Brighthand Reviews the Sony VR100K Video Recorder

Sony is primarily an entertainment company and so it's no surprise that many of its handhelds have an entertainment focus. It even made the first Palm OS model to be able to play MP3s without some kind of add-on.

Sony also bundles a Windows application with many of its handhelds that allows the user to convert video in a variety of formats into one that can be viewed on a Clie. This is fun but somewhat cumbersome. That's why Sony created the PEGA-VR100K, a video recorder that can save directly to a Memory Stick in a format viewable on a Clie.

How Does It Work?

To program the VR100K, you put the Memory Stick you are going to be using into your Clie, then run an application called, logically enough, Video Utility 1.0. This allows you to set the start time, end time, channel, and video quality of the shows you want to record.

There's no tie-in to a TV schedule and all you are given is a list of channel numbers, so it's up to you to remember when and where your program comes on.

You can set the VR100K to record the same show repeatedly. It can either record over the previous one, or add the new show to the card.

The software checks the Memory Stick to be sure you have enough room for what you want and tells you if there is a problem. If everything is fine, you then remove the Memory Stick from your Clie and insert it into the VR100K. That's all it takes.

You don't have to pre-program something. If there's a show playing now you want to record, you can put a Memory Stick in the VR100K and tell it to start recording. You can also quickly set a duration, so you don't forget and keep recording until your Memory Stick is full.

Video Quality The VR100Kgives you a variety of options for the quality of the video it records. I've collected these into the following chart:

Of course, the better the quality of the video, the larger the file size, as demonstrated in this chart:

I could spend four paragraphs trying to describe the different qualities, but instead I'll just post some examples I recorded. You can download these and play them with Apple's QuickTime player. These files are exactly as the VR100K records them.

Setup You can set up the VR100K in a variety of ways. The one that worked best for me was to put a splitter on my cable line and run one line into the VR100K and the other into my VCR/DVD player. I had to buy the splitter and an additional bit of cable.

With this arrangement I can't record anything coming from the VCR/DVD player, so I ran the Audio/Video cable that comes with the recorder from my VCR/DVD player to the secondary input leads on the VR100K.

I already mentioned the utility you need to install on your Clie to program the VR100K. If you are using any Palm OS 5 model that isn't part of the UX series, you'll have to install a newer version of the movie player, too. Sorry, there's no support for Clies running Palm OS 4 and below.

It's a Toy, But a Fun One

Let's face it, you don't need one of these. But I've really enjoyed using it.

While we've had the ability to control when we watch TV shows since the creation of the VCR several decades ago, we've still been restricted as to where we watch them. The VR100K frees us from this.

With this gizmo, you can watch your favorite sitcom on the train as you commute to work. Or you can catch up on your soap opera during your lunch hour. You can amuse yourself with Simpsons episodes on a long plane flight. You are no longer tied to a TV.

I have a 128 MB Memory Stick, and I record most shows at Long Play 1. This is a good compromise for me, as it gives me a picture that is just barely acceptable, while still allowing me to store 90 minutes of video on a card and still have room for applications and files. I don't have a card dedicated to just video, as I don't like to carry multiple cards around with me.

Even at the best quality, you are going to have to accept that you are watching a show on a screen that is less than 4 inches. If you are the kind of person who needs a giant HDTV to be happy, the VR100K probably isn't for you. I'm not that demanding about my video, so it's no problem for me.

Copyright Protection Don't think you are going to use this recorder to record all your DVDs onto Memory Sticks. If the DVD has copy protection, the VR100K won't record it. I tried to use a scene from my Two Towers DVD as an example of the VR100K's output, but I couldn't.

Value

You can get a TV tuner card for your PC that will let you record shows, and then use various tools to convert these into a format that you can play on your Clie. Doing this is much less expensive than the $300 VR100K. However, this setup isn't nearly as quick and convenient as the VR100K. You can program Sony's recorder in less than a minute and, as soon as the program is done, pop the Memory Stick into your Clie and walk off.

If you are willing to pay extra for convenience, then you could consider the VR100K worth the money. If you are willing to put up with the hassle of running a file through at least one converter and possibly more, you should look into the other option.

Conclusion

If you have TV shows that you hate to miss and a hectic lifestyle, you might really love the VR100K. Of course, in order to get it you'll need a lot of disposable income you can spend on a luxury item.