The Sony HDR-HC1, introduced in mid-2005 (

MSRP The list price, also known as the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP), or the recommended retail price (RRP), or the suggested retail price (SRP) of a product is the price at which its manufacturer notionally recommends that a retailer ...

US$1999), is the first consumer

HDV HDV is a format for recording of high-definition video on DV (video format), DV videocassette Videotape, tape. Conceived as an affordable high definition format for digital camcorders, HDV quickly caught on with many amateur and professional vi ...

camcorder A camcorder is a self-contained portable electronic device with video and recording as its primary function. It is typically equipped with an articulating screen mounted on the left side, a belt to facilitate holding on the right side, hot-sw ...

to support

1080i In high-definition television (HDTV) and video display technology, 1080i is a video display format with 1080 lines of vertical resolution and Interlaced video, interlaced scanning method. This format was once a standard in HDTV. It was particular ...

. The

CMOS Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS, pronounced "sea-moss ", , ) is a type of MOSFET, metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) semiconductor device fabrication, fabrication process that uses complementary an ...

sensor has resolution of 1920x1440 for digital still pictures and captures video at 1440x1080

interlaced Interlaced video (also known as interlaced scan) is a technique for doubling the perceived frame rate of a video display without consuming extra bandwidth. The interlaced signal contains two fields of a video frame captured consecutively. Th ...

, which is the resolution defined for HDV 1080i. The camera may also use the extra pixels for digital image stabilization. The camcorder can also convert the captured HDV data to DV data for editing the video using

non-linear editing system Non-linear editing (NLE) is a form of offline editing for audio, video, and image editing. In offline editing, the original content is not modified in the course of editing. In non-linear editing, edits are specified and modified by speciali ...

s which do not support HDV or for creating edits which are viewable on non-

HDTV High-definition television (HDTV) describes a television or video system which provides a substantially higher image resolution than the previous generation of technologies. The term has been used since at least 1933; in more recent times, it ref ...

television set A television set or television receiver (more commonly called TV, TV set, television, telly, or tele) is an electronic device for viewing and hearing television broadcasts, or as a computer monitor. It combines a tuner, display, and loudspeake ...

s. The HVR-A1 is the

prosumer A prosumer is an individual who both consumes and produces. The term is a portmanteau of the words '' producer'' and ''consumer''. Research has identified six types of prosumers: DIY prosumers, self-service prosumers, customizing prosumers, co ...

version of the HDR-HC1. It has more manual controls and XLR ports.

Unique features

Expanded focus

Expanded focus lets the user magnify the image temporarily to obtain better manual focus. Expanded focus works in pause mode only; it is not possible to magnify the frame during recording. A similar feature, named Focus Assist, appeared on the

Canon HV20 This is a list of camcorders manufactured under the Canon brand. Canon Cinema EOS digital camcorders * Canon EOS-1D C * Canon EOS C70 * Canon EOS C80 * Canon EOS C100 * Canon EOS C100 Mark II * Canon EOS C200/C200B * Canon EOS C300 * Canon EOS C3 ...

, which was released two years after the HDR-HC1. Focus Assist on Canon camcorders also works only when recording is paused.

Spot meter and spot focus

Spot meter and Spot focus are possible thanks to a touch-sensitive LCD screen, employed on most modern Sony consumer camcorders. The user can touch the screen to specify a specific region of the image; the camcorder automatically adjusts focus or exposure according to distance to the object and to illumination of the selected spot. Depending on a scene, changing focus with Spot Focus can cause focus "breathing" or "hunting", when the subject goes in and out of focus several times before the image stabilizes.

Shot transition

Shot transition allows for a smooth automatic scene transition. In particular, it makes

rack focus A focus puller or first assistant camera (1st AC) is a member of a film crew's camera department whose primary responsibility is to maintain the camera lens's optical focus on whatever subject or action is being filmed. "Pulling focus" refers t ...

easy. Two sets of focus and zoom can be preset and stored in "Store-A" and "Store-B" memory slots. The settings can then be gradually applied from one to another within 4 seconds. The transition time is not adjustable. Presently, the HDR-HC1 is the only consumer camcorder that offers this feature. Newer Sony consumer models offer Spot Focus mode as a means for rack focus. Changing focus with Spot Focus is faster than with Shot Transition, but is not as reliable because the camera has to search for correct focus each time instead of switching to a stored value.

Cinema effect

Cinema effect produces the jerky look usually attributable to a motion picture film. In the world of professional Sony camcorders this effect is known as CineFrame shooting mode. When Cinema effect is turned on, important manual controls such as shutter speed and aperture are disabled. Implementation of Cinema effect depends on the television system (50 Hz or 60 Hz) used in the target market. The 50 Hz version of the camcorder, HDR-HC1E, throws away one field from the original interlaced video and doubles another, effectively halving both temporal and spatial resolution. The result can be treated as 25- frame/s progressive video because there is no motion between the two fields of one video frame. The modification for 60 Hz market records 24- frame/s (more precisely, 23.98- frame/s) video instead, using the process known as 2-3 pulldown. While this recording scheme is widely used in other camcorders that offer 24- frame/s shooting mode, the camera employs an unusual algorithm of generating progressive frames, and then converting them back into video fields. As Cinema effect is a synthetic method of achieving film-like motion on an interlaced camcorder, it does not improve vertical resolution or light sensitivity. On contrary, spatial resolution is reduced compared to native interlaced recording. The same or better

film look Film look (also known as filmizing or film-look) is a process in which video is altered in overall appearance to appear to have been shot on film stock. The process is usually electronic, although filmizing can sometimes occur as an unintentional ...

effect can be achieved by shooting regular interlaced video and then converting it into pseudo-progressive format with computer software. Other consumer-grade camcorders are more suitable for film-style recording. In particular, the

and the

Canon HV30 This is a list of camcorders Manufacturing, manufactured under the Canon (company), Canon brand. Canon Cinema EOS digital camcorders *Canon EOS-1D C *Canon EOS C70 *Canon EOS C80 *Canon EOS C100 *Canon EOS C100 Mark II *Canon EOS C200, Canon EOS ...

camcorders have progressive imaging sensors and are capable of shooting true progressive video preserving spatial resolution and having an added benefit of better light sensitivity compared to interlaced shooting modes.{{cite web, url=http://www.avchduser.com/articles/canon_progressive_modes.jsp, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212012956/http://www.avchduser.com/articles/canon_progressive_modes.jsp, url-status=usurped, archive-date=2008-12-12, title=AVCHDUser.com, Canon 24/25/30-fps progressive modes explained

References

HDR-HC1 HDR-HC1