World's Smallest Camcorder from Sony to Enter the Market
The first camcorder in the market to capture both high definition videos and still images in Memory Stick, the Handycam® CX7EK is the most compact AVCHD camcorder in the market , weighing a mere 450 grams with up to 6 hours of recording stamina.
Introducing the new Handycam® CX7EK (HDR-CX7EK) by Sony, the first Memory Stick capable Handycam® camcorder that records high-definition videos and captures up to 6.1 mega pixels of still images in various Memory Stick™ media including the Memory Stick™ PRO DUO, Memory Stick™ PRO-HG DUO and Memory Stick™ Micro. As the lightest and most compact AVCHD camcorder available in the market, the Handycam® CX7EK can easily fit into one’s palm at only 6.9cm x 6.7cm x 13.1cm. With Sony’s original low power consumption technology, the Handycam® CX7EK can shoot continuous for 6 hours deemed to be one of the highest stamina for AVCHD Handycam® camcorders.
Based on the new xvYCC international standard, x.v.Colour technology assures supremely life-like colour reproduction. Compared to conventional camcorders, x.v.Colour approximately doubles the range of colours that can be reproduced, close to what the human eye can see.
“We are proud to introduce a new member to our Handycam® camcorder range, the one and only camcorder that records high-definition videos on one of the smallest media available, the Memory Stick™. Our customers can now leverage on the Memory Stick™ media to playback videos directly from the Handycam® CX7EK to VAIO® notebooks and PLAYSTATION® 3 without transferring movies to the hard disk of the devices. At Sony, we continue to offer the widest range of camcorders to meet the different needs of camcorder users,” said Mr. Taku Taguchi, General Manager of Product Marketing Division, Sony Malaysia.
Packed into the compact Handycam® CX7EK are Sony’s original ClearVid CMOS sensor and Enhanced Imaging Processor that deliver clear movies shot in dim environment or in twilight based on the minimum illumination of only 2 lux. It can also achieve Smooth Slow recording for slow-motion recording of objects that are too quick for the human eyes to perceive especially in sports such as a golf swing. A 3-second video recorded can be playback in a 12-second slow motion video with audio recorded in 5.1 Dolby® Digital surround sound. The dual recording mode realized by both the ClearVid CMOS sensor and Enhanced Imaging Processor allows both videos and high quality still images to be captured concurrently. With the Super SteadyShot™ optical image stabilization technology, the Handycam® CX7EK captures stable videos despite inevitable hand movements.
Similar to the latest AVCHD HDD Handycam® SR8, SR7 and SR5, it has a simple-to-use GUI to shoot, review, change in settings and even edit images. Specific sections of the video footage can be split and deleted with the divide function. A favourite playlist can also be created for quick and easy access to the popular videos. Besides the conventional visual index and date index search, users can also search with the new film roll index function by displaying thumbnails of scene captures at specific intervals or the new face index function that displays faces detected by the face detection engine. To avoid the hassle of handling a PC, the Handycam® CX7EK has an easy one-touch “Disc Burn” function in the bundled Handycam® Station that transfers videos directly to an AVCHD or DVD disc. Alternatively, one can use the Easy PC Back-up function that backups new videos in the PC’s hard disk automatically. With the Picture Motion Browser software installed, user can extract still images up to 3 mega pixels from video content, edit videos and save them in an AVCHD or a DVD disc.
The new Handycam® CX7EK series is retailed at RM 4,999 and will be available in Malaysia from August 2007. On top of that, Sony Malaysia is also giving away 50 luxury branded pens (worth over RM 1,000 each) to the first 50 customers who purchase the new Handycam® CX7EK at Sony Digital Imaging Lifestyle Roadshow in Mid Valley Megamall (from 23rd – 26 August 2007).
"With the PLAYSTATION®3 system software update scheduled in summer 2007, playback of contents recorded with the AVCHD Memory Stick Camcorder will be available on PLAYSTATION®3."
Fact Sheet
“x.v.Colour"
To enable wider colour reproduction, a new international standard “xvYCC” (IEC61966-2-4) for wide colour space within moving images was accepted and issued by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in January 2006. This enables the current colour data range to be expanded approximately twice when compared to the conventional sRGB standard that current broadcast stations are using. Existing video content such as TV broadcasts and DVD software are created within the standard colour range, “sRGB” for optimum output on conventional CRT TVs.
“x.v.Colour” is a brand name established by Sony to be used for products which applies “xvYCC” standard and it aims to promote this name actively within the industry. Sony will seek to create an environment where consumers can film, record, store, edit, transmit and playback contents using this full colour range.
AVCHD Format
The new AVCHD format delivers high-definition image recording and playback using a variety of media including 8cm DVD, hard disk and memory card.
The AVCHD uses MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec for video compression that is twice as efficient as MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 technologies. Dolby® Digital is used for audio codec and enables 5.1channel recording.
ClearVid™ CMOS Sensor and Enhanced Imaging Processor
The new HD camcorders feature Sony’s originally-developed ClearVid™ CMOS sensor and the Enhanced Imaging Processor to deliver high picture quality images. These models deliver higher resolution, higher sensitivity, and record movies with bright colours and fine details. Advanced functions such as dual recording (simultaneous recording of video and still images) and smooth slow recording with audio recording function are also achieved. Advantages of the ClearVid CMOS Sensor are high resolution, high sensitivity, low noise, smear-free and wide dynamic range. These are realised by the Enhanced Imaging Processor Enhanced Imaging Processor is Sony’s own signal processing circuit developed by utilizing advanced signal processing technology which Sony has accumulated through the years. It processes large amounts of data that the ClearVid CMOS sensor reads to record precise and clear images.
Smooth Slow Recording with Audio Recording Function
By capturing at a field rate four times of the normal recording mode*, quick motions that the human eye cannot capture can now be recorded in smooth slow motion mode. This feature is achieved by the ClearVid™ CMOS sensor and the high-speed signal processing technology, Enhanced Imaging Processor. The instance a bat hits the ball, the drops of water as water splashes, or the moment the child reaches the finishing line at a sports festival can be captured as film-like scenes in slow motion mode. With 240 field/second* high speed recording, a three-second video can be recorded as a smooth 12-second slow-motion video. An audio recording function is newly added. If the audio recording function is turned “On” (the default setting is “Off”), it records sound while writing the slow motion movie file on media. Moments such as golf swings, baseball hits, and children scoring goals at sports festivals can be captured in slow motion like a movie scene.
*240 (NTSC) / 200 (PAL) fields per second
Dual Recording (Simultaneous Recording of Movie and Still Images)
Dual recording enables the capture of up to 4.6 mega pixels still images for HDR-CX7EK (at 2848 x 1602, 16:9) even while recording in movie mode. Dual recording function has been achieved through the Enhanced Imaging Processor which processes huge amount of pixel data that the ClearVid™ CMOS sensor reads.
Film Roll Index
One press of the body-mounted Film Roll button makes it possible to preview the beginning of scenes and create scene indexes set at specified display intervals (3, 6, or 12 seconds and 1 or 5 minutes) to find the desired scenes more easily.
Face Index
Incorporating face detection technology, the function helps the user to search easily by displaying index of faces detected by the face detection engine.
Pricing & Availability
The Sony Handycam Series are available at Sony Centre retail stores nationwide.
For customers in Melaka, Sony Centre @ Melaka is having a promotion for Handycam CX7EK.
It is sold at RM 4,999 with a Free Sony Infolithium Rechargeable Battery, the NP-FH70, worth RM 369.
For more information, please contact:-
Sony Centre @ Melaka (Perfect Public Centre Sdn Bhd)
TEL: 06-2828236 / 06-2849851
ADD: 106, Jalan Temenggong (Bukit China), 75000 Melaka.