(Nikkei BP Group)
(No.1 High-Tech News Site in Japanese)
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| Sony to Market Digital Camcorder with Memory Stick Slot
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February 17, 1999 (TOKYO) -- Sony Corp. will begin sales March 21 of
its DCR-TRV10 digital camcorder equipped with a slot for memory sticks,
a new type of IC-based data storage medium.
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The new camcorder will be priced at 225,000 yen (US$1,980), Sony said.
Memory sticks are a compact (50mm x 21.5mm x 2.8mm) data
storage medium with built-in flash memory. They were developed by Sony,
and the company is promoting widespread use of the devices.
In January, Sony unveiled a digital camcorder that uses the memory sticks.
Last year, Sony started selling a digital camcorder that can utilize
memory sticks. However, a drawback is that it requires a special adapter
for the memory sticks to be attached.
Sony's upcoming digital camcorder will be the first to be equipped with
a built-in slot designed for memory sticks.
The sticks can store both still image digital photographs and single
frames taken from video images recorded on DV tape. A special device
for reading memory stick data is sold separately. The device connects
to the serial port of a PC and can then be used to download data from
the sticks to a PC.
Together with its driver software, the device is sold as a memory stick
PC Connection Kit and is priced at 17,800 yen (US$155). When PCs with
built-in slots for the memory sticks are marketed, it will be possible
to insert them directly into PCs without the need for any peripheral
devices.
The resolution for images stored on the memory sticks is 640 x 480 dots,
and the data compression ratio can be selected from fine grade (6:1)
or standard grade (10:1). All data is stored in the JPEG format.
According to Sony, a single 16MB memory stick can hold as many as 164
fine images or as many as 246 standard images.
A 4MB stick that contains some sample images will be supplied as standard
with the new digital camcorder. The camcorder has a special feature
that allows customers to create composite images by combining data from
these samples with pictures they have taken.
Also, the camcorder has a 3.5-in. liquid crystal display (LCD) panel
that serves as a monitor, and its charge-coupled device (CCD) has a
total of 680,000 pixels, 340,000 of which are valid pixels.
Sony said that a rechargeable lithium-ion battery is included, for nine
hours of continuous recording. Its quick-charge function enables continuous
recording for an hour after a charge of just 15 minutes.
The new camera measures 67.5mm (width) by 157.5mm (depth) by 89mm (height),
and it weighs around 650g.
Related stories:
� Sony Unveils Digital Camera with 2.1 Million Pixel CCD
� Sony to Market Chewing-Gum-Size Flash Memory Modules
(BizTech News Dept.)
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