Hard Drive Camcorder v. Mini DVD Camcorder

[johnjrval424]

DH is insisting on buying one or the other in the next couple weeks. I've researched both and came up with two significant differences:

(1) Hard Drive Camcorder - can tape up to 1 1/2 hours? but must hook up the camcorder to the laptop and download video then burn to CD drive.

(2) Mini-DVD Camcorder - you can tape up to 30 minutes? but you can instantly pop it into the DVD player and watch the video.

I'm hesitant because of the 30 minute time limit but I like the flexibility of being able to just put it in the DVD or laptop and play what I've recorded.

Can anyone enlighten me as to any other pros/cons to either one? I really want to make sure that I'm buying the right one and it won't be obsolete in 3 months.

TIA!

 

[itsbob]

DH is insisting on buying one or the other in the next couple weeks. I've researched both and came up with two significant differences:

(1) Hard Drive Camcorder - can tape up to 1 1/2 hours? but must hook up the camcorder to the laptop and download video then burn to CD drive.

(2) Mini-DVD Camcorder - you can tape up to 30 minutes? but you can instantly pop it into the DVD player and watch the video.

I'm hesitant because of the 30 minute time limit but I like the flexibility of being able to just put it in the DVD or laptop and play what I've recorded.

Can anyone enlighten me as to any other pros/cons to either one? I really want to make sure that I'm buying the right one and it won't be obsolete in 3 months.

TIA!

Are you sure the HD camera is limited to 1 1/2 hours??

 

[johnjrval424]

That's what the "geek" told me in Best Buy. I've also read about them on Consumer Reports and CNet and they said about the same thing.

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

That's what the "geek" told me in Best Buy. I've also read about them on Consumer Reports and CNet and they said about the same thing.

My DXG records up to 2 and 1/2 hours, running off a 2GB SD card. Video quality's decent. You can get one for ... shoot ... $95.00.

I'm sure you can get a 30GB videocamera - that'll hold about 46 hours HD1080p compressed AVI video. :shrug:

 

[Bavarian]

My DXG records up to 2 and 1/2 hours, running off a 2GB SD card. Video quality's decent. You can get one for ... shoot ... $95.00.

I'm sure you can get a 30GB videocamera - that'll hold about 46 hours HD1080p compressed AVI video. :shrug:

These machines have poor video quality are not High Def, not even standard Def, worse than VHS if anything could be.
Much better to be able to replace recording media, 30 mins is not bad, I lived with 4 mins on 8mm film.

 

[johnjrval424]

These machines have poor video quality are not High Def, not even standard Def, worse than VHS if anything could be.
Much better to be able to replace recording media, 30 mins is not bad, I lived with 4 mins on 8mm film.

Well, that's what I was thinking. I like the fact that you can just take the little DVD out and pop it in the player. No muss - no fuss. The only drawback I see with that setup is, if you are having a birthday party or some event where you want the camcorder running continously, you'll have a break in the recording when you have to change DVD's. I also read that the quality is not as good as the hard drive, unless I have that backwards?

All suggestions are welcome - I have to make a decision soon!

 

[Dupontster]

We just bought one Friday night....We got a Hybrid...It will record for 6 hours on the 8G hard drive OR you can record directly to the DVD....You can also burn of your hard drive right to your DVD if you want..It is a Hitachi DZHS300A....So fan we really like it....It runs from $400 to $600 depending where you get it....
"Hitachi's innovative D7HS300A DVD Hybrid Camcorder lets you shoot and capture many hours of home movie memories directly to the built-in 8 GB hard drive without changing discs or tapes or running out of space. The critical last step to enjoying and sharing these memories is to transfer those movies from the Hard Drive to DVDs, and the Hitachi Hybrid products are the only camcorders in the world that allow consumers to record to Hard Drive then transfer to DVD right in the camcorder with the push of a button."

 

[johnjrval424]

Well, Saturday night I took the plunge and bought the Sony HandyCam with the 4 gig Smart Media chip. It takes stills, records directly onto the mini DVD's and also plays back in Digital SurroundSound. It has a 40x Zoom, a 2000x digital zoom and a few other nifty features. It seems like it is a good little machine - just played with it this weekend to familiarize myself with the features and it is very user friendly.

I just hope it's not obsolete in 4 months!

 

[Mousebaby]

I bought a Canon dvd camcorder about 2 months ago and I LOVE IT!! It is so user friendly and I got mine with a bundle package so I can now even burn my old VHS tapes to DVD with the converter that came with it! I think you will be happy with your decision!

 

[johnjrval424]

I bought a Canon dvd camcorder about 2 months ago and I LOVE IT!! It is so user friendly and I got mine with a bundle package so I can now even burn my old VHS tapes to DVD with the converter that came with it! I think you will be happy with your decision!

Is the converter an exclusive thing with Canon? Or can you buy one at, say, Best Buy?

I would LOVE to be able to convert my VHS to DVD.

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

Is the converter an exclusive thing with Canon? Or can you buy one at, say, Best Buy?

I would LOVE to be able to convert my VHS to DVD.

Go online, you can get a TV tuner for $20. Hook up your VCR...

 

[Suz]

Go online, you can get a TV tuner for $20. Hook up your VCR...

Can you explain further? Is it actually called a tv tuner? I 'assume' you hook it up to both your computer and vcr?