Questions about DVD style camcorder

[Brian Boals]

Does anybody know if you can record in a continuous mode with this camera?

I see that you can record up to 60 minutes on one dvd but will the camera actually record the whole time?

I need to record some one hour lectures and the ease of recording right on the dvd looks great. Less trouble than using the old XL1s and then transferring to the PC and then burning a DVD.

Thanks for any information.
Brian

[Tim Frank]

Yeah, that shoudl work. The only problem with the DVD Cam is to get quality near DV you only get about 30 min of time on one DVD. Just thought I'd mention that.

[Clint Grant]

I don't know if anyone else already knows, but on the Canon UK site, there are two new camcorders listed: both record direct to DVD. They are called the DC-10 and DC-20. They are just simplr consumer cameras, but interesting, none the less. Also, if you go to Canon USA, go to the supplies&accessory finder, go to "camcorders", an option for "DVD" will appear, click on it, and you have the choice of "DC-10" or "DC-20". Just thought I'd let everyone know.

~Clint Grant~

[Clint Grant]

See? I told you! They just realeased them today. Note: I first posted on August 11, and now they are released on October 7.

[John C. Chu]

Do these things record the same way like the Sony DVD camcorders? [In MPEG-2 format?]

If so...they are a serious pain in the butt if one wants to edit them on a computer.

I'm Mac based and a friend had some miniDVD's recorded from a Sony DVDcamcorder which he wanted me to copy/clean up a bit.

I had to first convert the MPEG-2 files to DV format for editing. Using the MPEG Streamclip software. [Which is a time consuming process.]

Then I had to import it into my editing program...and then edit...and then reencode to MPEG-2 for making the new edited DVD.

The quality really suffered...

Bllleeeccchhh....

DVD camcorders are good for a consumer to just record and plop into a dvd player...but it is less than ideal for anyone that cares about quality and the ability to easily edit in the future.

Stay away from these things!

[Kevin Carter]

For small projects, I was going to buy a backup for my Canon, ZR45, a terrific single chip for on the go material -- but noticed the whole new line of mini DVD consumer camcorders. Is the quality of these just as good? any downsides? thanks.

[Lisa Shofner]

They are a bit slow. There's only so much buffer before it needs to write to the disk and can't write immediately like the tape drives can.


That would be my opinion on the cons. The pros - if it takes a full-size DVD, the media is cheap cheap cheap.

[Kevin Carter]

bit slow, while recording? anyway, I hear there is less flexibility with editing too.

[Harm Millaard]

Basically there are camera's to shoot and display, that use MPEG compression. These are the DVD type cameras. This material is not really suited for editing, unless you invest in additional software to edit MPEG. Even then you lose quality because of the lossy compression.

Then there are camera's to shoot, capture, edit and only then display. These are the DV/DVCAM/HDV types.

[Cal Johnson]

I kind of held off replying to this one because I'm not an expert. What I understand about the DVD direct recording camcorders is that they are aimed at a specific market, namely amateur videographers that want to be able to just shoot and then watch their video immediately on their DVD players. Not a bad marketing idea when you consider that there are no "consumer" Mini DV decks out there.
Again, my understanding which may be incorrect is that Mini DV is a "lossless" compression scheme, meaning that while the image is compressed, there is no real loss of quality when going back and forth from tape to tape or tape to computer. DVD compression is a "lossy" compression scheme, so when you're going from disc to disc, there is a degradation in quality. This doesn't mean that the intial DVD recording isn't of high quality, it just means the more you transfer it in that format, the more the image quality will degrade.
You could also look into how long the DVDs last. Many people are surprised to learn that CDs and DVDs can have actually a fairly limited life span, whereas the Mini DV tapes will last a very long time. They are making DVDs now that are specifically designed for archival use (lasting 50 years or longer) but wether or not you can buy these in the mini disc format that DVD camcorders use, I do not know.

[Kevin Carter]

thanks guys, yes, this is what I'm discovering, so I'm sticking with mini DV. Would be nice if you could shoot straight on a real DVD-R, and it's lossless -- one day.

[Justin Tomchuk]

I think Cal summed it up there. I own a MiniDVD Camcorder because I could not afford a pro camera. I wouldn't say it is bad at all, but it certainly was frustrating dealing with the digital compression it used. Many video errors and incompatible programs when trying to import the footage. You will probably need to use special software to capture the video from it as well.

I have no problems with it now, since I know exactly what to do. I capture using the special software, then import into Virtualdub so I can deinterlace and convert from mpeg to avi. Then I can edit the avis. It's really simple but I had a hard time.

I wouldn't suggest buying one though because if anyone wants to borrow the disk or camera and they want to edit it at home, you have to teach them how to use the software, how to convert etc. It's not as widely used as MiniDV or Hi8 or whatever else is out there.

Also, I use this only for my short videos and not for recording promos etc.

As for the quality, it is true that it is compressed, but I can get 20 min of very high quality video on one disk. If you have a bunch of disks it's not a problem. That is with the use of a MiniDVD camera, and not a DVD camera. But it might be easier buying something that can hold more.

[David Mwaniki]

Is there a noticablly differance from a DVD cam or a Mini DV Camrecorder?

Is it right that the LP mode on a DVD cam is only 60 mins where as a DV you can go to 90 mins and lastly do DVD cams shoot better in low light conditions?

Dave

[James Harring]

MiniDV (tape) camcorders are generally regarded as putting a superior image on tape. DVD camcorder with it's compression scheme degrades quality.

The major advantage to DVD camcorders is the ability to take the media out, stick it in an envelope and "mail to grandma"...

Essentially this is to say you get the convenience of not having to put it on a computer, edit it, then spit the final product out to a dvd. If you intend to edit it, then you lose this convenience advantage and should buy a MiniDV camcorder IMO. The MiniDV quality (all other things being equal) will be superior.

I believe you are right on duration, but I never use the low speed on ANY media. I don't want to degrade quality. I can get a miniDV tape for about $3, and use it several times over if I wish (though I don't), so why worry about the media duration? Always record at fastest speed (shortest time).

Low light - there is no correspondance between recording media and low light ability. Some are better than others, regardless of recording format. www.camcorderinfo.com and it's sister site http://www.easycamcorders.com/ can help fill in the blanks on specific camcorders performance. Sadly, most consumer grade camcorders lost their good low light capabilities with the demise of the Digital-8 format cams. Consumers are so price driven something had to go... so be sure to turn on the lights in the room this CHristmas or ask Santa for a couple movie lights!

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by James Harring

...
The major advantage to DVD camcorders is the ability to take the media out, stick it in an envelope and "mail to grandma"...

...
I believe you are right on duration, but I never use the low speed on ANY media. I don't want to degrade quality. I can get a miniDV tape for about $3, and use it several times over if I wish (though I don't), so why worry about the media duration? Always record at fastest speed (shortest time).

...

Amen! After all, most shots are a few seconds to a few minutes in length. What difference does it make that one has to change to fresh media every 30 minutes versus 60 minutes versus 90 minutes? The only time the media length would make a real difference is if a single shot ran longer than the media's total length but OMG who'd be able to stay awake through a single shot that long anyway!