MINITESTS
IT'S IN THE BAG...
Hama's Action V-Combi is a fairly
ordinary-looking padded camcorder bag; it has all the usual straps, pouches and
pockets, with plenty of room for travel documents, spare batteries and tapes,
but open the top and take a look inside, something is wrong. The space for the
camcorder is far too shallow for the size of the bag, in fact it is only just
big enough to take a palmcorder. The reason is there's a hidden compartment in
the bottom of the bag, accessible from the top or one of the side pockets.
Inside there's a cute little tripod, measuring barely 320mm collapsed, yet the
8-section telescopic legs extend to a full 1.2 metres, with a further 170mm
available by cranking up the pan/tilt head. In spite of the legs looking rather
spindly, not unlike fat telescopic radio aerials, it has a locking leg brace
and is reasonably stable, though we
doubt whether it could safely support machines weighing much more than a
kilogram or so.
The pan/tilt head has a detachable mounting plate and it also hinges
through 90 degrees, which leads us to suspect that this tripod may have started
life as a still camera accessory. No matter, it's just the job for palmcorder
owners who want to travel light, and appreciate the worth of a tripod. The
price is fair, considering the intricacy of the tripod, and the quality of the
bag, which is up to Hama's usual very high standard. Recommended.
SPECIFICATION
Make/model HAMA ACTION COMBI 29240
Guide Price £80.00
Features zippered front pouch, end pockets, zippered net pouch
(inside lid), adjustable shoulder strap, adjustable compartments
Tripod Traveller 2, 8-section telescopic
Max height 320mm
Min height 1280mm
Head pan & tilt, cranked elevation, detachable
mount, angle head
Bag dimensions 180 x 230 x 380mm
Weight 1.7kg
Distributor HAMA Unit 4 Cherrywood, Chineham
Business Park
Basingstoke, Hants RG24 OWF
Telephone (0256) 708110
VIDEO CAMERA RATING 9
Traveller's friend....
POINTS OF VIEW
Have you ever considered how
useful it might be to be able to control your apparatus from a distance of up
to 30 metres? Probably not, you've surely got better things to do with your
time, but you still might be interested to know that it can be done, using a
gadget called the Powermid X10. It was originally designed to allow a living
room VCR to be controlled from the bedroom, but we have come up with a much
better use for it after we found it was capable of relaying the IR commands
from camcorder remote handsets. It works like this, the pyramid-shaped receiver
unit picks up the infra-red pluses from the remote handset, and converts them
into an RF signal. This is picked up by the receiver unit, which converts them
back into IR commands which are pick up by the camcorder, VCR, TV, or whatever
you're attempting to control.
The transmitter can pick up IR
signals from up to four metres away, and the receiver can relay IR commands
over a similar sort of distance; an optional extender module can be plugged
into a socket on the receiver, to control components that may be located inside
cupboards, shelf units, or out of direct line of sight of the receiver's IR
emitters.
The only disadvantages for
camcorder users, as far as we can see, is that both units are mains powered,
which limits their use outdoors, somewhat. However, we conducted some
successful field trials in one of our staffer's back gardens. The receiver was
powered using an extension lead, and it was placed close to a Canon camcorder,
mounted on a tripod, this was also powered by the mains supply. The camcorder
was trained at a suspected haunt for a local tom cat which had been disturbing
our reviewer's sleep, and carousing with his own moggy.
The test commenced at 2.30 am,
with a noise to wake the dead. Our groggy reviewer somehow found the camcorder
remote handset on his bedside table, aimed it at the Powermid transmitter and
pressed the start button. Incredibly
the noise stopped instantly as the creature was clearly startled by the
camcorder's light, not only that, the recording shows it was the reviewer's own
cat making most of the noise! An appointment with the local veterinary
surgeon's scissors now seems highly
likely.
Clearly a very useful gadget for
camcorder owners troubled by nocturnal noises, and we suspect it could have
quite a few other uses as well....
SPECIFICATION
Make/model POWERMID X10
Guide Price £70
Product category remote control extender
System DTI-approved wireless (RF) sender/repeater for IR
control signals
Power supply 240 VAC mains (receiver and
transmitter)
Tx range 30 metres
IR range 4 metres (to Rx and from Tx)
Dimensions 75 x 75 x 110mm
Distributor CELTEL LTD PO Box 135, Basingstoke,
Hampshire,
RG25 2HZ Telephone (0256) 474900
VIDEO CAMERA RATING 8
Remote possibilities
LEADER OF THE PACK
Camcorder batteries can have their
capacity to hold a charge reduced by half in a matter of months. The effect can
often be reversed, using a discharger but wouldn't it be better to avoid the
capacity-draining memory and cell-imbalance effects in the first place? Slow
charging is one sure-fire way of maintaining the capacity of a nicad battery
but to date slow chargers have been rarer than rocking-horse droppings.
Techno hope to put that to rights
with a purpose-designed high-capacity nicad pack, slow charger and discharger
units. The 6 volt battery pack is
available in most popular styles, to fit Canon, JVC, Panasonic and Sony
machines, and with a capacity of 2Ah it should keep most machines running for
around 90 minutes, possibly longer. Unfortunately the slow charger and
discharger cannot be used with other types of battery because the system uses a
dedicated plug and socket system. Full
charge is reached in around 16 hours, though the battery can be fast-charged on
a normal charger if required. Techno recommend that the discharger is used
every 6 to 10 charges, to maintain optimum capacity. The three units, which
look a lot like the ones launched by DSM a few month ago cost a little under
£56, or can be purchased separately, that's reasonable value and used correctly
this nicad pack should easily outlast ordinary batteries.
SPECIFICATION
Make/model TECHNO NICAD PACK, CHARGER AND
DISCHARGER
Guide Price £19.99 (nicad pack), £19.99
(charger), £15.99 (discharger)
Features slow charging/discharge system for increased
capacity and reduced memory effect
Battery fit Available for Sony, Canon, JVC
and Panasonic equipment
Battery voltage 6 volt
Battery capacity 2000mAh
Charge time 16 hours (using slow charger)
Distributor TECNO Unit 9, Hampton Farm
Industrial Estate, Feltham,
Middlesex TW13 66DB. Telephone
081-898 2772
VIDEO CAMERA RATING 9
No thanks for the memory....
EDIT ENABLER?
It must be incredibly frustrating
to have spent several hundred pounds on a camcorder, get hooked on video
movie-making, then discover you're machine is about as useful as a rubber
screwdriver, when it comes to editing. The problem is normally the lack of an
editing terminal, an invaluable resource found on only a handful of machines, though
it has to be said Sony and Panasonic have been doing their bit. Without it
there's no way of controlling the
camcorder, so it can be used as a source or replay deck. In fact that's not
strictly true, quite a few camcorders, especially Video 8 machines, come
equipped with infra-red remote controls, but without some means of linking
what's on the tape, to the control system it has not been possible to devise an
edit control system that would be accurate enough, even for undemanding
domestic applications.
Vivanco haven't cracked the
problem, they've just decided to work around it and although the VCR-5022 is
described as an Audio Video Editor, editing in this instance is an mostly
manual process and has nothing to do with automated assembly editing. On the
other hand the 3-channel audio mixer and variable delay AV fader earn their
keep, and combined with the somewhat suspect editing concept it is an
interesting piece of kit.
Both the source (replay) and destination (record) decks are
controlled by a pair of IR wands which plug into a panel on the top of the
unit. The 5022 has to be taught all of the necessary IR commands for both
decks, and this can be quite a tiresome business as the instructions -- not
very helpful at the best of times -- become increasingly hard to follow at this
point; Vivanco assure us that they're
planning to overhaul their instruction books, which until now have been
quite literally translated from the original German.
All AV interconnections to the two
decks and monitor TV are via S-Video configured SCART sockets, we understand
phono to SCART adaptors will be included. The so-called editing system entails
the user pressing the 'cut' button at the beginning of the sequence to be
copied. This sends programmed IR commands to the destination deck, to release
the source deck from still mode (at the start of the sequence) and release the record-pause mode on the record deck.
The timing can be fine-tuned to achieve an accuracy of around 5-frames.
Pressing the cut button at the end of the sequence re-engages the record deck's
pause mode. It's true to say that you
could do most of that almost as easily using the remote handset's that came
with the two decks but the 5022's saving grace is the audio mixer and AV fader,
which can be tied in with the cut command, for smooth scene transitions
We're mindful of the frustration
and annoyance that many camcorder owners feel about their machines, the 5022
should help some owners stop feeling that they're missing out on the editing
bandwagon but such relief as it can provide will be fairly short-lived because
there is simply no substitute for edit terminals. In the end we would probably
prefer to put the £250 towards a new machine, or spend our money on other items
of post production equipment.
SPECIFICATION
Make/model VCR-5022
Guide Price £250
Features learning IR controls, 3-channel audio mixer,
variable-speed auto fader, mic input, monitor output
Sockets AV input and output (SCART) line audio in (phono),
min and headphone (minijack) IR control wands (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 7
Some solace for frustrated 8mm
owners
ALL FOR ONE?
One For All, the universal remote
control handset has been around for a while but now the UK distributors, Strand
Magnetics inform us a while back that
inside their latest models there's a formidable library of infra-red
remote control commands, including some for camcorders. That sounded like a
challenge to us, so armed with a One For All 4 we decided to have a browse
through this library...
It's worth remembering that
replacement handsets for camcorders can cost as much as £60, the cheapest One
For All sells for around £25, with the models 4 and model 6 priced at £30 and
£50 respectively. The model number refers to the number of devices it can
control at once, so a One For All 4, for instance, could be programmed to
operate a TV, VCR, satellite tuner, and maybe the hi-fi as well, the model 6 is
a bit more advanced, and in addition to controlling extra products, has buttons
set aside for things like Fastext teletext.
Back now to the camcorders, our
first port of call was the JVC GR-AX35, a tough choice because whilst this
machine has remote control facilities, the handset is sold as an optional
extra. Clearly the fact that One For All was now supposed to be
camcorder-friendly hadn't caught up with whoever writes the instruction books
because there was no mention of camcorders at all. Undaunted we opted to try
the search method of programming, which revealed at least four potential codes,
all capable of switching the machine from stop to play. Two of them gave full
transport control but frustratingly none of them could switch the machine from
pause-record to record.
The next step was to call the free
helpline number in the instruction book. This was quite a surprise, an
unmistakably American voice answered the phone, it turns out that calls are
routed straight through to One For All's
US headquarters. In between some quite pleasant line-hold music and
messages urging us to be patient, the very helpful helpline assistant told us that
it was a fluke we'd got it do anything as it wasn't designed to work with
camcorders. He went on to say that there might be a way to find the right
frequency for a particular function, but it could involve up to four thousand
button-presses, running through all the possible permutations one by one! Sod
that!
Our next choice of camcorder was
the Sony VX1, we don't like to make it too easy for these people! Pretty much
the same thing happened, we found at least one code to work all the playback
functions, but no stop-start control. Again a trawl through the frequency list
might or might not reveal the lost code but life (and deadlines) are too short
for that. Our final guinea pig was an old Ferguson 811, made for them by
Hitachi, it's been around for a couple of years at least, so the codes should
have been archived by now. Not a peep. Despite several futile attempts with the
search mode the 811 remained stubbornly inoperative
We have at least proven that it is
possible to control some functions on some camcorders, and possibly, with
patience we could have accessed some more but it's a painfully slow business
and by no means certain. We would say to anyone wanting to use one for this
purpose, set aside at least one rainy afternoon, or wait for the manufacturers
to update the instruction manual and code library, then it could turn out to be
quite a useful little gadget.
SPECIFICATION
Make/model ONE FOR ALL 4
Guide Price £30
System universal, pre-programmed infra-red remote control
Power source 4 x AAA pen cells
Dimensions 62 x 192 x 15
Distributor STRAND MAGNETICS (Bush Tape),
Strand House
Woolsbridge Industrial Park,
Wimbourne, BH21 6SZ. Telephone (0252) 861000
VIDEO CAMERA RATING 8
Great for TVs and VCRs but still a
little camcorder-shy...
---end---
(c) R.Maybury 1993 2206
MINITESTS
IT'S IN THE BAG...
Hama's Action V-Combi is a fairly
ordinary-looking padded camcorder bag; it has all the usual straps, pouches and
pockets, with plenty of room for travel documents, spare batteries and tapes,
but open the top and take a look inside, something is wrong. The space for the
camcorder is far too shallow for the size of the bag, in fact it is only just
big enough to take a palmcorder. The reason is there's a hidden compartment in
the bottom of the bag, accessible from the top or one of the side pockets.
Inside there's a cute little tripod, measuring barely 320mm collapsed, yet the
8-section telescopic legs extend to a full 1.2 metres, with a further 170mm
available by cranking up the pan/tilt head. In spite of the legs looking rather
spindly, not unlike fat telescopic radio aerials, it has a locking leg brace
and is reasonably stable, though we
doubt whether it could safely support machines weighing much more than a
kilogram or so.
The pan/tilt head has a detachable mounting plate and it also hinges
through 90 degrees, which leads us to suspect that this tripod may have started
life as a still camera accessory. No matter, it's just the job for palmcorder
owners who want to travel light, and appreciate the worth of a tripod. The
price is fair, considering the intricacy of the tripod, and the quality of the
bag, which is up to Hama's usual very high standard. Recommended.
SPECIFICATION
Make/model HAMA ACTION COMBI 29240
Guide Price £80.00
Features zippered front pouch, end pockets, zippered net pouch
(inside lid), adjustable shoulder strap, adjustable compartments
Tripod Traveller 2, 8-section telescopic
Max height 320mm
Min height 1280mm
Head pan & tilt, cranked elevation, detachable
mount, angle head
Bag dimensions 180 x 230 x 380mm
Weight 1.7kg
Distributor HAMA Unit 4 Cherrywood, Chineham
Business Park
Basingstoke, Hants RG24 OWF
Telephone (0256) 708110
VIDEO CAMERA RATING 9
Traveller's friend....
POINTS OF VIEW
Have you ever considered how
useful it might be to be able to control your apparatus from a distance of up
to 30 metres? Probably not, you've surely got better things to do with your
time, but you still might be interested to know that it can be done, using a
gadget called the Powermid X10. It was originally designed to allow a living
room VCR to be controlled from the bedroom, but we have come up with a much
better use for it after we found it was capable of relaying the IR commands
from camcorder remote handsets. It works like this, the pyramid-shaped receiver
unit picks up the infra-red pluses from the remote handset, and converts them
into an RF signal. This is picked up by the receiver unit, which converts them
back into IR commands which are pick up by the camcorder, VCR, TV, or whatever
you're attempting to control.
The transmitter can pick up IR
signals from up to four metres away, and the receiver can relay IR commands
over a similar sort of distance; an optional extender module can be plugged
into a socket on the receiver, to control components that may be located inside
cupboards, shelf units, or out of direct line of sight of the receiver's IR
emitters.
The only disadvantages for
camcorder users, as far as we can see, is that both units are mains powered,
which limits their use outdoors, somewhat. However, we conducted some
successful field trials in one of our staffer's back gardens. The receiver was
powered using an extension lead, and it was placed close to a Canon camcorder,
mounted on a tripod, this was also powered by the mains supply. The camcorder
was trained at a suspected haunt for a local tom cat which had been disturbing
our reviewer's sleep, and carousing with his own moggy.
The test commenced at 2.30 am,
with a noise to wake the dead. Our groggy reviewer somehow found the camcorder
remote handset on his bedside table, aimed it at the Powermid transmitter and
pressed the start button. Incredibly
the noise stopped instantly as the creature was clearly startled by the
camcorder's light, not only that, the recording shows it was the reviewer's own
cat making most of the noise! An appointment with the local veterinary
surgeon's scissors now seems highly
likely.
Clearly a very useful gadget for
camcorder owners troubled by nocturnal noises, and we suspect it could have
quite a few other uses as well....
SPECIFICATION
Make/model POWERMID X10
Guide Price £70
Product category remote control extender
System DTI-approved wireless (RF) sender/repeater for IR
control signals
Power supply 240 VAC mains (receiver and
transmitter)
Tx range 30 metres
IR range 4 metres (to Rx and from Tx)
Dimensions 75 x 75 x 110mm
Distributor CELTEL LTD PO Box 135, Basingstoke,
Hampshire,
RG25 2HZ Telephone (0256) 474900
VIDEO CAMERA RATING 8
Remote possibilities
LEADER OF THE PACK
Camcorder batteries can have their
capacity to hold a charge reduced by half in a matter of months. The effect can
often be reversed, using a discharger but wouldn't it be better to avoid the
capacity-draining memory and cell-imbalance effects in the first place? Slow
charging is one sure-fire way of maintaining the capacity of a nicad battery
but to date slow chargers have been rarer than rocking-horse droppings.
Techno hope to put that to rights
with a purpose-designed high-capacity nicad pack, slow charger and discharger
units. The 6 volt battery pack is
available in most popular styles, to fit Canon, JVC, Panasonic and Sony
machines, and with a capacity of 2Ah it should keep most machines running for
around 90 minutes, possibly longer. Unfortunately the slow charger and
discharger cannot be used with other types of battery because the system uses a
dedicated plug and socket system. Full
charge is reached in around 16 hours, though the battery can be fast-charged on
a normal charger if required. Techno recommend that the discharger is used
every 6 to 10 charges, to maintain optimum capacity. The three units, which
look a lot like the ones launched by DSM a few month ago cost a little under
£56, or can be purchased separately, that's reasonable value and used correctly
this nicad pack should easily outlast ordinary batteries.
SPECIFICATION
Make/model TECHNO NICAD PACK, CHARGER AND
DISCHARGER
Guide Price £19.99 (nicad pack), £19.99
(charger), £15.99 (discharger)
Features slow charging/discharge system for increased
capacity and reduced memory effect
Battery fit Available for Sony, Canon, JVC
and Panasonic equipment
Battery voltage 6 volt
Battery capacity 2000mAh
Charge time 16 hours (using slow charger)
Distributor TECNO Unit 9, Hampton Farm
Industrial Estate, Feltham,
Middlesex TW13 66DB. Telephone
081-898 2772
VIDEO CAMERA RATING 9
No thanks for the memory....
EDIT ENABLER?
It must be incredibly frustrating
to have spent several hundred pounds on a camcorder, get hooked on video
movie-making, then discover you're machine is about as useful as a rubber
screwdriver, when it comes to editing. The problem is normally the lack of an
editing terminal, an invaluable resource found on only a handful of machines, though
it has to be said Sony and Panasonic have been doing their bit. Without it
there's no way of controlling the
camcorder, so it can be used as a source or replay deck. In fact that's not
strictly true, quite a few camcorders, especially Video 8 machines, come
equipped with infra-red remote controls, but without some means of linking
what's on the tape, to the control system it has not been possible to devise an
edit control system that would be accurate enough, even for undemanding
domestic applications.
Vivanco haven't cracked the
problem, they've just decided to work around it and although the VCR-5022 is
described as an Audio Video Editor, editing in this instance is an mostly
manual process and has nothing to do with automated assembly editing. On the
other hand the 3-channel audio mixer and variable delay AV fader earn their
keep, and combined with the somewhat suspect editing concept it is an
interesting piece of kit.
Both the source (replay) and destination (record) decks are
controlled by a pair of IR wands which plug into a panel on the top of the
unit. The 5022 has to be taught all of the necessary IR commands for both
decks, and this can be quite a tiresome business as the instructions -- not
very helpful at the best of times -- become increasingly hard to follow at this
point; Vivanco assure us that they're
planning to overhaul their instruction books, which until now have been
quite literally translated from the original German.
All AV interconnections to the two
decks and monitor TV are via S-Video configured SCART sockets, we understand
phono to SCART adaptors will be included. The so-called editing system entails
the user pressing the 'cut' button at the beginning of the sequence to be
copied. This sends programmed IR commands to the destination deck, to release
the source deck from still mode (at the start of the sequence) and release the record-pause mode on the record deck.
The timing can be fine-tuned to achieve an accuracy of around 5-frames.
Pressing the cut button at the end of the sequence re-engages the record deck's
pause mode. It's true to say that you
could do most of that almost as easily using the remote handset's that came
with the two decks but the 5022's saving grace is the audio mixer and AV fader,
which can be tied in with the cut command, for smooth scene transitions
We're mindful of the frustration
and annoyance that many camcorder owners feel about their machines, the 5022
should help some owners stop feeling that they're missing out on the editing
bandwagon but such relief as it can provide will be fairly short-lived because
there is simply no substitute for edit terminals. In the end we would probably
prefer to put the £250 towards a new machine, or spend our money on other items
of post production equipment.
SPECIFICATION
Make/model VCR-5022
Guide Price £250
Features learning IR controls, 3-channel audio mixer,
variable-speed auto fader, mic input, monitor output
Sockets AV input and output (SCART) line audio in (phono),
min and headphone (minijack) IR control wands (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 7
Some solace for frustrated 8mm
owners
ALL FOR ONE?
One For All, the universal remote
control handset has been around for a while but now the UK distributors, Strand
Magnetics inform us a while back that
inside their latest models there's a formidable library of infra-red
remote control commands, including some for camcorders. That sounded like a
challenge to us, so armed with a One For All 4 we decided to have a browse
through this library...
It's worth remembering that
replacement handsets for camcorders can cost as much as £60, the cheapest One
For All sells for around £25, with the models 4 and model 6 priced at £30 and
£50 respectively. The model number refers to the number of devices it can
control at once, so a One For All 4, for instance, could be programmed to
operate a TV, VCR, satellite tuner, and maybe the hi-fi as well, the model 6 is
a bit more advanced, and in addition to controlling extra products, has buttons
set aside for things like Fastext teletext.
Back now to the camcorders, our
first port of call was the JVC GR-AX35, a tough choice because whilst this
machine has remote control facilities, the handset is sold as an optional
extra. Clearly the fact that One For All was now supposed to be
camcorder-friendly hadn't caught up with whoever writes the instruction books
because there was no mention of camcorders at all. Undaunted we opted to try
the search method of programming, which revealed at least four potential codes,
all capable of switching the machine from stop to play. Two of them gave full
transport control but frustratingly none of them could switch the machine from
pause-record to record.
The next step was to call the free
helpline number in the instruction book. This was quite a surprise, an
unmistakably American voice answered the phone, it turns out that calls are
routed straight through to One For All's
US headquarters. In between some quite pleasant line-hold music and
messages urging us to be patient, the very helpful helpline assistant told us that
it was a fluke we'd got it do anything as it wasn't designed to work with
camcorders. He went on to say that there might be a way to find the right
frequency for a particular function, but it could involve up to four thousand
button-presses, running through all the possible permutations one by one! Sod
that!
Our next choice of camcorder was
the Sony VX1, we don't like to make it too easy for these people! Pretty much
the same thing happened, we found at least one code to work all the playback
functions, but no stop-start control. Again a trawl through the frequency list
might or might not reveal the lost code but life (and deadlines) are too short
for that. Our final guinea pig was an old Ferguson 811, made for them by
Hitachi, it's been around for a couple of years at least, so the codes should
have been archived by now. Not a peep. Despite several futile attempts with the
search mode the 811 remained stubbornly inoperative
We have at least proven that it is
possible to control some functions on some camcorders, and possibly, with
patience we could have accessed some more but it's a painfully slow business
and by no means certain. We would say to anyone wanting to use one for this
purpose, set aside at least one rainy afternoon, or wait for the manufacturers
to update the instruction manual and code library, then it could turn out to be
quite a useful little gadget.
SPECIFICATION
Make/model ONE FOR ALL 4
Guide Price £30
System universal, pre-programmed infra-red remote control
Power source 4 x AAA pen cells
Dimensions 62 x 192 x 15
Distributor STRAND MAGNETICS (Bush Tape),
Strand House
Woolsbridge Industrial Park,
Wimbourne, BH21 6SZ. Telephone (0252) 861000
VIDEO CAMERA RATING 8
Great for TVs and VCRs but still a
little camcorder-shy...
---end---
(c) R.Maybury 1993 2206
| 
