Digital video camcorders
Introduction
At the time of writing, hi-definition consumer camcorders are evolving. There are many formats in terms of codecs, file formats and recording media, and it is difficult to know how to summarise and evaluate them all.
Hi-def consumer models
Here are a few brief pointers. We'll retrun to this subject at a later date when the market is more coherent ...
- Range of recording media includes, tape, hard drive and memory cards.
- Camcorders that record to DVD should be avoided if they use the old MPEG2 codec/file format
- Your video editing software must be able to handle the file format your camcorder creates
- Its a good idea to buy a camcorder that can record at the full 1920w x 1080h resolution
- The new AVCHD camcorder format looks very promising
This following list is representative of most primary technologies as of the start of 2007, but it excludes many consumer hi def formats.
Camcorder round-up (2007)
| Camcorder type | Definition | Recording medium | Codec | Resolution | CCDs | Transfer | Device control | Edit on PC/Mac | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DVD | Standard | DVD | Meg-2 | PAL & NTSC interlaced | 1 & 3 | No | No | No | Pros ... Useful if you want to watch recordings immediately on your DVD player & TV. Cons ... can't transfer to a computer to edit. |
| Flash memory | Standard | Flash memory cards | Mpeg-2 / Mpeg-4 | 640x480 interlaced | 1 | USB | No | Yes & no | Pros ... Compact, easy to transfer but low quality and not compatible with all editing software |
| Hard disk | Standard | Hard drives | Mpeg-2 | PAL & NTSC interlaced | 1 | USB | No | Yes but awkward | Pros ... Non linear access to recordings. Good quality. Cons ... Awkward to transfer. |
| HDV | High definition DV format | DV tape sized cassette | Mpeg-2 | PAL & NTSC, 720 progressive and 1080 interlaced | 1 & 3 | FireWire | No | Yes but awkward | Pros ... Great quality. Cons ... Difficult to transfer, must be converted before computer editing, eats disk space, you'll wait a long time for rendering. In the US hi-def is much more established than Europe. For an audience without hi-def DVD players and TVs, the benefits of hi-def production are limited at present. |
| HD (high definition) | High | Tape | - | - | 3 large chip | - | - | No | This is a professional level option at present. There are a wide range of cameras from Sony's HDCam range up to Digital Cinema cameras. |
| MiniDV (up to £500) | Standard | MiniDV tape cassette | DV | PAL & NTSC interlaced | 1 | FireWire | Yes | Yes | Pros ... Good tried and tested format. It works! Computers fast enough now to offer real time rendering. Great compatibility. |
| MiniDV (over £500) | Standard | MiniDV tape cassette | DV | PAL & NTSC interlaced | 3 | FireWire | Yes | Yes | Pros ... Good tried and tested format. It works! Computers fast enough now to offer real time rendering. Great compatibility. Great colour fidelity. |
| DV-Cam | Standard | DV-Cam cassette tape | DV | PAL & NTSC interlaced | 3 | FireWire | Yes | Yes | Pros ... Good tried and tested format. It works! Computers fast enough now to offer real time rendering. Great compatibility. Great colour fidelity. Robust tape format. |
| DVC-Pro | Standard & high | DVC-Pro cassette tape | DV & high quality mode | PAL & NTSC interlaced | 3 | FireWire | Yes | Yes | Pros ... Good tried and tested format. It works! Computers fast enough now to offer real time rendering. Great compatibility. Great colour fidelity. Robust tape format. Broadcast quality. |
| Sony Digi-Beta SD | Called standard but effectively high | Digi-Beta tape | Uncompressed | PAL & NTSC progressive | - | - | Yes | No | Pros ... Superb professional broadcast quality. Cons ... Very expensive and requires professional editing system. |
Related downloads
None at present
