So how does the CCD-TR700 perform? In a word, excellently. Video quality is very good, audio quality superb. Resolution and detail fall mid-pack in the Hi8 class. The Sony's image stayed noise-free even in low light conditions; extremely low light sensitivity was average, but the TR700 delivered a better-than-normal image in moderate light.

Sound pickup was clean and clear. The Sony has a zoom mike setting, which adjusts pickup pattern to match the zoom setting. Stereo imaging is first rate at the wider settings, collapsing to mono at tight zooms.

The change between wide and tight is abrupt and distracting--I eventually disabled the zoom mike setting altogether. The Sony's wind compensation setting is also pretty drastic, really thinning out voices and music. Last audio beef: in quiet conditions, the built-in mike picks up a lot of motor noises. You can distinctly hear the zoom, focus and transport motors. Plan on shooting with an external mike in quiet locales. Ergonomically, the TR700 provides an enjoyable shooting experience. The unit balances nicely in the palm, with major controls easy to find and use. The viewfinder hood is square, however, and doesn't seal tightly against the eye. This makes it nearly impossible to see the LCD in bright sunlight. Those last few quibbles aside, the Sony CCD-TR700 is a solid Hi8 performer. It offers a good mix of convenient features, powerful manual controls and high-quality recording. Hi8 shoppers, be sure to test drive the new TR700.
--Loren Alldrin

Sony CCD-TR700 Hi8 Camcorder

Format: Hi8 (8mm compatible)

Lens: 2-speed 10:1 optical zoom, f/1.6, 6.1-61mm focal length

Viewfinder: Active-matrix color LCD

Exposure: Auto, absolute manual, program AE

Program AE modes: Portrait, sports, high speed shutter, twilight

Focus: TTL auto, manual override

Audio: AFM hi-fi stereo

White balance: Continuous auto, hold, 2 presets

Other features: optical image stabilization, RCTC read/write, mosaic or black fade, infrared remote, edit search, in-viewfinder zoom and exposure meters, data code record

Inputs: S-video, composite video, stereo audio, microphone, LANC

Outputs: S-video, composite video, stereo audio, headphones

Dimensions: 4.5 (height) by 4.5 (width) by 8.5 (depth) inches

Weight: 2 pounds (sans tape and battery)

Video Performance (approx.): Horizontal resolution (camera) 430 lines

Horizontal resolution (playback): 400 lines

Performance Times: Pause to record 0.5 second, Power-up to record 4 seconds

Fast forward/rewind (30 min. tape): 1 minutes, 40 seconds

Sony CCD-TR700 Hi8 Camcorder
Sony
Sony Drive
Park Ridge, NJ 07656
www.sony.com
($1800)

About a year ago we reviewed Videonics' first entry in the stand-alone video titler product class: the Video TitleMaker (TM-1). That machine caused quite a stir. It offered good looking fonts, interesting backgrounds, attractive display modes and easy operation-at a previously unheard of suggested list price of $500.

After analyzing feedback from users-including suggestions for new features-Videonics' engineers began the task of improving the already commendable TM-1. The result: the Video TitleMaker 2000 (TM-2000), a refined titler at a price that remains affordable. Let's take a closer look at this second generation titler from Videonics.

First off, the TM-2000 offers something that all Videomakers desire: more fonts. Combinations of typefaces, sizes and styles create over 90 possibilities. Most of the resulting characters are smooth and clean, though a few suffer jagged edges. The TM-2000 provides a wide range of useful typefaces, from bold block letters to thin delicate characters; plus unique ones like Old English, cartoon style and some upper-case only typefaces. The new script font is a particularly welcome addition.

The TM-2000 adds a new preview output capability-a professional feature. With the composite preview signal routed to a separate monitor, the user can change, add or otherwise manipulate titles; the audience won't see the titles as they change-only the preview monitor displays the edit screen, not the program monitor.

Say you're working on a live baseball game and you want to update the score. No problem. First go into preview mode, enter the new information and then return to normal mode to display the revised score to the TV audience. Another valuable new feature: the TM-2000's ability to designate certain pages of text to specific projects. Each project has a user definable name. For example: you have 15 pages of text for a wedding, 20 pages for a stage play and another 17 pages for an industrial video. The user simply places appropriate pages of text into separate projects and enters a project name. This facilitates locating, and playing back the correct pages of a particular videomaking project.

Another handy new addition is the TitleMaker's GPI (general purpose interface) trigger input. This feature allows other compatible equipment-like editors and video mixers produced by a variety of manufacturers-to control the TM-2000 through a simple stereo mini phone cable. Say you're using the compatible Videonics Thumbs-Up editor. You can program the editor to trigger the TitleMaker to display titles, just as if you pressed the "play" button on the TitleMaker at precisely the right moment. This helpful feature will save you time and frustration in the edit suite.