On Wed, 30 Dec 1998 17:56:06 GMT, cory-c@dataaccess.com wrote:

>Having just unwrapped my new "latest technology" Sony digital TRV-9, we of-
>course, took some Christmas video. When I looked at the video I was not at
>all pleased with the results, the picture was noisy and dull. I hooked both
>the DCR TRV-9 and my 7 year old TR-81 up to the TV (50" Panasonic) and did an
>"A/B" test direct from the camera (not recording). The difference is
>striking, the old TR81 picture was clear and bright, the TRV-9 grainy and
>dull. This is indoors without a light, but in a well light room.
>
>You expect technology to improve over 7 years, not degrade! Particularly for
>such a high-end camcorder. I would gauge the picture of the TRV-9 to be of
>VHS-"LP" quality indoors, not what I had in mind (We probably do 1/2 our
>recording inside)! I tried it with a bright halogen light and the picture was
>better, but the old TR-81 was still best. Is this thing broken or has Sony
>shaved to many corners?
>
>I really love the features and editing capability of the DV format, but its
>not worth it if you start with a poor quality image.

It is useful to look up something on www.dejanews.com
or www.altavista.com for comments...;-) I (and others) have
posted much about this... in general, I find the color
of the TRV-9 poor (OK under bright sunlight, with a
polarizer added to increase saturation; OK with neon
signs, etc. at night; OK if run through a good video
equalizer; NOT OK in low room light...). I keep mine
for its excellent B&W infrared capability, and its
analogue inputs... BTW, if you turn off the image
stabilizer, the shutter speed drops from 1/100 to
1/60th, dropping the gain some and improving color/grain
under marginal light. You can also try locking
the exposure, and dropping the exposure a bit (for a
darker but cleaner picture). This and (from what I've
heard about the Optura) the Optura may be the worst
choices for low-light situations. The 3-chip Sony's
are much better for this. If you can afford it, I would
exchange the TRV-9 for the TRV-900 (with which you will
see a big improvement in picture quality over most
Hi-8, especially if the tape is copied or edited).
BTW, part of the problem is that CCD sizes have been
reduced - though my Sony VX-1000 3-CCD mini-DV camcorder
is still better in low light than my Canon A1-Digital
Hi-8, with its one (bigger) CCD chip (I didn't expect
that...;-).