JVC GRD770 Reviews

Worked great for two years and then...
by Adam from Texas, 2009-07-25

I bought this model in May of 2007. It worked exceptionally well for two years. Transferred footage with no problem to the computer and it's been great to have.

It is now July of 2009 and two weeks ago I started to get a burnt out pixel in my recordings. I first thought it was the video display, but upon transfer it is burnt into the recording as well.

It pretty much kills the family footage because you tend to just stare at the darn thing. When I do zoom to the digital level the red dot moves off screen, but I don't see myself doing that for my recordings.

So, it's worked good for 3 years, but it has no longevity I think as is the case with electronics these days.

I had an 80's betamax and 80's VHS and those lasted almost 20 years...

JVC GRD770 MiniDV Camcorder
by Texas Mom , 2008-09-26

I have had multiple issues with this camcorder. It was used a total of less than 60 minutes and then put away for several months (inside the air-conditioned house). Now the screen no longer works; it won't record videos; and the DV connector to transfer what little footage I have doesn't recognize the camera. I bought a replacement camcorder to get the footage off the film and it transferred easily -- so it isn't an issue with the computer or software.

I will not purchase another JVC camcorder as they want more to repair this one than it costs to purchase a new one.

100% satisfied
by C. Williams from Germany, 2007-12-30

I've only had the JVC GR-D771(U) for about 3 hours and I'm already sold that this is the model for my family! There's still plenty of time to discover the quirks of this device, but at this present time I only have positives to say. First off, the A/C adapter is dual voltage. That's an absolute must if your traveling (or stationed) overseas. The camcorder comes with a USB cord in the box, BUT also has a firewire port that can be utilized to transfer video to a computer or recording device. It's extremely easy to use (which in most cases means limited capabilities)EXCEPT in this case...
*it's got wind noise cancellation,
*a stability feature (called DIS, but I don't know what it stands for)which comes in handy when your using 900X digital zoom
*16:9/4:3 formating
*270 degree rotating LCD so you can see what you look like while recording
*2 or 4 channel stereo sound recording
*a blinding LED to illuminate subjects in the dark (there's also a night recording option but I haven't tested that yet)
*you also have the sweet ability of dubbing images from the miniDV tape to the SD/MMC in playback mode
*There's B/W, sepia, strobe, and mirror options as well as fade in/out effects
* You can also use this as a webcam with at least windows messenger, I haven't tried yahoo or aim...sorry

I'd say the only bad thing about the JVC GR-D771(U) camcorder is that there isn't enough time in the day to play with it!

Flawed Camcorder
by Alfred Rapozo , 2007-12-18

I bought this camera as my first intro into recording videos for my family, since I've just had my firstborn son.

The first problem with this camera its is buggy Firewire performance, when I try to upload videos to my computer I can see the video and FF or RW the tape but play and stop don't work from the computer so I have to manually control the camera to capture video. Mind you I have tried it with two different firewire card/cable combination.

The worst part is that the Menu button stopped working after two months, I have recorded only 30 minutes of footage with the camera and the menu button does not work. As another reviewer stated, if you remove the battery for some time, 2 days in my case, the menu button works again for about 5 minutes and then dies again.

JVC support is nonexistent, if you email them they replay that they will contact you in 5 days, which it didn't happen, there is no firmware/software updates for the camera, and if you think you'll find much information on the net about it, think again. And as I don't live in the US, I'm stuck with the faulty camera since there is no place I can take it here.

My advice, don't buy this camera, it will save you all the trouble, and you know JVC won't be getting my money again, should have gone with a Panasonic or a Sony one, lesson learned.

Very Good Inexpensive Camcorder
by A. A. McDonald from Baker, LA USA, 2007-12-07

Although this camcorder is relatively inexpensive, it does have enough features to make it a perfect video camera for anyone. No one will know you only paid a little over $200.00! Very small footprint, fits in the palm of your hand. I have another camcorder that I paid about 3 times as much for and unless you are a professional, there really is no difference!