Press Release

TORONTO, ON — Sony shakes up the camcorder industry for 2008 with the introduction of its new line up of DVD Handycam® camcorders. The three new models, announced at CES, incorporate various new  features such as hybrid and hybrid-plus movie recording, and built-in zoom microphones for clear recording.

"People are drawn to the DVD category of camcorders because they are so easy to use," says Mio Ozawa, marketing manager, Sony of Canada. "Our 2008 Handycam line offers greater convenience through multiple recording options. Consumers no longer have to worry about missing special moments because they ran out of recording media."

At the top of the DVD line-up are the DCR-DVD810 and DCR-DVD710 units with 1-megapixel CCD imagers and 25x Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar® zoom lenses. The DCR-DVD610 model features a newly-developed 680K-pixel CCD imager for widescreen video and a powerful 40x Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar zoom lens.

Hybrid and Hybrid-Plus Movie Recording
The DCR-DVD710 and DVD610 features hybrid movie recording on two recording media: a Memory Stick PRO Duo™ media card, and a 3-inch DVD disc that provides longer recording times. Almost 11 hours of video can be stored on Sony's new 16GB media card (sold separately), and close to two hours of recording (LP mode) on an optional 2.66GB, double-layer DVD. Movies can be easily transferred in the camcorder from the media card to the disc.

The DVD810 camcorder stands out in the line with its hybrid plus movie recording, which conveniently allows for recording onto any of three separate media, including 8GB of internal memory. Users can enjoy more than five hours of continuous recording time (LP mode) on the model's internal memory, which is equivalent to more than five single-layer DVD discs. Without having to use a PC, video footage can be transferred from the internal memory to DVD as well as photos from the internal memory to the media card.

The DVD810 model also incorporates a new dubbing button so users can quickly access the menu and copy movies to the DVD or media card. Movies can be dubbed by scene or by date and footage from separate movie files can also be dubbed together incrementally.

Clear, Life-Like Audio
All 2008 DVD models include a new built-in zoom microphone. When zoomed in on a subject, the camcorder's audio will also zoom in for clearer sound recordings.

The top three models also feature Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel surround sound so home movies deliver a life-like audio experience. They are compatible with Sony's ECM-HW1 Bluetooth® microphone, which amplifies the center channel and records voices and sounds wirelessly at distances up to 100 feet.

Sophisticated Ease
With the 2008 DVD Handycams, special moments will never be missed. A new quick-on feature has been added to the DVD models so that they can come out of stand-by mode in less than a second. Face index and film roll index functionality will also be available. Face index allows for quick search of specific scenes by face, while the film roll index finds footage by displaying multiple scenes as thumbnails within a single movie file. This enhanced playback functionality will be easily viewed on the camcorders' 2.7-inch, (16:9) wide LCD touch panel screens.

The DVD810, DVD710 and DVD610 models will ship in February for an estimated MSRP of $599, $499 and $449, respectively. All models will include an array of accessory options and can be purchased online at sonystyle.ca or the Sony Store.

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Editor's Note: A portion of internal memory is used for data management functions. One gigabyte equals one billion bytes. A portion of each camcorder's internal memory and of the Memory Stick media is used for data management functions.

About Sony of Canada Ltd.
Established in 1955, Sony of Canada Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation, of Tokyo, Japan, a world leader in High Definition.  Sony provides end-to-end solutions through products that include the market-leading Blu-ray player, BRAVIA televisions, Cyber-shot digital cameras, Handycam Camcorders, VAIO computers, broadcast cameras, IPELA security cameras and video conferencing and many more products that deliver the true entertainment experience.

Sony is one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world with a portfolio that includes electronics, music, movies, games and online businesses. 

With headquarters in Toronto, sales offices in Vancouver and Montreal and distribution centres in Coquitlam, British Columbia, and Whitby, Ontario, approximately 1,200 employees support a network of more than 500 authorized dealers and 79 Sony stores across Canada.    

Sony Canada is proud to support the communities in which it operates through corporate sponsorships of organizations that include the Make-a-Wish Foundation Canada, the United Way and Earth Day Canada. 

For more information contact:
Sony of Canada     
Tony Smith       
Vice President, Marketing Communications  
(416) 495-3707     
tony_smith@sony.ca