Spare Battery and Charger

Since I am just a casual camcorder user (actually the HD2000 is not even mine, it belongs to my wife), I do not have much accessories for it. The first accessory that I bought together with the HD2000 is a UV filter. This is for protecting the lens more than anything else from greasy fingers, dirt and the outside world. When you need to, it is much easier to clean the filter than the lens itself. The one that I bought is Kenko made but the more well-known and popular (and so more costly) brand is Hoya. I suppose any reasonable brand will do as it is just a protective piece of glass but purists may disagree. The only important point to note is that the diameter of the thread on the lens of the HD2000 is 40.5mm so you must get the correct size filter. The one on the Sanyo FH1 is slightly smaller at 37.0mm so make sure you pick the right size.

The only other accessories that I have is a spare battery and a battery charger. Thought the battery itself can last reasonably long for some normal shooting, it may not be enough if you are on holiday where you tend to be trigger happy. Nothing can be worse than your battery running out at a crucial moment. The original Sanyo replacement battery for the HD2000 or FH1 is model DB L50. I do not know why, but the Kodak battery model KLIC 5001 is exactly the same item and can be used perfectly as a replacement battery if you want a branded one and this could be cheaper and more easily available than the Sanyo.

Of course there are many nameless replacement batteries, especially those from China and these are much cheaper than the Kodak or Sanyo battery. Buying such nameless battery can be a hit or a miss and there are some horror stories around. But there are also many satisfied customers, for after all so many items are now made in China, most probably the Sanyo and the Kodak as well.

The same goes for the charger. The original Sanyo charger is model VAR-L50 and this is the one to go for if you want peace of mind and don't mind spending a bit more. The cheaper alternative is to go for those unbranded chargers which can do the job equally well but don't know for how long. Do a search on Amazon or other reliable sellers and pick one with the price that suits you and you should be OK. But the choice is yours if you are more comfortable with the branded originals.

Being a cheapskate, I went for a Chinese replacement battery for Kodak KLIC 5001 and a nameless charger. I was very apprehensive in the beginning, but after going through a few charging cycles, everything was OK; touch wood! Initially, the idea was that the replacement battery will only be charged with the charger and the original battery will only be charged in the camcorder via the docking station to protect the innocents. After a while, anything goes and they all seem to be happy with each other. So much for mixed marriages.

And so they live happily ever after. Hopefully!

Ronald Kwok
http://ronaldkwok.atomicblog.hop.clickbank.net/

HD Media Player Blog

Since I have just purchased a HD Media Player to play the Full HR 60p videos, I started a new blog on Media Player as I see many users are bewildered by the wide variety of HD Media Player available in the market. You are most welcome to view this Media Player Blog and leave your comments there.
BTW, a reader has commented that the HDTV Live can also play the Full HR videos without problem so Sanyo HD2000/FH1 owners has more choices when picking a media player for their home videos.


Ronald Kwok

Media Player for 60p Videos

Eureka! At last I have found a media player (in fact many media players) that can play the Full HR video of the HD2000 at 1920x1080, 60p resolution. I was at my favourite IT mall the other day and I tested my 60p videos at the Asus O!Play HDP-R1 media player that was on demo. It played the clip without any problem. Then I went to another shop and tested the video on a Hornettek Phantom media player. Again, the clip played fine. Thus my search is finally over.

Upon further reading, I found that both these media players are using the Realtek 1073DD chip and so we now have so many media players to choose from if we want to play the Full HR videos; as long as the media player is using the same chip, the Realtek 1073DD, it should be able to play the videos. The only major difference will be the physical built of the player including the casing and the output/input connection options. Many of the GUI used are very similar if not exactly the same, especially those from China. Below are some of the more popular brands of media player that are using the Realtek 1073DD chip, in alphabetical order. This excludes those media players that use the other major chip, the Sigma 86XX like the WDTV. If user of these players (using the Sigma 86XX chip) can confirm that they too can play the Full HR videos, then we Sanyo camcorder owners will even have more choices. The earlier WDTV cannot, as noted in my earlier post.

Anyway, here's the list of some of those that can play the Full HR video.

1. AC Ryan PlayOn
2. Apacer AL460
3. Asus O!Play
4. DViCO Tvix N1
5. Hornettek Phantom
6. MSI Movie Station
7. Patriot Box Office

As media players are getting more popular by the day, there are new models coming out by the day as well. So apart from the physical look of the unit, you may decide based on the price and the bells and whistles that come with it. So how do you choose one that is right for you? Well, I think that will be a good topic for my next new Blog!

BTW, I'll be getting one of these Realtek 1073DD media player myself to play my HD2000 videos. Which model will it be? Well, watch for my review soon once it arrives.

Ronald Kwok
http://ronaldkwok.atomicblog.hop.clickbank.net/