Looking for an HD camcorder ? They ’re proliferate like bunnies , but is it a good time to grease one’s palms one yet ? Not only are there lots more high-definition television camcorders on the market now than there were last yr at this clip , the variety of HD camcorder transcription method acting has expanded as well . Sure , you’re able to register on tape , but would n’t you really rather record to a grueling drive , or well yet , a split second memory batting order ? What about commemorate to DVDs , or even to Blu - ray discs ? All these choices are uncommitted at prices that are oftentimes in the south of $ 1000 . Here are 10 things you demand to know before you plunk down your cash .
1 . All the HD camcorders ’ picture looks cracking . Every one of the latest HD camcorder we ’ve seen — seven in all — delivers kick - ass video , almost as unspoiled as what you see coming down a luck of cable or orbiter systems from the networks . But it does n’t look as clean and sharp as Blu - ray or HD DVD .
2 . Know what do you want to do with the camcorder . Maybe HD is overkill . If you need to upload video to YouTube , the easiest way to do it is using the video recording capabilities of a gunpoint - n - shoot still television camera .
3 . The HD camcorder are easiest to use if you plug them directly into an high-definition television via HDMI . Almost all the camcorder have HDMI outturn , so it ’s easy to just connect that camcorder to your high-definition television and practice the supplied remote control . In fact , it feels like this is what the camcorder society would prefer you to do , because the editing software system included with every one of the camcorders is almost unserviceable , which bring us to number 4 :
4 . Editing AVCHD footage is inept . Many of the latest camcorders use the highly compact AVCHD data formatting , a variant of the H.264 used in Blu - ray and HD DVDs . Cutting HDV footage of older camcorders is easy , because it ’s a fledged high-definition television television data formatting that ’s been around for three or four years . AVCHD is quite unlike , newer and more cumbersome . While many editing software program package now support AVCHD , it ’s still a rather clumsy process to move the footage from camcorder to PC , albeit a little easier when you ’re dealing with a Mac .
5 . If you contrive to edit HD footage , especially AVCHD , get yourself a mofo PC or Mac . Make that a three-fold - central processing unit machine with eight magnetic core if you may swing it . You ’d better have the most powerful PC you could find , because the huge files and compression chores you ’ll be asking your computer to deal with are frighten away , and expect spectacular amount of power unless you want to endure foresighted waits for render .
6 . Where will you circularise the TV from your HD camcorder ? ( in other speech , how will Grandma observe your masterpieces ? ) With HD , gone are the daytime of ubiquitous playback devices for your videos . After you ’re done editing , it wo n’t be as easy as lay it down on a VHS tape or DVD that even Grandma can play in her sustenance way . HD footage goes well on a Blu - shaft disk , but who has those burners or instrumentalist yet ?
7 . Decide if you want a camcorder that tape on toilsome disk , photoflash memory card , DVD , HDV taping or Blu - ray . A grueling phonograph record memory board more footage but is bulkier and more frail than ostentation store . But a 4 GB trice plug-in only stores 40 proceedings ’ Charles Frederick Worth of footage . register on DVD and Blu - ray both involve birl removable media which seems anachronous , but then your footage can be take on back forthwith on many Blu - shaft magnetic disk player . Then there ’s DV tape register HDV footage , which gets unspoilt results , but it seems so , uh , parallel .
8 . Leontyne Price are reasonable . The good HD camcorder I ’ve view , the Panasonic HDC - SD1 , costs around $ 800 . You ’d be surprised how price are plump with high-definition television camcorder . Since it ’s not make - rattling new , you might be able to find an even better mickle on that Panny SD1 on Black Friday , the mean solar day after Thanksgiving .
9 . Most camcorder end up pull together debris on a press shelf . Be naturalistic . Are you really going to be fritter away stacks of TV ? Accurately assess whether you ’ll actually be using a camcorder oft , or just occasionally . Also think about whether anyone will be eager to watch your HD videos that you may not have the fourth dimension or solitaire to delete . If you have a special upshot come up , consider borrowing or renting a camcorder rather than vaunt all your free hard cash on a trinket that will be used once or double and end up as shelfware .
10 . Catch up on some follow-up of the late HD camcorder to get a lay of the land . Camcorder Info picked as itscamcorder of the yr the Canon HV20 , an HD model that apply previous - timey DV tapes and record in the HDV data format . We come up the camcorder ’s video spectacular , with very few motion artifact . It ’s also nice to be able to output in good ol’ DV whenever you want with no further interpretation .
After using seven of these camcorder , and five of them for about a calendar month in an lengthened review situation , our fave was the Panasonic HDC - SD1 ( pictured above ) , with its close - perfect video , flashbulb memory recording , midget size , fluent stabilization and $ 800ish price . For a look at that , also check out Wired’sroundup of camcorders in its yearly Test subject , and number soon online and now on newsstand , my own roundup of five HD camcorders in Maximum PC magazine .
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