So You Want To Buy A New HD Camcorder . . .

Here are some issues to consider when you purchase your new camcorder

1. Storage Media Type: Currently, High Definition camcorders are available that record to one or more of these four media: MiniDV tape, built-in Hard disk drive, MiniDVD-R/RW discs, and SD or MemoryStick (Sony) flash cards. The primary differences here are cost, time capacity and compression algorithm used. MiniDV tapes cost about $3.00 each and hold one hour of HD video at 25 megabits per second, and use HDV (MPEG-2) compression. Hard drive, DVD, and Flash card cameras all use AVCHD (MPEG-4) compression at 15 megabits per second;. The AVCHD compression algorithm is a much more aggressive compression than HDV, and most cameras using it have somewhat poorer image quality in low-light situations. AVCHD is also more difficult and processor intensive to edit, requiring a computer with more power than is needed to edit HDV video. Following are some specific's

ADVANTAGES OF MINI-DV TAPE: It's very cheap and widely available, costing about $3.00 per one hour of video storage capacity. It's easier to edit HDV video than AVCHD video, and HDV offers better image quality in low light. The tape itself is also your archival media, and should last at least 10~15 years if you store it in a suitable container that protects it from moisture, dust, and temperature extremes. It takes 3 single-sided DVD's to hold the video from one Mini-DV tape if you want to use DVD's as your back-up archival media.

DISADVANTAGES OF MINI-DV TAPE: For editing purposes it requires real-time video transfer via Firewire; if you have a full 60 minute tape, it takes 60 minutes of real time to download your video to your computer. Also, the 25 megabit per second bandwidth may be too much for many older computers: even if you already have a Firewire card installed, if your computer's CPU, data bus, or hard drive can't accept the data stream at the rate it's being transmitted by the camera, you will at least lose frames and at worst, the whole captured video file could be trashed and unplayable. Tape drive cameras are more sensitive to humidity than the other types; condensation inside the camera's tape compartment will shut it down, requiring you to bring it indoors to an air-conditioned space to dry out. Motor noise from the tape drive can be picked up by the camera's built in microphones.

2. ADVANTAGES OF HARD DRIVE CAMERAS These cameras store the full 1920 x 1080i high def video; MiniDV tape cameras using HDV compression actually record only 1440 x 1080i (non-square pixels), requiring a resampling of the video in post-production to get 1920 x 1080i. Lots of storage capacity: Up to 5 hours on the 40 megabyte drive is possible. Fast and easy video transfer to your computer via USB; you don't need to install a firewire port if your PC doesn't have one already. Transferring an hour's worth of video from an HG-10 to a computer takes a lot less time than the same transfer on a miniDV type of camera.. Less motor "whine" in the audio track than you have with tape drive cameras. Less sensitivity to environmental problems like dust and moisture.

DISADVANTAGES OF HARD DRIVE CAMERAS: A little more expensive purchase price. The greatest disadvantage currently is the AVCHD compression: compared to HDV compression used in MiniDV tape cameras, it's harder to edit in post-processing software, and requires a more powerful computer. AVCHD video shows a LOT more noise and compression artifacts in low-light shots than you get with HDV video.

3.ADVANTAGES OF DVD CAMCORDERS: Only one that I can think of, and that's the ability to put the disc into a DVD player and view it, or transfer it to computer. Transfer of video to computer same as HDD (via USB) is so much faster than Tape drive. One manufacturer recently came out with a high def camcorder that stores to Mini-BlueRay discs. I don't know for sure what the blank discs would cost, but you can bet they're way more expensive than regular 8cm DVD-RW's

DISADVANTAGES OF DVD CAMCORDERS: Expensive media in terms of cost-per-minute. The small, 8cm DVD's used in these camcorders have very limited capacity, only about 15~20 minutes at the highest image quality. DVD cameras tend to be bulkier, since the 80mm diameter disc takes up a lot of space compared to a 64mm wide x 45mm tall MiniDV tape. AVCHD Compression; same issues as for HDD cams in terms of loss of image quality and difficulty to edit in post-processing.

4. ADVANTAGES OF FLASH CARD CAMCORDERS: No moving parts in the storage media. This should mean longer service life and greater reliability. If flash memory continues to grow in capacity while dropping in cost, this type of camcorder could eventually be the end of Tape, HDD, and DVD. Easy transfer of video to PC over USB bus.

DISADVANTAGES OF FLASH CARD CAMCORDERS: This media is the most expensive storage media: $140.00 for a 16 gigabyte SD card, compared to $3.00 for a 13 gigabyte MiniDV tape. The system uses AVCHD compression; same issues as for HDD and DVD cams in terms of loss of image quality and difficulty to edit in post-processing.