It looks like an alien from Batteries Not Included, but in fact this is the Sony Handycam DCR-DVD7E. It's a single-CCD camcorder that records straight to DVD. These aren't standard DVDs though, they're the half-size that will be familiar to anyone who's ever brought a Japanese CD single. The Handycam's entire chassis opens up like a clam to disgorge its precious AV cargo.
You can record either to write-once DVDs or rewritable discs. Our unit came with a single recordable disc. Unlike the TV advert where a lithe girl pops a DVD straight out of her Handycam and into a DVD player, the DVD7E takes around 4 minutes to 'finalise' a disc. This is where the camcorder writes a table of contents to the DVD, making it ready to play in any domestic DVD player.
Image quality on the 7E is fine for casual use, but you'll be screaming for your MiniDV camcorder if you're a stickler for resolution. The massive advantage of a DVD camcorder is that playing back discs is so hassle-free -- except for the 4-minute wait for the camcorder to finalise. We'll be test driving this over the next few days: expect a review soon. -CS
Update: this review is now live here.
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