- Features ECM-HW1 * Compatible with Active Interface Shoe Handycam * Can be operated up to 30m away from the camera * 5.1ch center channel recording capability (*For "5.1ch Center Mic Ready" Handycam models) * 3 recording modes (OFF/ON/5.1ch CENTER): OFF: recording only with the built-in microphone ON: standard recording with the Wireless Microphone 5.1ch CENTER: Wireless Microphone records center channel, built-in 4ch microphone records surround sound
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Technical Details
Product details
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Product Description
# Compatible with Active Interface Shoe Handycam
# Can be operated up to 30m away from the camera
# 5.1ch center channel recording capability (*For "5.1ch Center Mic Ready" Handycam models)
# 3 recording modes (OFF/ON/5.1ch CENTER): OFF: recording only with the built-in microphone ON: standard recording with the Wireless Microphone 5.1ch CENTER: Wireless Microphone records center channel, built-in 4ch microphone records surround sound
# Includes clip and neck strap for 3 carrying styles
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
The results I have gleaned from this little gizmo are fantastic (once I finally bought the right microphone). No more fading sounds - ideal for my narrative videoing with the camera behind me.
It is small and very easy to attach and use. The results in playback on the camcorder were much better than without, though a bit hissy. The hiss did not transfer to the download though, so I can live with that.
Aside from this I was annoyed at the lack of information about the two differently-sized Intelligent hot-shoe mounts on the Sony camcorders. I originally bought a microphone which stated it was for use with the Intelligent shoe but nowhere did it state that it was for an older, bigger shoe (I didn't even know there were different sizes of hot shoe - did you?). Sony seem to assume that you are familiar with all of the different products and updates, which I am not. My original purchase came up in my search on their site for my model-type so it never occurred to me that it might not be compatible. The site does not make it clear that there are different sizes of shoe. It was later pointed out to me that the logo looks slightly different for the newer, smaller version. Luckily, I got a refund on the first one, but it could have been an expensive mistake. I'm obviously not that Intelligent!
Anyway, I am pleased with the product and its performance and makes my voice recording so much clearer...does the job!
It is small and very easy to attach and use. The results in playback on the camcorder were much better than without, though a bit hissy. The hiss did not transfer to the download though, so I can live with that.
Aside from this I was annoyed at the lack of information about the two differently-sized Intelligent hot-shoe mounts on the Sony camcorders. I originally bought a microphone which stated it was for use with the Intelligent shoe but nowhere did it state that it was for an older, bigger shoe (I didn't even know there were different sizes of hot shoe - did you?). Sony seem to assume that you are familiar with all of the different products and updates, which I am not. My original purchase came up in my search on their site for my model-type so it never occurred to me that it might not be compatible. The site does not make it clear that there are different sizes of shoe. It was later pointed out to me that the logo looks slightly different for the newer, smaller version. Luckily, I got a refund on the first one, but it could have been an expensive mistake. I'm obviously not that Intelligent!
Anyway, I am pleased with the product and its performance and makes my voice recording so much clearer...does the job!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
60 reviews
44 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Great microphone and good reception
20 Dec 2006
Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm very happy with this microphone. The audio is balanced very well. We have a Sony HD-SR1 camcorder which records in Dolby Digital 5.1. There is a setting on this mic to set it as the center channel. You can also set it as the primary mic as well.
Recently we used this to record our daughters Holiday recital. She is only five and this was a group singing event. The microphone picked up her voice as the main center channel and the rest of the singers surrounded her. This was very effective. It was so cute to hear her voice from the crowd. This would not have been possible without this wireless mic. It even picked up her whispers. We were sitting about 50-60 feet away and the sound was excellent and we the bluetooth connection was never disrupted or disconnected. We even used it for her meeting with Santa and it was incredible to hear her whispering what she wanted to Santa. Our past videos simply have lips moving with inaudible sound. What a great experience to capture with the simple addition of this microphone.
Pairing was very simple as you simply turn on both the camcorder portion and the microphone. The bluetooth receiver uses power from the hotshoe so it doesn't need additional batteries. You will need some AAA's for the actual microphone though.
I only have two minor complaints...
- The neck strap is itchy. This is hard to explain. It is a nylon strap and the back portion is melted on to connect the strap. The melted portion is hard and scrapes your neck. I'll look for another strap but it is hard to find one that will work since the mic opening is tiny. This is a very minor annoyance though.
- My second minor annoyance is that when wearing the neck strap, any slight movement causes quite a bit of rustling sound. This results in large hissing type noise. We tried it with both the wind guard (small felt like cover) on and off and still get the rustling. Problem is especially worse with winter jackets that are loud anyways. The solution would be to use the clip or armband but the clip kept falling off our daughter and she kept playing with the armband and it looked unusual to have the armband on. Again, not a big deal. We are learning how to use this better and will practice with better placement of clip/armband when the situation arises.
Those two issues are so minor, I don't really fault the product itself which is great. I wanted to rate this 4.5 stars but it only let me choose 4 or 5 so I'm going with 5.
Recently we used this to record our daughters Holiday recital. She is only five and this was a group singing event. The microphone picked up her voice as the main center channel and the rest of the singers surrounded her. This was very effective. It was so cute to hear her voice from the crowd. This would not have been possible without this wireless mic. It even picked up her whispers. We were sitting about 50-60 feet away and the sound was excellent and we the bluetooth connection was never disrupted or disconnected. We even used it for her meeting with Santa and it was incredible to hear her whispering what she wanted to Santa. Our past videos simply have lips moving with inaudible sound. What a great experience to capture with the simple addition of this microphone.
Pairing was very simple as you simply turn on both the camcorder portion and the microphone. The bluetooth receiver uses power from the hotshoe so it doesn't need additional batteries. You will need some AAA's for the actual microphone though.
I only have two minor complaints...
- The neck strap is itchy. This is hard to explain. It is a nylon strap and the back portion is melted on to connect the strap. The melted portion is hard and scrapes your neck. I'll look for another strap but it is hard to find one that will work since the mic opening is tiny. This is a very minor annoyance though.
- My second minor annoyance is that when wearing the neck strap, any slight movement causes quite a bit of rustling sound. This results in large hissing type noise. We tried it with both the wind guard (small felt like cover) on and off and still get the rustling. Problem is especially worse with winter jackets that are loud anyways. The solution would be to use the clip or armband but the clip kept falling off our daughter and she kept playing with the armband and it looked unusual to have the armband on. Again, not a big deal. We are learning how to use this better and will practice with better placement of clip/armband when the situation arises.
Those two issues are so minor, I don't really fault the product itself which is great. I wanted to rate this 4.5 stars but it only let me choose 4 or 5 so I'm going with 5.
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
The Product that makes other Camcorder owners say Wow.
10 Jan 2007
Amazon Verified Purchase
The Bluetooth wireless microphone does exactly what it says it can do. The sound quality is excellent as well as the recording range. This is the only product I could find that could achieve the results I was looking for in remote recording. I am a novice when it comes to remote recording and I could not find enough information on how to couple remote recording equipment to different brands of Camcorders. The Sony seemed to solve all of my problems in one easy to use remote recording device. There is a switch setting on the shoe receiver that has 5.1 inch center, off, and on, which you had better experiment with before You do any serious recording. I had the switch in the wrong place and totally lost audio in one Christmas recording but I blame myself for this error. The shoe receiver and the microphone both have a blue light that glows solid blue when both the microphone and the camcorder are communicating, the blue lights flash on and off when they are not communicating. If You use the provided windscreen with the microphone You must be sure the microphone is on before You slip the microphone into the grey cloth windscreen which obstructs viewing of the microphone's blue light. I especially liked this product because it was offered free of charge with my Handycam from Amazon. The prices of this device elsewhere where as high as $199.00 dollars. The possibilities are very good that You may be the only one in the room with this cool technology which makes all others drool. The kids loved the microphone and it was great watching their personalities come to life with the microphone in their hands.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Great Microphone for Sony Camcorders
28 Dec 2006
I got this wireless microphone free as it was a part of the deal when I purchased my DCR-SR100. I have to admit that using this really clarifies the sound, especially when there is a situation with a lot of people and you want to hear your subject more than the background noise.
First, the receiver. Its very light (2oz.) and requires no additional batteries. It is powered by the camcorder and ONLY fits Sony's "Active Interface Shoe." **Only newer Sony Models are compatible, need to check if your model works** The receiver has two "on" selections. The first "on" is compatible with 5.1 dolby digital surround sound; it takes the voice information from the wireless trasmitter and plays it as your center sound from your 5.1 system. There is another "on" selection that will not differentiate which speaker the voice comes from but works just as well. The receiver also has a headphone jack so you can monitor what is being said from the transmitter; this can be extremely useful and since Sony has excluded ths feature from most of their camcorder consumer line, its a nice little option to have back.
Now the wireless transmitter can be connected to the person/ object in three different ways; a clip, a lanyard and a arm band. The transmitter also has a windscreen that I keep attached all the time; I find that this reduces that irritating rustling noise and cuts down on heavy breathing. I use the clip as much as possible since it keeps the transmitter steady and in one location. The arm band is second most since it minimizes movement but sometimes becomes obvious depending on the clothing. The lanyard is my least used because it constantly swings from side to side and increases unwanted noise. The transmitter uses 2 (AAA) batteries and is said to last about 3 hours. The transmitter is extremely light and easy to conceal using the clip.
As with all bluetooth items, line of sight is "key". The maximum range between the receiver and transmitter is said to be 100ft with direct line of sight. I tested this product by placing the transmitter in a room full of people and taking my camcorder outside (I had both a dining room and kitchen between myself and my transmitter and had the double paned glass sliding door closed) and was approximately 50 ft. away; I could hear everything without any problems.
One very, very minor thing that I have an easy fix for is that constant blue light that emits from both the receiver and transmitter. The transmitter is easily covered by the windscreen, but the receiver is completely exposed as it sits on top of the camcorder. I simply cover the receiver's light by using a piece of electrical tape, it seems to have no effect on performance and does not leave any sticky residue. I don't want to be that inconsiderate videographer parent that irritates the other parents during a play or recital.
I'm lucky that this is compatible with my model camcorder, but I still wish that Sony would minimize it proprietary grip on most of its products and technology.
Still a very nice product and I highly recommend it.
Hope this helps
First, the receiver. Its very light (2oz.) and requires no additional batteries. It is powered by the camcorder and ONLY fits Sony's "Active Interface Shoe." **Only newer Sony Models are compatible, need to check if your model works** The receiver has two "on" selections. The first "on" is compatible with 5.1 dolby digital surround sound; it takes the voice information from the wireless trasmitter and plays it as your center sound from your 5.1 system. There is another "on" selection that will not differentiate which speaker the voice comes from but works just as well. The receiver also has a headphone jack so you can monitor what is being said from the transmitter; this can be extremely useful and since Sony has excluded ths feature from most of their camcorder consumer line, its a nice little option to have back.
Now the wireless transmitter can be connected to the person/ object in three different ways; a clip, a lanyard and a arm band. The transmitter also has a windscreen that I keep attached all the time; I find that this reduces that irritating rustling noise and cuts down on heavy breathing. I use the clip as much as possible since it keeps the transmitter steady and in one location. The arm band is second most since it minimizes movement but sometimes becomes obvious depending on the clothing. The lanyard is my least used because it constantly swings from side to side and increases unwanted noise. The transmitter uses 2 (AAA) batteries and is said to last about 3 hours. The transmitter is extremely light and easy to conceal using the clip.
As with all bluetooth items, line of sight is "key". The maximum range between the receiver and transmitter is said to be 100ft with direct line of sight. I tested this product by placing the transmitter in a room full of people and taking my camcorder outside (I had both a dining room and kitchen between myself and my transmitter and had the double paned glass sliding door closed) and was approximately 50 ft. away; I could hear everything without any problems.
One very, very minor thing that I have an easy fix for is that constant blue light that emits from both the receiver and transmitter. The transmitter is easily covered by the windscreen, but the receiver is completely exposed as it sits on top of the camcorder. I simply cover the receiver's light by using a piece of electrical tape, it seems to have no effect on performance and does not leave any sticky residue. I don't want to be that inconsiderate videographer parent that irritates the other parents during a play or recital.
I'm lucky that this is compatible with my model camcorder, but I still wish that Sony would minimize it proprietary grip on most of its products and technology.
Still a very nice product and I highly recommend it.
Hope this helps
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