Hi,

I'm thinking of ordering a Sony DCR TRV 80 from the USA because they are so much cheaper than they are over here but first I would like to know if there is anything I should be aware of other than the warranty? My TV is NTSC compatible and I don't have any old camcorder tapes that I would need as this will be my first camcorder. When you write the image onto DVD, does the image get converted to PAL or is it possible to convert it into PAL? Will UK MiniDV tapes and accesories work OK on the US model?

Any help on these questions and anything else I should be aware of would be much appreciated.

Regards
Lee

[MarkE19]

Hi ashmorel and welcome to the forum.

This question has been asked a few times before. This is my view on the subject:

The video will be recorded on the camcorder as NTSC and will stay as NTSC when copied to a DVD via a PC.
The video can be converted to PAL, but this requires dedicated hardware and/or software to do it that is not cheap.

UK PAL tapes will work fine on an NTSC cam, but they will last a slightly different length than the stated 1 hour due to different tape speeds between PAL & NTSC.
Extra batteries should work fine as well, but make sure that the charger supplied with the cam is multi voltage or you will need to buy a UK 240v one as USA is 110v. most if not all Sony chargers are multi voltage so should cause no problems here.

As you say your TV can play back NTSC recordings, but you will NOT be able to copy them to your VCR as even though most modern VCR's can play NTSC tapes, they can not record them.

Be aware that you can get charged import duty and VAT on the camcorder if caught with it by customs. This is not just when you bring it in for the first time but also when returning to the UK after another holiday, even several years after buying the cam.

HTH,
Mark.