What kind of video format do you like best? Which one will you choose?
Mini DVD Camcorders
DVD has increased in popularity in the last few years as the media of choice for consumers, second only to MiniDV. The convenience of random access, rather than the fast forward/rewind of tape, and the ability to pop it directly into a home DVD player for playback are the chief factors, but quality suffers. For a long time, DVD only captured video in an MPEG-2 compression which is generally of a lower video quality than DV compression (tape). The quality has improved greatly with the release of the latest DVD camcorders.
Pros: Camcorders can shoot and play back video instantly on the camcorder or a set-top DVD player.
Cons: They produce lower-quality video than MiniDV camcorders; also, the video is more difficult to edit.
Best for: Movie makers with short attention spans--i.e. those who want to make short films; and those who want to shoot without editing.
MiniDV Camcorders
MiniDV is a digital video tape format which has become the most popular format for home video cameras. MiniDV uses the same compression as DV.
The aging but still beloved grandfather of the digital video world, the 13-year-old MiniDV format records standard-def video to videotapes about the size of matchboxes. Both the tapes and the camcorders are inexpensive: You'll pay about $280 or more for a MiniDV camcorder such as the Canon ZR800, and you can import the video into any PC with a FireWire (aka iLink) input, and then write it to DVD. But finding particular bits of video on a tape is difficult: You have to fast-forward and rewind to find your favorite bits if you haven't yet edited them.
Pros: These camcorders are cheap, reliable, and widely compatible.
Cons: They shoot standard-definition video; finding a particular spot on a tape is a pain.
Best for: Cost cutters, wannabe video editors, and indie filmmakers.
HDV Camcorders
DV & HDVThe DV format was designed to store digital video onto magnetic tape. HDV refers to the high definition version of the DV format. DV and HDV files are very memory intensive but produce very quality video. Given the drop in tape-based camcorder sales, fewer consumers need to worry about DV and HDV, but it does remain popular among enthusiasts.
MPEG-2: Many standard definition camcorders record in MPEG-2. It's also used in high definition camcorders, although not as often. It's a very high quality digital format, the same used in the DVD movies produced by Hollywood studios. That gives MPEG-2 based camcorders a nice advantage over other formats: the video is easily burned to a DVD and most computer media players (like Apple QuickTime and Windows Media Player) support MPEG-2 playback.
MPEG-2 is more commonly found in traditional camcorders that are pricier and higher quality than pocket camcorder models. This is, in part, because MPEG-2 video files are larger in size than other formats and thus not as easy to upload to the Web or send in an email. If you're more interested in viewing high quality, standard definition camcorder footage on a TV, an MPEG-2-based model is a fine choice.
MPEG-4/H.264:Found on most pocket camcorders like the Flip and in many higher-end HD camcorders, MPEG-4/H.264 is actually a very broad family of different formats supporting both standard and high definition video recording. There are several virtues to H.264: it can record very high quality video yet compress it in such a way so as not to consume too much memory. Camcorder makers use the H.264 if they want to offer a "Web-friendly" video product.
AVCHD: A variant of the H.264 format, this is a high definition video file format found on most Canon, Sony, and Panasonic HD camcorders (other manufacturers support it as well). AVCHD camcorders can capture very high quality video and they can also burn HD video to a standard DVD disc, which can be played back on a Blu-ray disc player. Learn more about the AVCHD format here.
Pros: These models shoot high-def video that's easy to edit; the media is cheap.
Cons: They're expensive--HDV camcorders cost two to three times as much as MiniDV ones.
Best for: Makers of high-def home movies and lovers of HDTV.
About the video format you can learn more related format software, learn more AVCHD Converter for Mac. Convert and edit AVCHD video.
Mini DVD Camcorders
DVD has increased in popularity in the last few years as the media of choice for consumers, second only to MiniDV. The convenience of random access, rather than the fast forward/rewind of tape, and the ability to pop it directly into a home DVD player for playback are the chief factors, but quality suffers. For a long time, DVD only captured video in an MPEG-2 compression which is generally of a lower video quality than DV compression (tape). The quality has improved greatly with the release of the latest DVD camcorders.
Pros: Camcorders can shoot and play back video instantly on the camcorder or a set-top DVD player.
Cons: They produce lower-quality video than MiniDV camcorders; also, the video is more difficult to edit.
Best for: Movie makers with short attention spans--i.e. those who want to make short films; and those who want to shoot without editing.
MiniDV Camcorders
MiniDV is a digital video tape format which has become the most popular format for home video cameras. MiniDV uses the same compression as DV.
The aging but still beloved grandfather of the digital video world, the 13-year-old MiniDV format records standard-def video to videotapes about the size of matchboxes. Both the tapes and the camcorders are inexpensive: You'll pay about $280 or more for a MiniDV camcorder such as the Canon ZR800, and you can import the video into any PC with a FireWire (aka iLink) input, and then write it to DVD. But finding particular bits of video on a tape is difficult: You have to fast-forward and rewind to find your favorite bits if you haven't yet edited them.
Pros: These camcorders are cheap, reliable, and widely compatible.
Cons: They shoot standard-definition video; finding a particular spot on a tape is a pain.
Best for: Cost cutters, wannabe video editors, and indie filmmakers.
HDV Camcorders
DV & HDVThe DV format was designed to store digital video onto magnetic tape. HDV refers to the high definition version of the DV format. DV and HDV files are very memory intensive but produce very quality video. Given the drop in tape-based camcorder sales, fewer consumers need to worry about DV and HDV, but it does remain popular among enthusiasts.
MPEG-2: Many standard definition camcorders record in MPEG-2. It's also used in high definition camcorders, although not as often. It's a very high quality digital format, the same used in the DVD movies produced by Hollywood studios. That gives MPEG-2 based camcorders a nice advantage over other formats: the video is easily burned to a DVD and most computer media players (like Apple QuickTime and Windows Media Player) support MPEG-2 playback.
MPEG-2 is more commonly found in traditional camcorders that are pricier and higher quality than pocket camcorder models. This is, in part, because MPEG-2 video files are larger in size than other formats and thus not as easy to upload to the Web or send in an email. If you're more interested in viewing high quality, standard definition camcorder footage on a TV, an MPEG-2-based model is a fine choice.
MPEG-4/H.264:Found on most pocket camcorders like the Flip and in many higher-end HD camcorders, MPEG-4/H.264 is actually a very broad family of different formats supporting both standard and high definition video recording. There are several virtues to H.264: it can record very high quality video yet compress it in such a way so as not to consume too much memory. Camcorder makers use the H.264 if they want to offer a "Web-friendly" video product.
AVCHD: A variant of the H.264 format, this is a high definition video file format found on most Canon, Sony, and Panasonic HD camcorders (other manufacturers support it as well). AVCHD camcorders can capture very high quality video and they can also burn HD video to a standard DVD disc, which can be played back on a Blu-ray disc player. Learn more about the AVCHD format here.
Pros: These models shoot high-def video that's easy to edit; the media is cheap.
Cons: They're expensive--HDV camcorders cost two to three times as much as MiniDV ones.
Best for: Makers of high-def home movies and lovers of HDTV.
About the video format you can learn more related format software, learn more AVCHD Converter for Mac. Convert and edit AVCHD video.
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