INSTRUCTIONS ENGLISH LYT0868-001B COMPACT VHS CAMCORDER GR-SXM78EA GR-SXM48EA GR-SXM780A GR-SXM480A GR-SXM280A GR-SXM180A GR-SX140A 625 A/EA VHS PAL Printed in Japan 1001MKV UN SN * * ®Registered Trademark owned by VICTOR COMPANY OF JAPAN, LTD. COPYRIGHT© 2001 VICTOR COMPANY OF JAPAN, LTD. Dear Customer, Thank you for purchasing the JVC Compact VHS camcorder. Before use, please read “PRECAUTIONS” ( pg. 3, 4) to ensure safe use of this product.
PROVIDED ACCESSORIES • AC Adapter • Power Cord • Shoulder Strap AP-V12EG, AP-V11EG or AP-V10EG • Cassette Adapter C-P7U • CD-ROM (GR-SXM78EA/ SXM780A only) • Battery Pack BN-V11U (GR-SXM780A/SXM480A/ SXM280A/SXM180A/ SX140A) BN-V20U (GR-SXM78EA/SXM48EA) • Lens Cap • Remote Control Unit RM-V715U (GR-SXM78EA/SXM780A/ SXM480A/SXM280A only) • AAA (R03) Battery x 2 (for Remote Control Unit, GR-SXM78EA/ SXM780A/SXM480A/ SXM280A only) • AA (R6) Battery (for Cassette Adapter) • A/V (Audio/Video) Cable
PRECAUTIONS SAFETY PRECAUTIONS CAUTIONS WARNING: TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK HAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS UNIT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. • If you notice smoke or a peculiar smell coming from the camcorder or AC adapter, shut it down and unplug it immediately. Continue using the camcorder or AC adapter under these conditions could lead to fire or electric shock. Contact your JVC dealer. Do not attempt to repair the malfunction yourself. • To prevent shock, do not open the cabinet. No user serviceable parts inside.
When the equipment is installed in a cabinet or on a shelf, make sure that it has sufficient space on all sides to allow for ventilation (10 cm or more on both sides, on top and at the rear). Do not block the ventilation holes. (If the ventilation holes are blocked by a newspaper, or cloth etc. the heat may not be able to get out.) No naked flame sources, such as lighted candles, should be placed on the apparatus.
INDEX A P AC Adapter ................................................................. pg. 6 Animation Recording .......................................... pg. 21, 25 Audio Dubbing ......................................................... pg. 25 Auto Date Record .................................................... pg. 19 Auto Focus ............................................................... pg. 18 Auto Shut Off ........................................................... pg. 11 Picture Stabiliser ....
GETTING STARTED USING THE BATTERY PACK Perform step 1) of “CHARGING THE BATTERY PACK”. Hook on. Approximate recording time (unit: min.) Battery pack BATTERY RELEASE Switch Battery pack Viewfinder on LCD monitor on 1 2 1 BN-V11U 95 (50) 100 (50) 80 (45) BN-V12U (optional) 95 (50) 100 (50) 80 (45) BN-V20U (optional) 150 (85) 165 (90) 135 (75) BN-V400U (optional) 360 (205) 385 (210) 315 (190) Push in.
Date/Time Settings • During charging or discharging, the camcorder cannot be operated. • Charging and discharging is not possible if the wrong type of battery is used. • When charging the battery pack for the first time or after a long storage period, the CHARGE lamp may not light. Remove the battery pack from the camcorder, then try charging again. • If a fully-charged battery’s operation time remains extremely short, the battery is worn out. Please purchase a new one.
Grip Adjustment Tripod Mounting 1) Separate the Velcro strip. 2) Pass your right hand through the loop and grasp the grip. 3) Adjust so that your thumb and fingers can easily and operate the Recording Start/Stop Button Power Zoom Lever . Refasten the Velcro strip. Align the screw and camera direction stud on the tripod with the tripod mounting socket . Then tighten the screw. W ! 3 CAUTION When using a tripod, be sure to open and extend its legs fully to stabilise the camcorder.
CONTROLS, CONNECTORS AND INDICATORS Eyepiece 1 2 3 Refer to this diagram while reading the instructions. 4 During shooting # $ % ^ & * ( 5 Keep the lens cap attached to the camcorder. 6 7 0 ! ) q w e r t LCD monitor (applicable models only) 8 9 Cassette holder @ Viewfinder o Speaker (applicable models only) 90° 180° y Turn the gear to take up slack.
1 • MENU Wheel [–, +] ........................................... pg. 18 a FF Button (Functions the same as &) • BRIGHT Wheel [–, +]* ...................................... pg. 11 s PAUSE Button ...................................................... pg. 11 • TRACKING Wheel [–, +] ................................... pg. 14 A.DUB Button ...................................................... pg. 25 2 • Snapshot Button [SNAPSHOT]* ...................... pg. 12 d f • INT.TIME Button .................
RECORDING PLAYBACK Set REC MODE, S-VHS (S-VHS ET), TAPE LENGTH and DATE/TIME in SYSTEM MENU. ( pg. 18 – 21, “MENU SETTINGS”) 1 Load a tape ( pg. 8, “Loading/Unloading A Cassette”). to “ ” or “ ”. Shooting while using the viewfinder: Make sure the LCD monitor* is closed and locked. Shooting while using the LCD monitor*: Make sure the LCD monitor* is fully open. The camcorder enters the Record-Standby mode is displayed.
BASIC FEATURES 5Sec. Rec (5-sec. Recording) (GR-SXM180A/SX140A only) Snapshot (GR-SXM78EA/SXM48EA/SXM780A/ SXM480A/SXM280A only) You can record still images that look like photographs onto a tape. 1) Perform step 1 of “RECORDING” ( pg. 11). 2) Press SNAPSHOT . • There is a momentary camera shutter-type blackout together with the sound effect of a shutter closing. • Snapshot is also available during playback. However, the shutter sound is not heard.
Zooming DANGER To produce the zoom in/out effect. Digital circuitry extends the maximum magnification offered by optical zoom. This system is called Digital Zoom. towards “T” to • Slide the Power Zoom Lever zoom in, or “W” to zoom out. • The further you slide the Power Zoom Lever , the quicker the zoom action. • Focusing may become unstable during Zooming. In this case, set the zoom while in Record– Standby, lock the focus by using the manual focus ( pg.
Tracking Counter Memory Eliminates noise bars that appear on-screen during playback. To activate Manual Tracking: for approx. 1) Press the TRACKING Wheel appears. 2 seconds. “MT” so that the 2) Rotate the TRACKING Wheel noise bars disappear. • To return to Auto Tracking, press the TRACKING for approx. 2 seconds or set the Power Wheel to “OFF” and then “ ” again. “AT” Switch blinks. When Auto Tracking finishes, the indication disappears.
Connections To A TV/VCR Tape Dubbing 1) Make sure all units are turned off. 2) Connect the camcorder to a TV or VCR. If using both TV and VCR, connect the VCR output to the TV input. 3) Turn on all units. Set the VCR to its AUX input mode, and set the TV to its VIDEO mode. • Use the AC Adapter as the power supply. • The S-Video cable connection can improve the dubbed picture quality. A commercially available S-Video cable is required.
Using The Cassette Adapter Connection To A Personal Computer Use this to play back an S-VHS-C/VHS-C video cassette recorded with this camcorder on a S-VHS/ VHS VCR. (GR-SXM78EA/SXM780A only) 1) Slide the battery cover up to remove it, install one “AA (R6)” size battery, then reattach the cover. 2) Slide the latch to open the compartment door, then insert the cassette and close the compartment door. 3) Load the cassette adapter into the VCR and play the tape back.
INSTRUCTIONS Eyepiece 1 2 3 Refer to this diagram while reading the instructions. 4 During shooting # $ % ^ & * ( 5 Keep the lens cap attached to the camcorder. 6 7 0 ! ) q w e r t LCD monitor (applicable models only) 8 9 Cassette holder @ Viewfinder o Speaker (applicable models only) 90° 180° y Turn the gear to take up slack.
MENU SETTINGS CAMERA MENU 1 Set the Power Switch @ to “ ”. 2 Press the MENU Wheel 1 in. The Menu 1 to Screen appears. Rotate the MENU Wheel select the desired function. • To go from CAMERA MENU to SYSTEM MENU, to select “4TO rotate the MENU Wheel SYSTEM MENU” and press it. SYSTEM MENU is composed of 2 pages. To go to the next page, to select “4NEXT” rotate the MENU Wheel and press it. • To return to CAMERA MENU from page 2 of to SYSTEM MENU, rotate the MENU Wheel select “4TO CAMERA MENU” and press it.
M.W.B. TITLE If the white balance is correct, all other colours will be accurately reproduced. AUTO : White balance is adjusted automatically. FINE : Outdoors on a sunny day. CLOUD : Outdoors on a cloudy day. HALOGEN : A video light or similar type of lighting is used. MWB: White balance is set manually. Hold a sheet of plain white paper in front of the subject. Adjust zoom or position yourself so that the white paper fills the screen.
SYSTEM MENU • Tapes recorded in S-VHS or S-VHS ET mode cannot be played back correctly on a normal VHS VCR. • S-VHS ET does not work with S-VHS tapes. • To avoid on-screen noise, do not perform Still Playback or Shuttle Search repeatedly. • If the picture contains a lot of jitter or noise, use a cleaning cassette. This Menu Screen cannot be accessed while recording. REC MODE Allows you to set the recording mode. “LP” (Long Play) is more economical, providing twice the recording time.
TAPE LENGTH TELE MACRO Allows you to set the tape length depending on the tape used: T30=30 minutes, T45=45 minutes, T50=50 minutes, T60=60 minutes. is correct only if the • Tape remaining time correct tape length has been selected. When set to “ON”, you can shoot a subject as large as possible at a distance of approx. 60 cm. Depending on the zoom position, the lens may go out of focus. DISPLAY FULL: Makes all of the indications appear on the LCD monitor*/viewfinder during playback or recording.
ADVANCED FEATURES Fade/Wipe Effects Night-Scope (GR-SXM78EA/SXM48EA/SXM780A/ Fade- or wipe-in works at recording start, and fadeor wipe-out works at recording end. SXM480A/SXM280A only) to “ ”. 1) Set the Power Switch repeatedly until the 2) Press FADE/WIPE desired mode appears. to 3) Press the Recording Start/Stop Button activate fade-in/out or wipe-in/out. • Pressing and holding the Recording Start/Stop allows you to vary the length for the Button image during fade in/out or wipe in/out.
Programme AE With Special Effects q @ Digital Effects w @ 1) Set the Power Switch to “ ”. repeatedly until the desired mode 2) Press P.AE appears. repeatedly • To cancel the effect, press P.AE until “OFF” appears. • Only one mode can be engaged at a time. • In the “High Speed Shutter” or “Sports” modes, picture colour may be adversely affected if the subject is lit by alternating discharge-type light sources such as flourescent or mercury-vapour lights.
USING THE REMOTE CONTROL UNIT (GR-SXM78EA/SXM780A/SXM480A/SXM280A only) The Full-Function Remote Control Unit can operate this camcorder from a distance as well as the basic operations (Playback, Stop, Pause, Fast-Forward and Rewind) of your VCR. Make sure the remote control is pointed at the remote sensor .
P Playback Zoom 5) To begin Insert Editing, press START/STOP . When the counter reaches “0:00:00”, editing stops automatically and the camcorder enters the Insert-Pause mode. To end Insert Editing, press STOP . • During Insert Editing, the original audio will be heard from the speaker. • After step 4), “Retake” ( pg. 13) can be performed. • The tape may stop slightly before or after the designated end point, and noise bars may appear. Neither indicates a defect in the unit.
Random Assemble Editing [R.A.Edit] (GR-SXM480A/SXM280A only) Create edited videos easily using your camcorder as the source player. You can select up to 8 “cuts” for automatic editing, in any order you like. R.A.Edit is more easily performed when the RM-V700U MBR (Multi-Brand Remote, pg. 24) is set to operate with your brand of VCR (see VCR CODE LIST), but can also be performed by operating the VCR manually. Before operation, make sure the lithium battery is installed in the remote control RM-V700U.
MAKE CONNECTIONS 1) JVC VCR EQUIPPED WITH REMOTE PAUSE TERMINAL Connect the editing cable to the Remote PAUSE terminal. JVC VCR NOT EQUIPPED WITH REMOTE PAUSE TERMINAL BUT EQUIPPED WITH R.A. EDIT CONNECTOR To EDIT Connector Open the cover. To S-Video Output connector S-Video cable (commercially available) To Video Output and Audio Output connectors A/V cable (provided) Editing cable (ø3.5 mini-plug cable) (commercially available) Connect the editing cable to the R.A.EDIT connector.
S clears all in- and out-points • Pressing ON/OFF from memory. • Leave a small margin for error around each inpoint to ensure the scene is recorded in its entirety. • Turning off the camcorder’s power erases all registered in- and out-points. Remote sensor ! OFF 9) Rewind the tape in the camcorder to the beginning of the scene you want to edit and press PAUSE . 10) Point the remote control towards the VCR’s infrared sensor and press VCR REC STBY , or manually engage the VCR’s Record-Pause mode.
TROUBLESHOOTING Before consulting your JVC dealer, please check the following to see if you can correct the problem yourself. Vertical white lines appear when shooting a very bright object. • This sometimes occurs when the contrast between the back-ground and the object is great. It is not a defect of the camcorder. Bright, crystal-shaped spots appear in the LCD monitor and the viewfinder. • Sunlight is directly entering the lens. This is not a defect of the camcorder.
CAUTIONS Video Light (for applicable models) 2. To prevent damage and prolong service life . . . .... do not subject to unnecessary shock. .... avoid repeated charging without fully discharging. .... charge in an environment where temperatures are within the tolerances shown in the chart below. This is a chemical reaction type battery—cooler temperatures impede chemical reaction, while warmer temperatures can prevent complete charging. .... store in a cool, dry place.
2. Avoid using the unit . . . .... in places subject to excessive humidity or dust. .... in places subject to soot or steam such as near a cooking stove. .... in places subject to excessive shock or vibration. .... near a television set. .... near appliances generating strong magnetic or electric fields (speakers, broadcasting antennas, etc.). .... in places subject to extremely high (over 40°C) extremely low (under 0°C) temperatures. 3. DO NOT leave the unit . . . .... in places of over 50°C. ....
SPECIFICATIONS Camcorder General Format Power source : S-VHS/VHS PAL standard : DC 11 V (Using AC Adapter) (Using battery pack) DC 6 V Power consumption Viewfinder on : 4.0 W (GR-SXM78EA/SXM48EA/ SXM780A/SXM480A/SXM280A/ SXM180A only) 3.7 W (GR-SX140A only) LCD monitor* on : 4.5 W (GR-SXM78EA/SXM48EA/ SXM780A/SXM480A/SXM280A/ SXM180A only) Video light** : 3.0 W * Applicable models only. ** GR-SXM78EA/SXM48EA/SXM780A/SXM480A/SXM280A only.