DVD camcorders vs tape camcorders

Mpeg-1 and mpeg-2 are "more" lossy than DV
How much more is a matter of preferance of the viewer.
Mpeg-2 is also harder to edit.(I'm told) because of the way it compresses
the video.
DVD-RAM is a more "data" oriented recording media IE it has parity and other
things to make data more reliable.
DVD-RAM is also by design rewritable.
My sugestion would be to wait, but I'm very cautious. If you can't wait buy
the one you like the best.(VIDEO QUALITY)

 

I am thinking of purchasing a DVD camcorder and I am looking at either the
Panasonic DVD camcorder VDR-M30, or the Sony DCR-DVD200. I am interested to
know whether these DVD camcorders are capable of producing as good a picture
as tape-based camcorders.

I have read that DVD camcorders record in MPEG2 and that miniDV camcorders
record in DV25. Panasonic's camera has the advantage that it can record on
mini DVD double sided RAM discs (2.8 GB), but the Sony DVD camcorder can
record only on 1.4 GB DVD-R or DVD-RW mini DVDs. I have read that a one-hour
mini-DV tape holds 13GB of data, so does this mean that the picture quality
of tape camcorders is better than that of DVD camcorders that have a maximum
of only 2.8GB available for a 1-hour recording?

I have also read that editing MPEG2 is relatively difficult. Do the DVD
camcorders above allow firewire transfers to a computer so that editing can
be done in a program such as Studio 8? Is editing with MPEG2 really more
difficult than with DV25 from tapes?

Can anyone who has used a DVD camcorder also please give me their opinions
on the picture quality and editing ability of DVD camcorders. Is it really
too early to buy a DVD camcorder, is the technology reliable? I have heard
that mini DVD discs can lose data if stored at 60 degrees, is this true?

One other question, do DVD RAM discs provide a better picture than DVD-RW
discs? It's a pity that Sony products, for example, don't record on DVD RAM
discs.

Thanks very much for your help.

dvdfred

 

What drives me away is cost. The little DVD-R's and DVD-RAMs cost WAY
more than miniDV tapes, which I already think are expensive. I'd rather just
burn to DVD on my computer onto $1 DVD-R's.

 

Thanks for your reply. I thought a DVD camcorder might be a
good idea after having had a tape jam in my Sony TRV 11E. This
camcorder also produced garbled sound and jerky pictures even
though there was no warning from the camcorder itself that
something was wrong. This shows the need to have two
cameras rolling if you are filming a wedding or some other
non-repeatable event! I found this Sony camcorder was also
quite susceptible to moisture problems, particularly
when the camera was used on cold evenings. I thought a DVD
camcorder might overcome these problems!

In a review of the new Sony DVD camcorders:

DCR-DVD100; DCR-DVD200; DCR-DVD300

it was stated that: "As the video format for DVD is MPEG-2
rather than the DV stream format used by most digital video
editing applications, legions of iMovie users are excluded from
editing footage captured on these DVD camcorders because of
the lack of a FireWire (iLink) interface, but Windows Movie
Maker users are also excluded because Movie Maker can't
import the MPEG-2 format."

see: http://www.masterdvd.com/sony-dvd-handycam.html

However, it must be possible to copy from a DVD camcorder
to DV tape, and then import the video into a program such
as Studio 8? The sales literature for the Panasonic VDR-M30
emphasises that you do not need a PC to edit the video because
"you can select the scenes you've shot onto a disc and arrange
them to play back in any order you want. You can create your
own scenarios, and then save them into a playlist with seamless
transitions between scenes."

However, it is good to work with more advanced editing
programs that can add music and create DVD menus etc.

dvdfred

 

I would avoid DVD camcorders if you have any intention of editing the
video at all. MiniDV is much more standard and is a known quantity.
You could dub the DVD to MiniDV, but you'd lose some video quality.
Better to start out on MiniDV and then author your own DVD after
editing.

I would only recommend a DVD camcorder for someone without a computer
or who has no interest in learning how to edit video or author DVDs.

Dan

 

Thanks Dan for these comments. I think the main issues with most camcorders
are the quality of the video, the weight of the camera, and the low light
capability. There are some quite full specifications for a DVD-RAM camcorder
at:

http://www.unbeatable.com/products/camcorders/Hitachi/hitdzmv350.asp

These specifications are for the Hitachi DZMV-350.

When recording on to DVD RAM, you get approx. 20 minutes in "extra fine
quality mode" on a single sided DVD. The video quality is described as 704 x
480 (3-10Mbps VBR). VBR stands for variable bit rate.

If you use "fine" quality mode, you get approx 30 minutes on either a DVD
RAM or a DVD-R. The video quality is described as 704 x 480 6Mbps CBR). CBR
stands for constant bit rate.

Can anyone tell me whether the "extra fine" and "fine" modes described above
would provide good quality video? Would the quality be as good, or nearly as
good as the best settings that can be obtained from miniDV with a camera
that costs less than US$1,000?

Unfortunately, the specifications do not say what the minimum required
illumination for this camera is, but it has a F1.8 lens. Does anyone know
the minimum required illumination in LUX for this camera? The weight of the
camera is 565g, including the battery and the disc, so it is a reasonably
light-weight camera.

Thanks for your help.

dvdfred

 

Thanks Kevin for this reply. However, you can use the same discs hundreds of
times (100,000 times in the case of DVD-RAM discs), so the idea is to
purchase about 6 mini DVD-RAM discs, and copy from these on to your DVD-R's.
The 6 mini DVD-RAM discs will then last you a lifetime, but with a tape
system, you need to buy fresh tapes as soon as one has been used. I don't
like recording on tapes more than once, and at most, about 3 or 4 times. I
transfer all my tapes onto DVD+RW discs as soon as I have finished
recording.

Note that, when using double-sided DVD-RAM discs, after filling up the first
side, the discs must be removed and turned over manually when you want to
record on the second side. This is important because it means that the
maximum length of recording you can get at the highest video quality is only
20 or 30 minutes, after which you need to either insert a new disc, or turn
over the DVD RAM disc.

dvdfred

 

Well, that's your choice, but it's the wrong one. This isn't an analog tape
and to accept lower quality just because it's dvd-ram instead of tape is
going to result in less, not more.

 

dvdfred, my decision tree would have 2 branches: immediate delivery
vs. editing. A DVD-corder is ok if you want to stream/progressive
download "out of the camera" (though the file is still large). But it
records in a lossy format that isn't friendly with many NLEs. It will
really limit your choices if you want to edit for a living.

On the other hand, DV format WILL go into your NLE and have far less
loss (transparent to most NTSC clients). But it requires processing
if you have to wire the product back to your client ASAP.

You've been given some good insight by these other posters, I'd listen
to them carefully before deciding.