There certainly is a lot to like about the PD170 for a number of advantages it offers, but before I start sounding like a Sony fanboy...if I recall correctly, the footage jumped even when I was handheld. The concert was the most extreme example, but the camera has always been prone to show the slightest bump as if the camera was being assaulted by drunken zombies (dibs on that title by the way). It took seeing another camera in similar situations to realize maybe its not just clumsiness.

XHA1 Handheld
 

When shooting handheld with OIS on, the picture still shakes when viewing back on HD tv.
It seems this camera is only good on a mono pod or tripod. The slightest shake when shooting handheld is exaggerated because it's in HD. The GL 1 and GL 2 with OIS on would still show shake but not as noticeable like the XHA1. I shot a parade last year with XHA1 with OIS on handheld. It turned out very shaky. I've learned my lesson and will shoot with a monopod this year.

John... When I first got my XH A1 the shots were so shaky I thought the OIS was broken. I suspect two potential causes. First, and most likely, it was the way I was handling the camera. Second and much less likely, the OIS had to be "broken in". No empirical facts to support theory number two. Just looking to lay blame, I guess.

Two years on, I am quite content with the OIS. I shot a long driver intro sequence hand held and on my knees and I was quite chuffed with how it came out. Even I, an old and palsied shooter got rock solid footage that looked like it was shot on sticks.

See if practice improves your results. It couldn't hurt.

I actually manage to hold my canon really steady, being a former vx2100 user I can even say it has a better ois then my sony.
But I noticed that if you lift the camera on a tripod to move it and once the tripodlegs hit the ground, even slightly, the image shakes quite badly. Never experienced it so bad with my Sony.

*But I noticed that if you lift the camera on a tripod to move it and once the tripodlegs hit the ground, even slightly, the image shakes quite badly. Never experienced it so bad with my Sony*

Noa if you jolt any camera hard enough, its OIS would shake badly. As I mentioned before the OIS is only for the slight cushioned movement you get with handshake. Try a test, turn it off and shoot 10secs handheld then turn the OIS on and hand shoot the same scene for 10secs.

The first 10secs will have quick slight bumps and jolts corresponding to your hand/arm movements, the second 10secs will have damped most of them them out. A1 manual page 47.

Take a look at how the new Sony NXCAM OIS works, here comes the next generation. Cheers.