Precautions and maintenance (Continued)

Care and storage of the discs

•Keep the disc clean, or the image quality of the audio and video output may deteriorate.

•Clean the disc with a soft cloth. Wipe the disc from the center out. For dirt, clean the disc with a soft cloth slightly moistened in water, then remove the moisture with a soft, dry cloth. Do not use solvents such as benzine, cleaners intended for vinyl LPs or antistatic spray, as they may cause a malfunction to the disc.

•Do not expose the disc to direct sunlight or leave it in a humid place.

•When you carry or store the disc, put it in its case.

•When you want to write letters or marks, etc. on a single-sided disc, write only on the printed side using an oil-based marker with a felt-tip, and do not touch the ink until it dries. Do not heat the disc or use a sharp-pointed tool, such as ball point pen. Do not dry the surface by heating. You cannot write, or mark, on double-sided discs.

About the AVCHD format

Your digital video camera recorder incorporates both the AVCHD format and the DVD format for the recording function.

What is the AVCHD format?

The AVCHD format is a high definition digital video camera format used to record an HD (high definition) signal of either the 1080i specification*1 or the 720p specification*2, using efficient data compression coding technology. The MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format is adopted to

compress video data, and the Dolby Digital or Linear PCM system is used to compress audio data.

The MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 format is capable of compressing images at higher efficiency than that of the conventional image compressing format. The MPEG-4 AVC/ H.264 format enables a high definition (HD) video signal shot on a digital video camera recorder to be recorded on 8 cm DVD discs.

Recording and playback on your camcorder

Based on the AVCHD format, your camcorder records with the HD (high definition) image quality mentioned below.

Video signal:

AVCHD format 1440 × 1080/50i

Audio signal:

Dolby Digital 5.1 ch

Recording media:

8cm DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD+R DL discs

•DVDs recorded in AVCHD format other than the above mentioned cannot be played on your camcorder. 8 cm DVD-RAM discs cannot be recorded or played on your camcorder.

In addition to HD (high definition) image quality, your camcorder is capable of recording an SD (standard definition) signal in the conventional DVD format.

*1: 1080i specification

A high definition specification which utilizes 1080 effective scanning lines and the interlace system.

*2: 720p specification

A high definition specification which utilizes 720 effective scanning lines and the progressive system.

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