JVC GZ-X900

Playback (6.0)

The GZ-X900 has quite a few playback controls. To access the camcorder's basic playback screen you must press the Play/Rec button on the inside of the LCD cavity. Here you'll find all your videos organized as an array of thumbnails (displayed either in a 4 x 3 or 3 x 2 set). You can switch over to view your still images by pressing the video/still button (represented by a camcorder and camera icon) that is also located in the LCD cavity. As we talked about in the handling section of this review, the buttons inside the X900's LCD cavity are terribly designed and difficult to press.

The video playback screen		The still playback screen

When viewing your images, the playback controls appear on the LCD screen and they are activated by pressing the touch-sensitive buttons on the bottom of the LCD panel. This system isn't very good as they playback options take up a good portion of the LCD's viewing area. We would have much preferred dedicated playback buttons or, at least, adding labels to the buttons themselves (rather than using the valuable screen real estate to display the playback icons).

The video playback menu		The still playback menu

Accessing the camcorder's menu while in playback mode reveals a host of features. You can do some basic editing (divide, trim, change event, protect), add wipers or faders to clips, create/edit playlists, and search by group, date, or event. In still mode you can rotate photos, start a slide show, and send images directly to a printer. Another somewhat handy feature is the X900's instant review option. After you shoot some footage, a curved error icon appears at the bottom of the LCD screen. Pressing the corresponding button on the LCD panel beneath this arrow brings you to an instant review of the clip you just shot. This can be helpful if you just want to see your previous clip and don't want to bother with sifting through your entire library in playback mode.

Connectivity (2.0)

For a top-of-the-line camcorder, the GZ-X900 is rather limited when it comes to connectivity. Yes, it has all your basic ports, but it lacks some very important options that some users may seek. First of all, the camcorder has no headphone or external mic jack, which is likely to upset any videographers who want to capture hight-quality audio with the X900. Secondly, the camcorder only includes its A/V-out and Component-out port on its provided docking station. This means you have to bring the dock along with you whenever you want to connect that camcorder to a television using one of these outputs. Luckily, the GZ-X900 does have an HDMI output and USB port on the camcorder itself, so at least you don't need to have the dock for every connectivity situation.

On the back are the DC-input, USB port...		... and the memory card slot

The camcorder's HDMI output is located inside the LCD cavity. The port doesn't have a cover or door, although when the LCD is closed it provides adequate protection. The rest of the X900's ports are located on the back of the camcorder. Here you'll find the DC-input, which is protected by a cheap piece of silver plastic that's tethered to the camcorder. To the right of this is the USB port and SD/SDHC card slot. Both are covered by larger, black pieces of plastic that do a pretty good job protecting the ports. The card slot door has an unusual sliding mechanism that does feel breakable, but the door itself feels quite sturdy.

The HDMI port is inside the LCD cavity.

Along with including the A/V and Component-out ports, the provided docking station also has an extra USB port and DC-input. The docking station is fairly small, so it isn't much of a pain to pack it along with the X900. Still, for a camcorder that is built on sleek design and portability, the docking station is a bit cumbersome.

The GZ-X900 in its docking station.		The dock includes USB, Component-out, A/V-out, and DC-input ports.

The table below lists the GZ-X900's connectivity options: