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DVD Camcorder Samsung VP-DC163
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Where to start, there is so much that I need to put into this review. Well let’s start about how I came around to getting this product. Well because I like all of the technology nowadays I seem to find that I like to keep up with the latest things so when I realised that I would have to resort to using my JVC camcorder that I purchased some ten years ago I decided that I was in desperate need of a new one. I spent a few weeks doing some research on the internet and I am to the conclusion after much thought that this would be the one for me. The only problem was that I hadn’t actually looked where I could purchase one from, so off I went again looking for this camera in every single source that I could and furthermore decided that www.ebay.co.uk was the place to buy this from. And thank god that I did as its retail price is £269.99 and I had managed to get it for £189.99 from a guy who was kind enough to have the price that low. Not only was it cheap it was also brand new and had never been opened. Anyway let’s get back to the point.
Well here are some of the features and the spec of the VP-DC163:
- It is a DVD Disc camcorder
- Takes 8cm DVD-RW/+RW/DVD-R/+R/DL (Dual Layer Discs)
- USB interface for digital image transfer
- Photo capture
- 1200x Digital Zoom
- Colour TFT LCD
- Digital Image Stabiliser (DIS)
- Various digital effects
- Back light compensation (BLC)
- Program AE
- Moving image recording
- Multi memory card slot
- Multi OSD language
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Spec
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Video Signal ------------------------------------------------ Pal
Picture Compression Format--------------------------- MPEG 2
Audio Compression Format----------------------------- Dolby
Recording Quality------------------------------------------ XP (9Mbps), SP (6Mbps), LP (3Mbps)
Image Device------------------------------------------------CCD (Charge Coupled Device) 800k Pixels
Lens -----------------------------------------------------------1200x (Digital), 33x (Optical)
Video output
S-Video output
Audio output
USB output
External mic
Power source------------------------------------------------DC 8.4V, Lithium Ion Battery Pack 7.4V
Power Consumption---------------------------------------5.2W
Operating temperature ----------------------------------0-40C
Storage temperature--------------------------------------(-20-60c)
External Dimension---------------------------------------- 51.6mm x 87.5mm x 121.5mm
Weight-------------------------------------------------------- 425g
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Disc types
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What’s great about this camcorder is that you are able to record video images straight onto a DVD, I’ve been waiting for this for years so that it makes my whole life easier instead of recording them all to videos if I want to use the tape again, nightmare. Well the discs that you can actually use in this camera are DVD-R / DVD-RW / DVD+RW / DVD+R / DVD+R DL (Dual Layer) all of these have to be the 8cm size. That’s the diameter of the disc for those of you who do not know. These discs can generally hold 1.4GB of data on them and just short of double on the dual layer discs. These discs can be quite expensive when you need them for example when I first purchased the camera the disk were costing me about £15.00 for 5 Discs from Asda but now I‘m paying £6.99 for 10 which is quite a big difference really.
Some of the things that you need to remember about the discs are before using them to record in your camera you have to format them using the function on the camera and also before you can view the videos on you r computer then you have to finalize the disc. This can be a bit of a pain because I am always forgetting and it usually takes me a lot longer than it should to put videos on my computer. The next annoying thing about the discs is that if you have finalized a disk to use on your computer and you want to use it again in your camera, providing it is DVD-RW you then have to un-finalize the disc.
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Accessories
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There are several accessories that are supplied with the camera and they will all come into good use at some stage or another. The accessories are a Battery Pack,
AC Power adapter, AC Cord, Multi AV Cable, Instruction Book, Lithium Batteries, Remote Control, USB Cable, Software CD, Lens Cover, Lens Cover Strap and 1 8cm DVD-RW disc. These can all be used for one reason or another as you will find out if you decide to purchase this camera. But the main things are to keep the camera in good running order and safe.
So far I have not found a problem with any of the accessories when using this camcorder and I have used all of them to this date. There is another accessory that does not come with the camera but you find that you need one so that you camera is in easy storage when moving it around etc, and that is a carry case although it is not supplied with the camera you can purchase these from good electrical stores and some other retail outlets etc. The case would usually cost around £40.00 which I thought was very costly for just a carry case but there are similar cases out there that are selling for around £10.00 which can hold the camera perfectly.
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Buttons
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There are several buttons that are placed all over the camera and each of them has its own good and unique use. I was really baffled at how to even turn the camcorder on when I first got it because I am one of those people who do not like to read the instructions if I don’t have to, but I eventually found out how to turn the camera on and then realised that it had to be charged before I could use it properly. But as I was saying there are buttons all over the place and I eventually and slowly found out what all of the individual buttons and now I am a pro at using my camcorder, if I might say so. So to see what the actual camcorder looks like I have found a few pictures that demonstrate this which can be seen in the picture gallery at the bottom of the review.
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Remote Control
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Another great thing about this camcorder is that it comes with a remote control which means for the more of the lazy people like myself then you can use the remote if you would like to use the camera from distances away and this way you do not even have to touch the camcorder, I thought that this was a very good idea as it allows for more functionality.
The control itself is actually quite easy to use and you will find that you will get the hang of it very quickly as it isn’t that complex to master. The control consists of 19 buttons of all which are really simple to use. The buttons that are on the remote are the really obvious ones such as the play, stop, and record, but then there are also the not so obvious ones such as photo and slow. These buttons allow you to enhance the camcorders functionality. To see all of the buttons that are on the remote you can view the image at the bottom in the gallery.
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Charging
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Just another good thing about the camera is that the charging time is very small considering what it actually does and how much battery power that it actually holds. There is one disadvantage about this Samsung and that is you can only charge a battery when it is plugged into the camera, therefore you would not be able to charge 3 batteries at the same time unless you have 3 different camcorders. I thought that this could be hugely improved but Samsung have always had their problem, with batteries and their power.
So how long does it take to fully charge the battery if you can only charge one at a time? Well depending on what batteries you have then there are two different times that could apply. If you have the SB-LSM80 style then the charging time is approximately 1hr 20min but if you have the battery style SB-LSM160 then the charging time is 3hrs for a full battery.
The battery life can be shown in several separate diagrams and basically the just show different sections of the battery for example if the battery is full then the whole of the battery will be shown in black. There are 5 different sections that the battery charge falls into:
a) Fully Charged
b) 20-40% used
c) 40-80% used
d) 80-95% used
e) Completely used (Blinking)
These are shown by the use of images which shows less and less black in the battery image for example if you are at charge d then there would only be a little bit of black left in the display of the battery. It is advised that if you are going to be using your camera a lot then you should have many batteries available.
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Advanced User Functions
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What I mean by advance user functions is that you can change the speed at which the shutter opens and closes or things such as the cut out wind function. These are all considered to be advanced functions. The shutter speed is used so that when you are recording certain things you are able to make the best use by making the picture look better. There is also the option have auto focus or manual focus and it is recommended that people who do not have much expirernce of camcorders then the auto focus should be used. Otherwise people who do have experience you may be tempted to make the focus better. In the following situations you may use this function to get better results by adjusting the focus manually:
a) A picture containing several objects, some close to the camera and others further away.
b) A person enveloped in fog or surrounded by snow
c) Very shiny or glossy surfaces like a car
d) People or objects moving very quickly like an athlete or a crowd
There are so many things that this camcorder can achieve and I am going to find it very hard to explain them all in this review. There is also another function that is called white balance and this allows all of the colours in the image to remain original which may not do otherwise because of the recording conditions etc. This can be used to great effect by an advanced user.
BUT, by far my most favourite function on the camera is that you can change the effects that the camera uses for example sepia etc. in total there are 10 different effects that you can use when recording or taking a picture. The different effects are:
1) Art
2) Mosaic
3) Sepia
4) Negative
5) Mirror
6) BLK & WHT
7) Emboss 1
8) Emboss 2
9) Pastel 1
10) Pastel 2
I think that all of these functions are great as they allow for the user to have lots of and also make the images and videos very unique, especially the mirror effect. All of the different effects are all easy to use and if you look in the manual that you receive with the camera then that will tell you how to apply these effects to a video etc.
Although it is not really an advanced user function it is classed as one. It is very simple and it is using the zoom function. The zoom on this camcorder is actually incredible you would be able to zoom in on a book from 50yards away and you would be able to read what it says the zoom is the good. I was just p[laying around with the camcorder as you do finding out what all of the different things do then suddenly I found myself looking half way down my street with a blur at all. It really is truly amazing.
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Disc Manager
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Disc manager is really a fancy way of how to handle your discs and what to do with them when they are full etc. all the information can be found in the manual but basically it is things like you have to finalize a disc before you can view the videos on your computer etc. This can get very annoying as I quite often forget to do this. There are several things that you can do with a disc when you have it in your camera. You can use the disc to record, format the disk, finalize the disc and also find out all of the information that is on the disk for example the name that you may have given to the disc. If you have used a disc and have finalised the disc then before you can use the disc again or carry on using the disc you have to un-finalize it, this can also become a pain because this takes a small amount of time but it could be too long if you are wanting to record something really quick.
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Connections
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With this camera there are several connections that can be made so that the camera can be used in different ways. There are different connections such as S-Video or sound etc. There is a socket which can be found toward the back of the camera on the left hand side which allows you to connect a cable called the multi AV cable this is what is used to connect your camera to the pc or even better connect your camera to a TV. Most TVs have the three connectors so that you can connect the sound and also the video via three cables but nowadays nearly all televisions have an S-Video socket. This allows all of the data that would be transferred between the three cables to travel through one and also the quality is a lot better.
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Still Camera Mode
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Still camera is basically a function that allows you to take pictures on the camcorder but instead of saving them to the DVD where you will find all of the videos that you have created, it will save all of the images on to a memory card that you have to have inserted. The memory cards that can be accepted are MMC / SD / Memory Stick pro/ Memory Stick Duo / RS MMC / Mini SD. All of these memory card types can be used in the camera and therefore all of your images can be stored on this is you have one. If you do not have one then you can get them for very low prices these days from places such as www.scan.co.uk and www.bigpockets.co.uk and you may even be able to get them from www.ebay.co.uk. The memory cards
Pictures of Samsung VP DC163
are inserted on the underside of the camera and are very easy to insert as you would expect. Depending on the amount of pictures that you would like to save and the capacity of the memory card that you have then you may want to change the quality of the picture so that you could have more pictures or you may want the best looking pictures. There are three different choices that you can choose from and they are Super Fine, Fine and normal. These are in varying quality and make a huge difference to the amount of images that you can store on the memory card.
To actually take a picture when you are using the camera all you have to do is press the button that is has photo written underneath it and it will take a picture and save it on to the memory card. This can be done when you are recording or not. That’s one of the good features about taking a picture on the camcorder; the other good thing about taking a picture is the huge quality that you get coming from this 8 mega pixel camera which is really quite stunning.
The function that comes with most cameras is the ability to protect pictures so that you do not delete by accident. This can come in very useful if you are deleting images using the camera as it is very easy to delete the wrong picture so basically it allows the user to store their images more safely. There is also the option to format the whole memory card. This is just deleting everything that is on the card for the people that do not know. It allows for everything to be deleted very easily and very quickly and saves you the hassle of deleting each individual image or video.
The other great thing about having a memory card is that if for some reasons you run out of DVD’s to store all of your information on then you can actually record videos on to your memory card. This can be used to great effect.
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PictBridge
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This is quite a new function to the world, but basically it is where you can connect a device such as a camcorder etc and it allows you to send your images straight to the printer without having to load them on to your computer. This can also be used to great effect as it often saves time but does not allow you to touch up the images with special effects that you may use.
The way to connect you camcorder top the printer is by the use of a USB cable. This only works on printers that have the PictBridge facility as not all printers do. Also by sending your images to the printer directly you can change the amount of copies that you want to print off and this is a really good function considering that it is a camcorder
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System Requirements
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---------------------------------Minimum -----------------------------Recommended------------------------------
CPU-------------------Intel Pentium III, 600 MHz-------------Intel Pentium 4, 2GHz-------------------------
OS --------------------Windows 98/ME-------------------------Windows 2000/XP-----------------------------
Memory-------------128MB--------------------------------------512MB---------------------------------------------
HDD Capacity------1GB or More-------------------------------2GB or More-------------------------------------
Resolution----------1024 x 768 24bit colour----------------1024 x 768 24bit colour -----------------------
USB------------------USB 1.1--------------------------------------USB 2.0 High Speed-----------------------------
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Manual
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When you receive this product you will find that there is a user manual with it. The user guide tells you everything that you would need to know about how to use the camera and also how to install the software that comes with the camcorder. Whenever you are stuck resort to using the instruction manual because unlike others this is actually quite useful. In the back of the user manual you will find that there is a whole section dedicated to troubleshooting which is very helpful. Also if you are still having trouble then you can contact the Samsung suppliers on the number: 0870 242 0303 where they will be able to assist you further or you can write to them at the following address:
Samsung Electronics U.K Ltd.
Unit C, Stafford Park 12
Telford, Shropshire
TF3 3BJ
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Warranty
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The camcorder does come with a Samsung 12 month warranty from the original date of purchase, against defective materials and workmanship. In the event that warranty service is required, you should return the product to the retailer from whom it was purchased.
Warranty conditions:
1. The warranty is only valid if, when warranty service is required, the warranty card is fully and properly completed and is presented with the original invoice or sales slip or confirmation, and the serial number on the product has not been defaced.
2. Samsungs obligations are limited to the repair or, at its discretion; replacement of the product has not been defaced.
3. Warranty repairs must be carried out by an Authorised Samsung dealers or Authorised Service Centres. No reimbursement will be made for repairs carried out by non Samsung Dealers and, any such repair work and damage to the products caused by such repair work will not be covered by this warranty.
4. This product is not considered to be defective in materials nor workmanship by reason that it requires adaptation in order to conform to national or local technical or safety standards in force in any country other than the one for which the product was originally deigned and manufactured.
5. This warranty covers none of the following:
A) Periodic checkups, maintenance and repair or replacement of parts due to normal wear and tear.
B) Cost relating to transport, removal or installation of the product.
C) Misuse, including the failure to use this product correctly for its normal purpose and incorrect installation.
D) Damage caused by lightning, Water, Fire, Acts of god, War, Public Disturbances, Incorrect Mains Voltage, Improper Ventilation or any other cause beyond the control of Samsung.
6. This warranty is valid for any person who legally acquired possession of the product during the warranty period.
7. The consumer’s statuary rights in any applicable national legislation whether against the retailer arising from the purchase contract or otherwise are not affected by this warranty. Unless there is national legislation to the contrary, the rights under this warranty are the consumers sole rights and Samsung, its subsidiaries and distributors shall not be liable for indirect or consequential loss or any damage to records, compact discs, videos or output taper or any other elated equipment or material.
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Conclusion
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Wow!!!! So much information. Well I can honestly ay that this is the best camcorder that I have ever seen and certainly ever used. It has incredible capabilities such as the zoom that can be used, it truly is amazing. I would recommend this product to anyone who needs a technology update as this is just the best that I have found to date and it has not failed me once. The design is very sleek and although it does have buttons all over the place it is still a very easy camcorder to use once you have got used to where all of the buttons are. The functions that are on this camcorder are just amazing to with me finding out more and more about them every time I use it.
There are many advantages and just a few disadvantages. So let’s start with the advantages. The quality is an amazing 8Megapixel which is great considering it’s only a camera. The detail that can be achieved from the camera is huge. The zoom on the camera is absolutely incredible and you can still keep the great quality of the camera when you are fully zoomed in as it is so incredible. This has got to be the best zoom that I have ever seen and it has to be in competition with some of the cameras that are used to make films etc, with the image quality anyway. Other advantages include good looking small design, the camera being very lightweight and having accessories such as straps so that you can use the camcorder easily. There is also the fact that you can use memory cards as well as the 8cm DVD’s that can be used.
Now for some of the disadvantages. The camcorder is quite costly in the first place. The DVD’s for the camera can be quite costly as well meaning that it will be expensive to keep the camera recording all of the time. Other disadvantages being that you have to finalize and un-finalize the DVD’s if you want to use them on computers, the immense amount of buttons that are on the camcorder can throw you as to what they all do and can sometimes lead to confusion. But the main disadvantage has to be that you can only charge one battery at a time because you have to have it plugged into the camcorder for it to be charged.
So is this really the camcorder that you need and is it really worth spending all of that money on a device like this. Well the answer is yes. It is 100% worth the money that you will spend on it and I have not had a fault yet and have been using it for almost a month. Well in answer to the question asking if you really need it. Well if you want excellent quality videos, excellent quality images, fast direct printing, videos being burned straight to a DVD then yes you do need to get this camcorder as it is truly amazing the things that this camcorder can actually achieve. I never thought it possible but I guess it is.
Here is just a quick reminder, the camcorder cost about £269.99 but can be purchased for cheaper on places such as www.ebay.co.uk as I did. The discs that you are going to need for this camcorder will cost around £12.00 for ten unless you can find them cheaper and both of these can be purchased from good electrical stores such as Currys etc and have lots of accessorises that can be bought too. To conclude I rate this product 10/10 for performance, 8/10 for design, 9/10 for an overall rating. Have fun if you’re going to buy this product.
Thank you for reading this review and I hope to be hearing from you soon.
by (51%):
by (49%):
This product has not yet been reviewed.
06.05.2007 02:31
Awesome review, keep up the great work.
05.05.2007 14:08
Great review there. x
04.05.2007 17:33
Sorry about how long this took, have upgraded your review to an "E". Thanks for reminding me.