The Gadgets Page

Applies to GZ-MG20U, GZ-MG30U, GZ-MG40U, GZ-MG50U

• Read our original review

Well, I’ve been using the JVC Everio as my primary camcorder for a month now, so it’s time to update the site with my experiences.

The camera startup time is about five seconds—pretty much the same as any modern camcorder. You don’t need to worry much about getting setup in advance.

Video quality is fantastic. While you can observe some video artifacts if you pan the camera rapidly at basic quality, the video is essentially perfect at medium, high, and ultra quality. You can’t see any defects on an NTSC television at these resolutions. The Ultra-resolution mode is 9.8Mb/sec, the maximum standard for DVD and MPEG-2. At this quality, the video is very close to raw uncompressed DV in quality. I’ve been very happy with the video quality—the real-time MPEG2 compression engine in the camera is superior to that of my Sony DVD Handycam and my Phillips console DVD burner—and better than any of the software compressors I’ve used. It’s as close to professional as you’re going to get.

One negative: The auto exposure mode frequently seems washed out. I’ve found that I have to use the spot exposure mode to be happy with the exposure settings–Auto exposure and the varous fixed modes (cloudy, sport, etc.) don’t seem to be well calibrated and they vary too much while you’re shooting.

Editing videos is pretty easy. Both the Mac and PC packages are easy to use and relatively powerful—CaptyEx for the Mac is the best non-linear MPEG-2 editor (i.e., no wasted time transcoding) I’ve seen for less than $1000. Since you’ve got to use your PC to burn the video anyway, you might as well spend some time cutting out the garbage. I’ve actually been using the included software to edit commercials out of DVDs burned on my TiVo.

Erik Dp asked “Can material stored on two separate discs be merged into one disc with the editing programs? (I don’t want to store too much raw material on my computer if a “best of”-disc has to be created.)”. The included editing software can be used to edit existing DVD material, if that’s what you’re asking. So if you’ve already burned your video to DVD and you later want to create a compilation disk, that’s no problem. You will have to copy the .VOB files back onto your PC and rename them to MPG in order to edit them, but that’s easy to do. The editing programs will allow you to cut and paste video pretty much however you want. You can keep many hours of video on the camera depending on the hard disk size and the quality of video you are recording (Generally a full day of ultra-quality or a week’s worth of basic quality) , before you have to start moving it off to DVD.

Not having to worry about changing tapes or DVDs is fantastic! It makes this camera considerably cheaper than tape or disc based cameras because you don’t have to buy media. With DVDs blanks down to about 0.50/each, this camera costs far less to operate than MiniDV or Mini-DVD camcorders—and it’s future proof: Current dual-layer 9GB DVDs and future ultra-high capacity Blu-Ray or DVD HD burners for PCs will work with MPEG2 video from this camera.

Turning the camera off before unplugging the USB cable reliably solves the disk corruption issue that I mentioned in the original article. When you turn the camera off, you can see that it accesses the hard disk for a few seconds, probably to flush an internal hard disk cache. Never unplug the camera without turning it off first.

If you’re a Mac user, Don’t bother purchasing CaptyDVD to author. Just use Toast 7 Titanium. Rename your VOB files to end in MPG and drag them into the Toast video window. Click burn, and you’ll have your DVD in about 20 minutes. Plus, unlike CaptyDVD, Toast 7 is useful for a lot of other burning needs.

Buy a JVC 1400mAh battery (BN-VF714U). The battery that comes with the camera only lasts about a half an hour. This one lasts about five. The Cellboost disposeable camcorder battery for JVC also works well as an emergency power source (it plugs into the DC adapter port) and costs about $12 at Fry’s/Outpost Electronics.

Lenmark aftermarket batteries do not work in the camera. They lack a security chip that JVC builds into newer cameras to force you to use JVC batteries. Sony does the same thing, and they both claim that it’s necessary for their smart battery power measurement to work, which is simply not true.

In summary, this is the best casual use camcorder I’ve ever used. If you’re a PC user and not afraid of burning DVDs, this is definitely the camcorder for you.

The ThinkOutside Bluetooth keyboard is designed to be a true keyboard for PDAs, mobile phones, and Tablet PCs that don’t have their own keyboards. Does it work? Is it as good as a regular keyboard? We put one to a long term test. Read on for the report.

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Logitech has released a series of Bluetooth wireless headphones for iPod, PC, and MP3 players. The three types are essentially the same stereo Bluetooth headphones with three different adapters; the headphones are also resold by HP and Toshiba—we haven’t figured out who actually makes them yet. We tested them with an iPod, Archos 420 video player, and Powerbook.

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The i.Tech Virtual Bluetooth Keyboard is an interesting idea: A small device the size of a pack of gum projects a laser image of a standard keyboard onto any flat surface. You type by touching the surface at the image of the key you want. Does it work? Yes. Is it practical? That depends a lot on your needs. Our review puts it to the test.

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Apple’s new Mighty Mouse has gotten huge press for being the first two (actually three) button mouse from Apple ever. Does it live up to the hype? We’ve had ours since the day they hit the shelves, and it’s time to report.

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JVC is first out of the gate with a hard disk based camcorder that records in the MPEG-2 format of DVD. No tape, no mini-DVDs, and up to 24 hours of recording at a time. But as everyone who buys a camcorder finds out, the devil is always in the details: How fast and easy is it to export the video and create a DVD, and how much is it really going to cost in extra peripherals and software to do it? We put this camera to the test. (Continue Reading…)

The stock stereo system in my car is probably the most proprietary system on earth. It was used for only a few years in only a few makes of German cars, and there are literally no 3rd party components or options that can be added to the system. It uses a fiber-optic loop, so there’s no way to adapt typical audio components to it without creating a custom fiber-optic bus adapter. This is exactly what Dension did when they came out with their ICELink Plus I2O adapter for the iPod.

I had an iPod (or rather, my wife had an iPod) and I am a geek, so I had to get it connected to my car.

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DVDs have rapidly replaced videocassettes as the format of choice for home video. But making your own DVDs with video from a camcorder is far from easy. Understanding the process helps.

Ways to make a DVD

There are basically three methods you can use to create DVDs of your home movies. Each method has its advantages and drawbacks, and none of the methods has a clear lead in the market. The three methods are:

1. Using a component DVD recorder
2. Using a DVD Camcorder
3. Using a computer

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The MSN Direct Watch is a bulky digital watch that looks a bit like a sports watch (because of its size and the rubber strap). It has a digital display similar to a cellular phone that can display just about anything, which is utilized to create a number of reasonably interesting watch faces. The faces include various analog or digital displays.

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The Roomba, by iRobot, is a self-propelled and self guided light vacuum/floor sweeper. It’s the first robotic device for home use that is actually useful, and it’s so useful that it will actually make a positive permanent change in your life by eliminating a daily chore.

After three months of testing in a home with two toddlers and an inordinate amount of spilled crackers, dropped gummy snacks, and directly imported dirt from the yard, we highly recommend this device. We use ours two or three times a day.

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