitable Sony camcorder and a penchant for snorkelling these housings could
open up a whole new world of video movie-making for you.
SPECIFICATION
Make/model SONY SPK-TR1 and SPK-TRA SPORTS
HOUSINGS
Guide Price £250 (TR1), £230 (TRA)
Features built-in leak sensors, accessory shoe, accessory and
care kits (O-ring grease, lens cleaning fluid, lens cleaning cloths, carry
strap)
Maximum depth 2 metres
Distributor SONY UK LTD Sony House, South
Street, Staines, Middlesex
TW15 4AT. Telephone (0784) 467000
VIDEO CAMERA RATING 8
Wet fun for Sony owners
MIX AND MATCH
Vivanco seem to be making a
concerted effort to take over the AV processor and post-production market and
they have just launched yet another new model, housed in one of their
distinctive wedge-shaped sloping consoles. It's the VCR-3024, a combined
3-channel stereo audio mixer, audio and video fader, plus a basic video
processor with adjustments for colour saturation, contrast and picture
sharpness. The price, in case you were wondering is around £170.
Like all of their products the
3024 has a bank of SCART sockets for all of the main video and audio
interconnections. It's not our favourite connector system but it works and once
you have all the necessary leads, they are very easy to use. There are three AV
inputs, selected by a bank of switches on the front panel, in addition there's
a separate stereo line-audio input for a CD or tape deck, this is via a pair of
phono sockets. This input is selected by a switch immediately below the bank of
audio level sliders. Next to that is the headphone source select switch and
monitor level control. Audio and video fading is controlled from a pair of miniature T-bars in the middle of the main
panel. On the right side are three control knobs, for the video adjustments.
The 7-pin DIN socket next to the bank of SCARTs is for connection to Vivanco's
3055 edit controller, allowing the two units to operate together. The 3024 is
powered directly from the mains and it even comes fitted with a three pin plug.
The 3024s audio mixer works well;
the fader and level controls are smooth and progressive, with no sign of
contact noise. Likewise the video controls are effective -- though we're not
sure the sharpness control does much for picture quality -- it is very easy to
use. In the scheme of things the price is a little on the high side but this is
a reflection of the quality of design and workmanship. Worth considering if you
need these particular facilities in one box.
SPECIFICATION
Make/model VIVANCO VCR-3024 AV CENTRE
Guide Price £170
Features 3-channel audio mixer, audio and video faders,
variable contrast saturation and sharpness, 3-channel input selector, RGB
compatible, headphone monitor
Sockets 3 x SCART AV
input 1 x SCART AV out, microphone input and headphone monitor (minijack),
stereo line audio in (p[hono) external edit control (DIN)
Dimensions 70 x 330 x 280
Weight 1.5kg
Distributor VIVANCO Unit C, ATA House, Boundary Way, Hemel Hempstead
HP2 7SS. Telephone (0442) 231616
VIDEO CAMERA RATING 8
Competent though unexciting AV
processor
---end---
(c) R.Maybury 1993 1307
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