MPEG, camera, USB!

Last week we discussed MPEG-4 video, and this week we have a video camera that records in MPEG-4 format: The Nisus Supacam DV6.

The VD6 is remarkable. This completely solid-state device stores MPEG-4 video at a resolution of 640 by 480, or 320 by 240 pixels at a rate of 30 frames per second with 8X digital zoom on secure digital multimedia cards.

But the VD6 isn't only a videocam, it is also a still camera with a built-in flash that takes pictures at resolutions up to 6.6 megapixels (2,976 by 2,232 pixels), an MP3 player and a voice recorder. And its battery life is very good, at around 6 hours.

To continue reading, register here and become an Insider. You'll get free access to premium content from CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World. See more Insider content or sign in.

Last week we discussed MPEG-4 video, and this week we have a video camera that records in MPEG-4 format: The Nisus Supacam DV6.

The VD6 is remarkable. This completely solid-state device stores MPEG-4 video at a resolution of 640 by 480, or 320 by 240 pixels at a rate of 30 frames per second with 8X digital zoom on secure digital multimedia cards.

But the VD6 isn't only a videocam, it is also a still camera with a built-in flash that takes pictures at resolutions up to 6.6 megapixels (2,976 by 2,232 pixels), an MP3 player and a voice recorder. And its battery life is very good, at around 6 hours.

The VD6 has a 2-inch swiveling LCD screen and a USB 2.0 port for file transfers with a PC. It uses exchangeable LI-ION batteries and an optional remote control, outputs a PAL or NTSC TV signal, measures a measly 3.94 by 2.76 by 1.18 inches, and weighs just over 6.2 ounces including battery and memory card.

The VD6 comes with drivers for Windows and includes imaging software for video (Ulead VideoStudio 7 SE Basic - an old release; Version 9 is the latest) and stills (Ulead Photo Express 4.0 SE, superseded by Version 5) as well as a panorama creation tool (Ulead 36, up-to-date version).

Oh, and you can use it as a video camera with your PC for videoconferencing or as a Webcam, and as a USB drive. All this for $288!

The image quality is very good for its price. The video quality is good, though fast panning in bright light will create transient pixilated artifacts, and the dynamic range is limited. The DV6 also has a poor sensitivity in low-light conditions.

The camera's 3.1-megapixel sensor uses interpolation to create a 6.6-megapixel image for still photos, and the results are not bad. The lens has three focus settings: 100cm-to-infinity scene mode, 60cm-to-100cm portrait mode, and 20-cm macro mode. You'll have to make sure that you get the right one for your subject; we now have many slightly fuzzy shots of Mrs. Gearhead and son of Gearhead.

The flash is adequate for portraits but the zoom is rough - the zoom "steps," which gives a crude effect. Our camera's zoom control stopped working as we started this column so we'll be claiming a warranty repair tomorrow. Our only other complaint is that the shutter button is awkwardly placed.

Obviously given the price of this device you should have limited expectations, but the Supacam DV6 delivers an amazing value, far more than we would have expected.

And an interesting thing we noted when we plugged the DV6 into our Sony VAIO desktop: We don't have a USB 2.0 port so Windows XP very helpfully pops up a message every dang time a USB2 device is plugged in saying "This device can perform faster if you connect it to a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port. Click here for a list of available ports." When we do "click here" Windows reports "There are no HI-SPEED USB host controllers installed on this computer"! Who was the brain-dead wonk at Microsoft who thought through this logic?

So, how do you switch off this irritating and useless notification? Well . . . brace yourselves, this is ugly: You go to the control panel, then system, then hardware, then the device manager. Then on any one of the Universal Serial Bus host controllers right click on properties. On the advanced tab check the box that says "Don't tell me about USB errors" and it won't ever again.