Vivitar DVR 880HDV3 User manual

DVR 880HDv3
Digital Camcorder
User Manual
© 2009-2012 Sakar International, Inc. All rights reserved.
Windows and the Windows logo are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.

1
CONTENTS
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 2
What’s Included............................................................................................................................ 2
Parts of the Camcorder ................................................................................................................ 3
Initial Camcorder Setup................................................................................................................ 4
Main Camcorder Modes............................................................................................................... 7
Camcorder Technical Specifications............................................................................................. 8
Computer System Requirements ................................................................................................. 9
Powering ON/OFF Your Digital Camcorder................................................................................ 10
Changing Camcorder Mode........................................................................................................11
Navigating the Menus................................................................................................................. 12
Video Capture Mode .................................................................................................................. 13
Video Playback Mode................................................................................................................. 27
Photo Capture Mode.................................................................................................................. 31
Photo Playback Mode ................................................................................................................ 46
Connecting the Camcorder to a TV............................................................................................ 52
Installing the Software................................................................................................................ 53
Connecting the Camcorder to the Computer.............................................................................. 55
Getting Photos and Videos from the Camcorder to the Computer ............................................. 56
Getting Started! .......................................................................................................................... 57
Transfer Images from the Camcorder to the Computer Manually............................................... 57
Camcorder Maintenance............................................................................................................ 59
Sakar Warranty Card.................................................................................................................. 59
Technical Support....................................................................................................................... 60
Troubleshooting.......................................................................................................................... 61

2
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing this digital camcorder. Everything you need to take quality digital
photos and videos is included with your camcorder.
Vivitar makes capturing those special moments as easy as possible.
Please read this manual carefully first in order to get the most out of your digital camcorder.
Note:
This camcorder is a plug and play device. You can download the pictures and videos
captured by your camcorder without the software by directly accessing the camcorder’s
memory card from your computer. It is recommended however that you install the Vivitar
Experience Image Manager Software to enjoy the full Vivitar experience.
Your digital camcorder supports an SD Memory Card (up to 32GB).
In order to use your digital camcorder normally, it is strongly recommended to insert the
SD Memory card before use.
It is strongly recommended to use a Class 4 SDHC Memory card or higher.
SD Memory cards are not included and need to be purchased separately.
What’s Included
1. Digital Camcorder
(with built-in USB connector)
2. AV Cable
3. Vivitar Experience Image Manager
Software Installation CD
4. Wrist Strap
5. AC Adapter
6. Built-in Lithium Battery (not shown)
Note: SD Memory Card not included.

3
Parts of the Camcorder
1. LCD Screen
12.Digital Lens
2. Up / Zoom In Button
13.Speaker
3. MENU Button
14.USB Lever
4. Right / LED On-Off Button
15.SD Memory Card Slot
5. Down / Zoom Out Button
16.AV Out Port
6. Left / ViviLink Button
17.Power Button
7. MODE Button
18.RESET
8. Shutter/OK Button
19.USB Connector
9. LED Light
20.Wrist Strap Connector
10.Self-Timer / Charge LED Indicator
21.Tripod Mount
11.Microphone

4
Initial Camcorder Setup
CHARGING THE BATTERY
INSTALLING THE MEMORY CARD
To Charge the Battery:
1. Power off the camcorder.
2. Connect the camcorder’s built-in USB
connector to the AC charger or to the
computer’s USB port (as shown above).
3. Allow the battery to charge for at least 3
hours before using the first time.
4. The charge light will turn off when the
battery is fully charged.
SD Memory Card (up to 32GB)
needed for normal use.
TURNING ON THE CAMCORDER
USING THE CAMCORDER

5
When powering the digital camcorder ON for the first time the camcorder will take you through
the initial setup.
POWERING THE DIGITAL CAMCORDER ON
1. Battery
Make sure the built-in lithium battery has been fully charged.
Note:
When the battery power is low the battery icon turns red and the camcorder will
automatically turn off a few seconds later.
The energy status of the power is displayed on LCD as shown below:
Full battery power Medium battery power Low battery power
2. SD Card
Make sure an SD card has been properly inserted into your camcorder. (SD card not
included.)
To properly insert the SD Card:
- Push the SD card into the slot in the direction shown in the previous section.
Note: In some models - see SD icon by the SD card slot for direction indication.
- Push the SD card until you hear a slight clicking sound. This indicates the SD card has
been inserted correctly.
Note:
After the digital camcorder is powered on, an SD icon will appear on the LCD
display. If you do not see the SD icon on the display, please check if the card was
inserted properly.
Make sure the SD card is not locked (check the lock switch on the side of the SD
card). If the SDcard is locked this willprevent the camcorderfromsaving captured
photos to the SD card.
3. Power On
Press the POWER button , located on the side of the camcorder, to turn on the digital
camcorder.

6
SETTING THE LANGUAGE
You will first be prompted to select a language for the camcorder.
1. The Language selection menu will appear.
2. Select the language of your choice by pressing the UP and DOWN direction control buttons.
3. Press the Shutter/OK button button to confirm the selection.
SETTING THE DATE AND TIME
The next step in the initial camcorder setup is to set the date and time on the camcorder.
Set the Date and Time as desired by pressing the RIGHT and LEFT direction control buttons to
choose the specific setting and the UP and DOWN buttons to change each setting.
Once you have completed setting the time and date, press the Shutter/OK button to confirm the
selection.
Congratulations! Your digital camcorder is now ready to use.

7
Main Camcorder Modes
Your camcorder has different modes for the various camcorder functions.
You can switch modes by pressing the MODE button on your camcorder after the camcorder has
been powered ON.
VIDEO CAPTURE MODE
Use this mode to capture videos with your digital camcorder.
This is the default mode when the camcorder is powered ON.
To take a video, aim your camcorder as desired and press the Shutter button to start
recording. A red record indicator appears on the LCD screen while the recording is in
progress. To stop recording, press the Shutter button again. The video is automatically
saved to your camcorder’s memory card.
To access the various menus for the Video Capture mode, press the MENU button while in
the Video Capture mode.
PHOTO CAPTURE MODE
Use this mode to capture pictures with your camcorder.
After turning on your camcorder, press the MODE button once to open the Photo Capture
mode.
To take a picture, aim your camcorder as desired and press the Shutter button.
The picture is automatically saved to your camcorder’s memory card.
To access the various menus for the Photo Capture mode, press the MENU button while in
the Photo Capture mode.
PLAYBACK MODE (PHOTOS & VIDEOS)
Use this mode to view and manage the photos and videos on your camcorder.
After turning on your camcorder, press the MODE button twice to open the Playback mode
for photos and videos. You can scroll through the photos and videos that you’ve previously
taken to view, edit or delete them as desired.
To access the various menus for the Playback mode for photos and videos, press the
MENU button while in the Playback mode.

8
Camcorder Technical Specifications
Image Sensor
CMOS Sensor
Image Resolution
(8M) 3264x2448, (5M) 2592x1944, (3M) 2048x1536,
(2M) 1600x1200, (1M) 1280x1024, (VGA) 640x480
Video Resolution
(HD) 1280x720, (D1) 720x480pixels (15 fps)
(VGA) 640x480pixels (30fps), (QVGA) 320x240
File Format
JPEG/AVI
External Memory
SD Card (up to 32GB)
LCD Display
2.0 Inch TFT
Zoom
4X Digital Zoom
Exposure
-3.0EV ~ +3.0EV
White Balance
Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Incandescent , Fluorescent
Scene
Auto, Scenery, Portrait, Night Scenery, Night Portrait, High
Sensitivity, Sport, Beach, Party
Color Effect
Standard, Sepia, Monochrome, Vivid
Self-Timer
2, 5 or 10 second delay
Auto Power Off
1, 3, or 5 minutes
Multi Snapshots (Burst)
Yes
Anti Shake
Yes
Microphone
Yes
Speaker
Yes
Language
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Turkish
Interface
USB 2.0
System Requirements
Windows XP (SP 3), Vista (SP1) and Windows 7
Mac OSX v10.5.x and above
Battery
Built-in Lithium Battery
Working Temperature
0~40C

9
Computer System Requirements
To be able to download photos and videos to your computer using the Vivitar Experience Image
Manager Software, you will need the following minimum configuration:
WINDOWS OS
MICROSOFT®Windows XPwith ServicePack 3,Windows Vista with Service Pack1 orWindows 7
Pentium® 4 processor (or above)
1 GB RAM, 250 MB available hard disk space
16-bit Color monitor, 1024 X 768 recommended screen resolution
CD-ROM Drive
QuickTime® 6 or higher
MICROSOFT ® Internet Explorer 7 or higher
Windows Media Player 10 or higher
DirectX 9 or higher
Internet connection required
MACINTOSH OS
Intel processor running MACINTOSH OS X v10.5.x or later
1 GB RAM, 250 MB available hard disk space
Display: 1024 x 768 or higher-resolution monitor
QuickTime® 6 or higher
CD-ROM Drive
Internet connection required
Note: Make sure the latest compatible Adobe® Flash® Player is installed on your computer.

10
Powering ON/OFF Your Digital Camcorder
Make sure the battery has been fully charged before the first use.
Make sure an SD card has been inserted into your camcorder.
SDHC Class 4 card up to 32GB recommended. SD Memory Card not included.
POWERING THE CAMCORDER ON
Press and hold the Power button to turn your camcorder ON.
The camcorder will be in Video Capture mode to start.
POWERING THE CAMCORDER OFF
While the camcorder is on, you can press and hold the Power button again at any point to
turn your camcorder OFF. You will see a “Goodbye” splash screen and then the camcorder will
power off completely.
Note: Your digital camcorder also has an Auto Power Off feature that will automatically turn off
your camcorder after a specific period of time that your camcorder is left idle. The Auto
Power Off settings can be set from the ‘Auto Power Off’settings menu (in the Video and
Photo Capture mode Menus).

11
Changing Camcorder Mode
Your digital camcorder has three main modes:
1. Video Capture Mode - Use this mode to capture videos with your camcorder.
2. Photo Capture Mode - Use this mode to capture photos with your camcorder.
3. Playback Mode (for photos and videos) - Use this mode to view the photos and videos you
have already taken with your camcorder.
When the digital camcorder is first powered ON, the Video Capture Mode will be active. The icons
that appear on the LCD screen are the best default settings so that you can begin to capture and
enjoy clear quality videos and photos.
To change the active camcorder mode, make sure the camcorder is powered ON and press the
MODE button on the bottom left of the LCD Panel.
When in Video Capture Mode, this icon will display on the top-left corner of the LCD display
When in Photo Capture Mode, this icon will display on the top-left corner of the LCD display
When in Playback Mode, this icon will display on the top-left corner of the LCD display

12
Navigating the Menus
Each camcorder mode has a set of menus specific to that mode.
1. Press the MENU button to open the menus for the current mode.
2. Press the LEFT or RIGHT direction control buttons to scroll between the various menus for
the current mode.
3. Press the UP or DOWN direction control buttons to highlight the desired menu option.
4. Press the Shutter/OK button to select and save the highlighted menu option.
5. If the selection can be remembered by the camcorder, a selection icon will appear to the
right of the selected menu option. Changes made to these options will remain as is until you
decide to change them again at a later time.
6. Some menu options are single-use functions that are not remembered by the camcorder and
do not display this icon when selected.
7. At any time you can press the MENU button to exit the menus and return to the previous
screen.

13
Video Capture Mode
The Video Capture Mode allows you to capture videos with your digital camcorder.
When the camcorder is first powered ON, the camcorder will be in Video Capture Mode.
TAKING A VIDEO
1. While in Video Capture Mode use the LCD display to direct your digital camcorder at the
scene you would like to capture.
2. Press the Up / Zoom In and Down / Zoom Out buttons to better set the camcorder
display if desired.
3. Press the RIGHT / LED button when needed to turn the LED light on and better
illuminate the area you would like to capture.
4. Press the Shutter button to start the video capture.
5. A red, blinking icon appears at the top of the LCD screen indicating that the recording is in
progress.
On the top right of the LCD screen, the recording time appears, indicating the amount of
elapsed time as the video is being captured.
6. To stop the video recording, press the Shutter button again.
7. The video is automatically saved to the camcorder’s SD memory card.
LED FLASH LIGHT
To add more light in a dark situation use the camcorder’s LED flash light.
1. Press the RIGHT /LED ON-OFF button once to turn the LED On.
2. Press the RIGHT / LED ON-OFF button again to turn the LED Off.

14
VIDEO CAPTURE MODE QUICK FUNCTION BUTTONS
Your digital camcorder has a four-directional pad that functions as Quick Function buttons.
Button
Function
Up
Zooms in.
Right
Turns the LED light on or off.
Down
Zooms out.
Left
Opens the ViviLink for Videos Menu.
Other
Shutter
STARTS and STOPS your video capture.
Saves your selected menu option.
MENU
Opens the menu options for Video Capture Mode.
Exits the Menu screen.
Note: To navigate through the Menus, use the UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT
directions control buttons.
MODE
Toggles between the Photo Capture Mode, Video Capture Mode and
Playback Mode.

15
VIDEO CAPTURE MODE MENUS
The following are the menus that appear in your camcorder’s Video Capture Mode:

16
Scene Menu
The Scene Menu allows you to choose scene settings that let your camcorder to adapt properly
to your current environment.
1. Press the MENU button to open the menus for the current mode.
2. Press the LEFT or RIGHT direction control button to scroll and select the ‘Scene’menu.
3. Press the UP or DOWN direction control button to highlight the desired menu option.
4. Press the OK button to select and save the desired option.
5. A selected option icon will appear on the selected item.
6. Press the LEFT or RIGHT button to select the next menu item.
7. Press the MENU button to exit the menu and return to your previous mode.
8. An icon reflecting your selection will display on the LCD screen.
9. Remember that this setting will be saved by your camcorder until you manually change the
setting or restore the camcorder’s default factory settings.
Resolution Menu
The Resolution menu allows you to choose the desired size of the images taken by your
camcorder. Keep in mind that images with a higher resolution will also take up more of your
camcorder’s memory.
1. Press the MENU button to open the menus for the current mode.
2. Press the LEFT or RIGHT direction control button to scroll and select the ‘Resolution’menu.
3. Press the UP or DOWN direction control button to highlight the desired menu option.
4. Press the OK button to select and save the desired option.
5. A selected option icon will appear on the selected item.
6. Press the LEFT or RIGHT button to select the next menu item.
7. Press the MENU button to exit the menu and return to your previous mode.
8. An icon reflecting your selection will display on the LCD screen.
9. Remember that this setting will be saved by your camcorder until you manually change the
setting or restore the camcorder’s default factory settings.

17
Quality Menu
The Quality menu allows you to select the desired quality level of the images taken by your
camcorder. Keep in mind that images with a higher image quality level will also take up more
memory on your camcorder.
1. Press the MENU button to open the menus for the current mode.
2. Press the LEFT or RIGHT direction control button to scroll and select the ‘Quality’menu.
3. Press the UP or DOWN direction control button to highlight the desired menu option.
4. Press the OK button to select and save the desired option.
5. A selected option icon will appear on the selected item.
6. Press the LEFT or RIGHT button to select the next menu item.
7. Press the MENU button to exit the menu and return to your previous mode.
8. An icon reflecting your selection will display on the LCD screen.
9. Remember that this setting will be saved by your camcorder until you manually change the
setting or restore the camcorder’s default factory settings.
Anti-Shake Menu
The Anti-Shake feature reduces image distortion that can be caused by movement of the
camcorder while capturing the image.
1. Press the MENU button to open the menus for the current mode.
2. Press the LEFT or RIGHT direction control button to scroll and select the ‘Anti-Shake’menu.
3. Press the UP or DOWN direction control button to scroll through the menu options.
4. Press the OK button to select and save the desired option.
5. A selected option icon will appear on the selected item.
6. Press the LEFT or RIGHT button to select the next menu item.
7. Press the MENU button to exit the menu and return to your previous mode.
8. An icon reflecting your selection will display on the LCD screen.
9. Remember that this setting will be saved by your camcorder until you manually change the
setting or restore the camcorder’s default factory settings.

18
White Balance Menu
The White Balance feature allows your camcorder to adjust the coloring of the captured images
depending on the type of light source in the current environment.
Properly adjusting the White Balance setting to match your current environment will allow the
camcorder to properly balance the colors in the images that are taken with your camcorder.
1. Press the MENU button to open the menus for the current mode.
2. Press the LEFT or RIGHT direction control button to scroll and select the ‘White Balance’
menu.
3. Press the UP or DOWN direction control button to highlight the desired menu option.
4. Press the OK button to select and save the desired option.
5. A selected option icon will appear on the selected item.
6. Press the LEFT or RIGHT button to select the next menu item.
7. Press the MENU button to exit the menu and return to your previous mode.
8. An icon reflecting your selection will display on the LCD screen.
9. Remember that this setting will be saved by your camcorder until you manually change the
setting or restore the camcorder’s default factory settings.
Color Effect Menu
You can choose to add a color effect to the images taken with your camcorder.
1. Press the MENU button to open the menus for the current mode.
2. Press the LEFT or RIGHT direction control button to scroll and select the ‘Color Effect’menu.
3. Press the UP or DOWN direction control button to highlight the desired menu option.
4. Press the OK button to select and save the desired option.
5. A selected option icon will appear on the selected item.
6. Press the LEFT or RIGHT button to select the next menu item.
7. Press the MENU button to exit the menu and return to your previous mode.
8. Remember that this setting will be saved by your camcorder until you manually change the
setting or restore the camcorder’s default factory settings.

19
Image Sharpness Menu
You can set the level of sharpness in the images taken with your camcorder. The sharpness level
dictates if the edges of objects in the image are more or less distinct.
1. Press the MENU button to open the menus for the current mode.
2. Press the LEFT or RIGHT direction control button to scroll and select the ‘Image Sharpness’
menu.
3. Press the UP or DOWN direction control button to highlight the desired menu option.
4. Press the OK button to select and save the desired option.
5. A selected option icon will appear on the selected item.
6. Press the LEFT or RIGHT button to select the next menu item.
7. Press the MENU button to exit the menu and return to your previous mode.
8. An icon reflecting your selection will display on the LCD screen
9. Remember that this setting will be saved by your camcorder until you manually change the
setting or restore the camcorder’s default factory settings.
Light Exposure Menu
The Light Exposure setting helps you control the amount of light that enters your camcorder’s
lens. This setting should be adjusted when the environment is lighter or darker than normal.
When the environment has more light than is needed, reduce the exposure setting (by using the
negative - count) to reduce the amount of light allowed into the lens by your camcorder.
If the environment has less light (darker) than is needed, increase the exposure setting (by using
the positive + count) to increase the amount of light allowed into the lens by your camcorder.
1. Press the MENU button to open the menus for the current mode.
2. Press the LEFT or RIGHT direction control button to scroll and select the ‘Light Exposure’
menu.
3. Press the UP or DOWN direction control button to highlight the desired menu option.
4. Press the OK button to select and save the desired option.
5. A selected option icon will appear on the selected item.
6. Press the LEFT or RIGHT button to select the next menu item.