On 11 May 2002 04:02:35 -0700, google@topcheese.com (JohnS) wrote:

>I'm deliberating whether to purchase the Sony DCR-TRV25 or the Canon
>MV-550i (ZR50MC). My requirement is specifically to use the AV input
>with an external camera.
>
>Does the larger CCD size of the Sony (effective 690,000 vs 340,000)
>have ANY benefit when using AV in? Also, do either cameras offer AV
>processing (e.g. stabilisation, noise reduction, etc that you know
>of)?

(None at all. The CCD is part of the 'front end' or imaging component -- the
a/v inputs bypass that entirely, and join the signal at the DSP point, to be
digitized and sent to tape. To that end, every single dv25 device delivers
the same quality of encoding from the a/v inputs ... assuming the device is
equipped to handle such inputs.)
RGB's answer, above, covers this well.

>If this is not the case, then perhaps I should go for the Canon since
>it's 22x is much greater than the 10x of the Sony.

Uh, here the differences WILL show, and the TRV25 images
will look sharper due to the higher pixel count and the
likely-better shorter-zoom-range lens...