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| Do you like Digital Storage or MiniDV better? |
| MiniDV |
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90% |
[ 10 ] |
| Hard Drive/Digital Storage/Memory Card |
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9% |
[ 1 ] |
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| Total Votes : 11 |
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| Author |
Message |
Xeoncross
Member
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: United States
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I would like to start by saying that I have a Hi8 samsung camcorder I bought a couple years ago when I thought I would simply record, edit, publish movies, and live happily ever-after.
Here I am 3 years later with a little sense knocked into me. 
In this post HD = Hard Drive/Memory Card/Digital Storage
So here is my question in a nut-shell: Given that I want a CONVENT/SIMPLE/FAST way to get footage on to a PC for editing, is it really worth all the trouble to go MiniDV instead of the simple HD camcorders?
You see, the reason I want a new camcorder isn't that my old one is that bad of quality - it is that I have to fight for hours to get it through the TV Tuner onto my PC so I can edit it. I want to get the footage on my PC fast, (that is 1#) followed by video quality, then poor light conditions.
From what I have been reading HD cams seem to have noticeably poorer video quality compared to MiniDV cams (like what LCD's used to be compared to standard monitors). Now is this true, or is it just producer ego baloney?
Second, if MiniDV is really that much better - how much? And do you have to jump though hoops to get it on your PC? I don't care about "one click to DVD" stuff - because I will be using Vegas and Premiere Pro to create mostly web (320-640) videos (but 720/DVD will also be needed). What I want is Digital camera simplicity -just plug it in and download.
In addition, I have read about CCCD and I would love to find a 3CCCD - but I probably wont for my price range.
So for about $500 I would like (in order):
Instant PC/Digital format.
Good Video Quality
Good Poor-light handling (at less a 3)
shutter control (like settings for 1, 30, or 60 frames a sec)
Ability to hold more than 45min of footage.
What I don't need:
Still images
High Def
So far I am thinking about the Sony DCR-SR62 & DCR-SR42. So could anyone add to what I have down or suggest a camcorder? Thanks!
Here is an example: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DCR-SR42-Handycam-Camcorder-Optical/dp ... amp;sr=1-9
Last edited by Xeoncross on Jan 11, 2008 12:02, edited 1 time in total
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JohnnyMalaria
Member
Joined: 29 May 2006
Location: United States
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| Xeoncross wrote: |
| So here is my question in a nut-shell: Given that I want a CONVENT/SIMPLE/FAST way to get footage on to a PC for editing, is it really worth all the trouble to go MiniDV instead of the simple HD camcorders? |
The process of getting the footage from the camcorder to the PC is exactly the same for MiniDV and HDD camcorders. Like the tape, the HDD remains in the camcorder. You play the footage and it is sent via FireWire to the PC.
If you really want a simple solution, you should consider the DVD camcorders. The footage is recorded onto a DVD-R and you simply take it out and put it in your PC.
However, both the HDD and DVD camcorders suffer from using a less than ideal compression format. The DV format is the most widely used and has the greatest software support. Tapes are cheap and can be removed from the camcorder whereas the HDD can't.
Personally, I'd go with the MiniDV format.
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Xeoncross
Member
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: United States
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| JohnnyMalaria wrote: |
| The process of getting the footage from the camcorder to the PC is exactly the same for MiniDV and HDD camcorders. Like the tape, the HDD remains in the camcorder. You play the footage and it is sent via FireWire to the PC. |
Well, transfer via firewire doesn't mean much to me. What I want to know is if HD cams save their footage as MPEG/AVI and then transfer the file to the PC or if they are like tapes where while the file is being transfered it is encoded into mpeg/avi/mov. That is what I don't want unless I know it will be hight quality. That is the reason I don't use my Hi8 anymore - I have to get my TV Tuner then encode the movie into a digital format like .mov or .wmv onto my PC while I push play on my Camcorder.
But if both HD and MiniDV have to have the file encoded into a REAL digital format (binary not film) - then what is the point of HD? I want a camcorder that works like a Digital Camera - just download and your done.
Can you clear this up?
| JohnnyMalaria wrote: |
If you really want a simple solution, you should consider the DVD camcorders. The footage is recorded onto a DVD-R and you simply take it out and put it in your PC.
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DVD camcorders don't sound like a good idea - plus the DVD format is NOT easy to work with. I would have to convert it to AVI/MOV/etc just to work with it and then that would defeat the whole purpose.
Thanks for your reply. 
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stantheman1976
Member
Joined: 20 Jul 2002
Location: USA
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Those hard drive cameras record in MPEG-2 format which is highly compressed and difficult to edit compared to MiniDV. MPEG-2 is DVD standard and is meant to be your final viewing format, not the format you begin with like on those hard drive cameras. MiniDV has to be transferred in real time but the footage is extremely easy to edit and manipulate and with any basic editor you can make whatever changes you want and output it back to tape and/or DVD for viewing on a TV.
My other argument for hard drive vs. tape is that footage you shoot on hard drive or DVD camcorders will most likely be lost eventually from media failure. MiniDV tapes will still exist 10-15 years from now. Everything degrades over time and MiniDV tapes are no exception. In 15 years some of the 0's and 1's on the tape may be corrupt but your footage will still be mostly intact.
Nothing lasts forever but for my important memories like my son growing up I will trust a tape over a hard drive any day of the week.
For camcorders have you looked at the Panasonic PV-GS line of consumer 3CCD cameras? The GS500 is not in production any more but there's enough out there you can still find them new without too much trouble. There's also the GS320 which has less features than the GS500 but has the same optics and can be had for $400 or less.
That's my $.02 worth.
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JohnnyMalaria
Member
Joined: 29 May 2006
Location: United States
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| Xeoncross wrote: |
DVD camcorders don't sound like a good idea - plus the DVD format is NOT easy to work with. I would have to convert it to AVI/MOV/etc just to work with it and then that would defeat the whole purpose.
Thanks for your reply. |
Exactly. The only two things in the DVD camcorder's favor is the ability to "instantly" transfer the video to the PC and also to be able to instantly take the DVD out and play it in a standalone DVD player.
Great for point-and-shoot, never-to-be-edited but practically useless for any serious editing etc.
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Xeoncross
Member
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: United States
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| stantheman1976 wrote: |
| Those hard drive cameras record in MPEG-2 format which is highly compressed and difficult to edit compared to MiniDV. MPEG-2 is DVD standard and is meant to be your final viewing format, not the format you begin with like on those hard drive cameras. |
Yes, that is why I would rather find something that records a mov or avi file from the start. But even mpeg2 is fine because I can work with it right away.
| stantheman1976 wrote: |
| MiniDV has to be transferred in real time but the footage is extremely easy to edit and manipulate and with any basic editor you can make whatever changes you want and output it back to tape and/or DVD for viewing on a TV. |
Still, no-one has told me what the term "transfer" means for MiniDV. Starting from square one - a miniDV is a optical storage tape correct? or is the data stored on it digital (Like a hard drive?). So when you transfer - do you start the camcorder and then run a program that encodes the firewire signal coming in? (like a TV Tuner would do?) Or does the camcorder convert it to a file type and then send it to the PC which does nothing but store it?
Again, I don't want to hassle with running the computer transfer/encoding in real time unless I have to. I already have a Hi8 that works like that. I just want to download the movie and get on with editing it.
| stantheman1976 wrote: |
My other argument for hard drive vs. tape is that footage you shoot on hard drive or DVD camcorders will most likely be lost eventually from media failure. MiniDV tapes will still exist 10-15 years from now. |
I am not worried - I change HD's every year pretty much +backups and online storage. If you compare a HD and tape just setting there you are right. But in the real world HD are not about the device - the are about the idea of a medium you can move data across fast.
Thanks for your answers!
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vcdlover
Member
Joined: 11 Jul 2002
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Xeoncross,
I don't have any experience with an HDD camcorder, so I'm not going to mention it. My first camcorder was a DVD Hitachi. I had it for several months and wasn't very happy to edit. Most of the software at that time didn't support a .VRO [if I got it right] format. I sold that one to a friend and bought a Canon GL2. Two years later, I bought an XL2 to couple with the GL2. I am very happy with my two cams. Tape or DV format is very reliable and easy to edit. If you plan to use Vegas or Premiere, tape is a way to go and please make sure you stick with one brand of tape. Most pros don't recommend mixing brands together because each manufacturer use different chemical to make their tapes. That could cause a severe damage to your camcorder heads. So, pick one brand and stick with it. I use Maxell from Sam's club and never have any issue. Down the road, if you have more budget, you can buy a hard drive that can attach to your camcorder. So in stead of using tapes, now you use a hard drive that can capture 4 - 6 hours of video from your MiniDV cam. Just detach the hard drive from your camcorder and attach it to the firewire port and you can edit the footage from that drive. Of course, it doesn't come cheap. The hard drive alone can cost from $1,100 - $1,700.
I don't have any recommendation to any camcorder around $500. I can only recommend a tape type camcorder like MiniDV. Don't forget, a good tripod makes a big difference in quality. Lighting also plays a big role. Some experts said sound is number one priority and number two is video. A good sound can overcome poor video, but good video can never overcome poor sound. Take it for what it's worth.
vcdlover
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edDV
Member
Joined: 06 Mar 2004
Location: Northern California, USA
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| Xeoncross wrote: |
| JohnnyMalaria wrote: |
| The process of getting the footage from the camcorder to the PC is exactly the same for MiniDV and HDD camcorders. Like the tape, the HDD remains in the camcorder. You play the footage and it is sent via FireWire to the PC. |
Well, transfer via firewire doesn't mean much to me. What I want to know is if HD cams save their footage as MPEG/AVI and then transfer the file to the PC or if they are like tapes where while the file is being transfered it is encoded into mpeg/avi/mov. That is what I don't want unless I know it will be hight quality. That is the reason I don't use my Hi8 anymore - I have to get my TV Tuner then encode the movie into a digital format like .mov or .wmv onto my PC while I push play on my Camcorder.
But if both HD and MiniDV have to have the file encoded into a REAL digital format (binary not film) - then what is the point of HD? I want a camcorder that works like a Digital Camera - just download and your done.
Can you clear this up?
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Best to describe better your goals. I'll confine comments to standard definition.
DV format (MiniDV tape) gives the highest quality. DV format is 25Mb/s + PCM uncompressed audio and is transferred to the computer at 1x speed over IEEE-1394 (aka Firewire) to a DV-AVI file.
Hard Disk camcorders record to much lower bit rate MPeg2 and can transfer a "FILE" over USB2. You give up quality for FILE convenience. Editing MPeg2 beyond simple cuts will lower quality further.
To get both quality and FILE you need to spend about $6000 for a camcorder (e.g. Panasonic HVX-200) or go for MPeg4 which is even more difficult to edit with quality.
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edDV
Member
Joined: 06 Mar 2004
Location: Northern California, USA
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| Xeoncross wrote: |
Still, no-one has told me what the term "transfer" means for MiniDV. Starting from square one - a miniDV is a optical storage tape correct? or is the data stored on it digital (Like a hard drive?). So when you transfer - do you start the camcorder and then run a program that encodes the firewire signal coming in? (like a TV Tuner would do?) Or does the camcorder convert it to a file type and then send it to the PC which does nothing but store it?
Again, I don't want to hassle with running the computer transfer/encoding in real time unless I have to. I already have a Hi8 that works like that. I just want to download the movie and get on with editing it. |
MiniDV records digital DV format to tape and transfers 1x as said above and has high quality. The transfer is a first generation (no loss) copy to the computer hard drive.
You need to decide between quality and FILE transfer over USB2. You can't have both without spending more. The cheapest way would use an external hard drive recorder for DV format storage. See Firestore FS4 for about $699.
http://www.videoguys.com/FireStore.html
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Xeoncross
Member
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: United States
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| edDV wrote: |
DV format (MiniDV tape) gives the highest quality. DV format is 25Mb/s + PCM uncompressed audio and is transferred to the computer at 1x speed over IEEE-1394 (aka Firewire) to a DV-AVI file. |
Although there has been a lot of good advice. No-one yet has answered my question: what does the term "transfer" means for MiniDV? I know it is sent at 1x over a IEEE. But IEEE is a transfer protocol - nothing more so saying "transfer" over it doesn't mean anything other than a 800MB connection. But I want to know WHAT you are sending over that connection. A digital file? or a Digital signal that must be converted by a program?
| Quote: |
| Do you start the camcorder and then run a program (like Vegas) that encodes the firewire signal coming in? (like a TV Tuner would do?) |
| edDV wrote: |
To get both quality and FILE you need to spend about $6000 for a camcorder (e.g. Panasonic HVX-200) or go for MPeg4 which is even more difficult to edit with quality. |
Yes, that sounds like my goal of $XXX is a dream.
All-in-all, I guess that I will just have to find a HDD camcorder I can try to see if the quality really is as bad as everyone says it is - Because I have a hunch that it isn't any worse than Hi8 - and I am fine with Hi8.
Again, I want the file in a ready-to-edit format without all the headache of encoding/converting. DVD is out of the question because it is NOT a ready to edit format - just like a tape it would need to be re-coded before you could work with it.
Anyone have any movies I can see of MiniDV? 
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vcdlover
Member
Joined: 11 Jul 2002
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"what does the term "transfer" means for MiniDV?" It means you play your captured tape from your cam thru the firewire port. In Vegas, you choose File>Capture video and you choose DV. Then select storage. The captured files are called .DV or .AVI which are raw files. One hour of video should take about 12.5 gig of hard drive space. I may not explain it clearly and please pardon me because I'm at work here. Not much time to type.
If you compare like $500 HDD cam and $500 MiniDV, the quality may not be different if you play them both on the same TV via your cam, but .DV files from MiniDV are much easier to work with.
vcdlover
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edDV
Member
Joined: 06 Mar 2004
Location: Northern California, USA
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| Xeoncross wrote: |
| edDV wrote: |
DV format (MiniDV tape) gives the highest quality. DV format is 25Mb/s + PCM uncompressed audio and is transferred to the computer at 1x speed over IEEE-1394 (aka Firewire) to a DV-AVI file. |
Although there has been a lot of good advice. No-one yet has answered my question: what does the term "transfer" means for MiniDV? I know it is sent at 1x over a IEEE. But IEEE is a transfer protocol - nothing more so saying "transfer" over it doesn't mean anything other than a 800MB connection. But I want to know WHAT you are sending over that connection. A digital file? or a Digital signal that must be converted by a program?
| Quote: |
| Do you start the camcorder and then run a program (like Vegas) that encodes the firewire signal coming in? (like a TV Tuner would do?) |
| edDV wrote: |
To get both quality and FILE you need to spend about $6000 for a camcorder (e.g. Panasonic HVX-200) or go for MPeg4 which is even more difficult to edit with quality. |
Yes, that sounds like my goal of $XXX is a dream.
All-in-all, I guess that I will just have to find a HDD camcorder I can try to see if the quality really is as bad as everyone says it is - Because I have a hunch that it isn't any worse than Hi8 - and I am fine with Hi8.
Again, I want the file in a ready-to-edit format without all the headache of encoding/converting. DVD is out of the question because it is NOT a ready to edit format - just like a tape it would need to be re-coded before you could work with it.
Anyone have any movies I can see of MiniDV? |
DV transfer has been asked and answered several times. DV camcorders record to tape in digital format and the transfer process replicates the exact same digital data to the computer hard drive. DV format has all frames recorded so editing is easy.
Now explain which words in that sentence aren't clear.
Editing MPeg2 REQUIRES a decode to base video and then a encode back to MPeg2. This is lossy. Simple cuts can be made without loss but on half second I frames. DV format would need an encode to MPeg2 for DVD only which is much less lossy.
If you want to see MiniDV quality watch most any cable network reality or news show. Of course they use $20,000 DV camcorders not $250 ones but the recording format is the same for video.
Be specific when you say you want "quality". Obviously you care about your a wallet over quality and editing.
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Last edited by edDV on Jan 11, 2008 15:41, edited 1 time in total
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zoobie
HDV Coder
Joined: 27 Feb 2005
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains
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Well, I've just finished rebuilding an avi that was accidently on my HDD when it failed last year...
Fortunately, my source is all tape
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orsetto
Member
Joined: 31 Oct 2007
Location: NYC
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In a nutshell you can't have what you are asking for at the price you can afford, that's what everyone is more-or-less trying to tell you. The output from the affordable HDD camcorder can be copied immediately and quickly to your computer, just as a big "file", but there will be compression artifacts and possibly limitations on how much editing flexibility you'll have. If you are shooting "movies" from the hip, and really just grooving on playing around with it as a hobby, then yes this is the way to go for you if you prize convenience above all else.
HOWEVER: if this is personal family stuff, or you have any intention of watching what you shoot again five years from now, or ever want to make a fuss of showing it to other people with discriminating eyeballs- suck it up and tolerate the "inconvenience" of a standard MiniDV camcorder. The image quality will be better, the file format is more flexible, and you will always have the safety of the tape for a backup. The MiniDV file format is already in editable format once you get it transferred to your PC, if that is the crux of your question? The reason why the transfer has to be real time is mechanical limitation: MiniDV tape camcorders are not capable of faster file transfer, real time is as fast as they can move the tape and stream data to your computer. Firewire is a direct dataline into your PC drive, there is no need to go thru your tuner card to do an analog/digital conversion. In this setup, when we say "transfer", we mean moving the raw file from the camcorder into your PC, we are not talking about conversion of any kind if that was your concern.
If you could afford one of the pricier alternatives suggested by others above, you would have your ideal camcorder: one that records in the same file format as a MiniDV tape-based unit but laying that format down on a hard disk instead of tape so that the file transfer can be many, many times faster than real time. That's your holy grail.
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Xeoncross
Member
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: United States
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| vcdlover wrote: |
| The captured files are called .DV or .AVI which are raw files. |
Interesting, so you are saying that MiniDV creates it's own files called ".dv" that are actually lossless copys of the complete data that is on the cam. Like a .raw file for a photo. From what was being said it sounded like you just plug in the MiniDV and recoded it over IEEE to your PC. But like I knew, that wasn't the whole story. Something had to encode it into a computer file and it sounds like that is the job of whatever software you use.
So MiniDV doesn't have to be encoded quit the same way as a regular tape would need to be - it has it's own file type ".DV". So what programs support the creation and editing of DV/AVI files?
Also, with a TV Tuner capture there was a LOT of quality loss as the feeble connection would skip (like movies on old tapes), choke, and weaken randomly while recording the video to the hard drive. Mostly because I think that trying to go through a cam, out through s-video cables, into a tuner, converted into a stream for a program save to the HD was just too many variables. I know my PC was fast enough.
So is a Firewire more solid? Is there any sound/image distortion or when you try to get the cam to play back the movie though the firewire to the PC?
If I just new there was a lossless, easy way to insure my videos would make it to the PC IN GOOD QUALITY I might for-go the HDD and just suffer through (  ) the 1x MiniDV recording onto the PC.
Again, the whole goal is I just want an easy way to get a video file onto my PC.
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thecoalman
Member
Joined: 25 Feb 2004
Location: Pennsylvania
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| Xeoncross wrote: |
Interesting, so you are saying that MiniDV creates it's own files called ".dv" that are actually lossless copys of the complete data that is on the cam. Like a .raw file for a photo. From what was being said it sounded like you just plug in the MiniDV and recoded it over IEEE to your PC. But like I knew, that wasn't the whole story. Something had to encode it into a computer file and it sounds like that is the job of whatever software you use. |
Ummmm...no. DV is DV, thats the format it's in on the cam. When you transfer over firewire as DV-AVI its a bit for bit copy of what's on tape. For example you can transfer to your computer then back to tape, then back to your computer...then repeat this process 1 million times and assuming there was no corruption along the way its still going to be the exact same file.
You can think of this as copying a file, it really is not much different.
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Xeoncross
Member
Joined: 11 Jan 2008
Location: United States
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Yes, that is what I said above - it is just that last sentence was really part of the next paragraph and so it says the opposite of the first sentence. ;P
Anyway, I think maybe I will go for MiniDV - I have been reading all day and it sounds like a winner. Could someone answer my last question though?
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edDV
Member
Joined: 06 Mar 2004
Location: Northern California, USA
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| Xeoncross wrote: |
| vcdlover wrote: |
| The captured files are called .DV or .AVI which are raw files. |
Interesting, so you are saying that MiniDV creates it's own files called ".dv" that are actually lossless copys of the complete data that is on the cam. Like a .raw file for a photo. From what was being said it sounded like you just plug in the MiniDV and recoded it over IEEE to your PC. But like I knew, that wasn't the whole story. Something had to encode it into a computer file and it sounds like that is the job of whatever software you use.
So MiniDV doesn't have to be encoded quit the same way as a regular tape would need to be - it has it's own file type ".DV". So what programs support the creation and editing of DV/AVI files? |
Called *.dv and "raw" only if you are on a Mac but not a PC. Raw there means the Mac just puts DV stream data that comes over the IEEE-1394 port directly into a *.dv file. A PC DV transfer formats the data for DirectShow access but the resulting "DV-AVI" file is essentially a lossless copy of the data on the tape. A camcorder lacks an operating system so the concept of a "file" doesn't exist. A DV camcorder records a stream of digital data to the tape along with uncompressed audio. Start/Stop timecode flags identify a clip.
DV format has DCT compression but only within a frame. This is more like "fine" on a digital camera rather than "raw". "Raw" 4:1:1 digital video would generate 70GB files per hour. Do you really want "raw"?
MPeg2 as you know only records one frame every 15 frame GOP (group of pictures) and fills the in between frames with change data. MPeg4 uses longer GOPs. This is why MPeg is more difficult to edit and suffers decompression loss. DV records all frames and is easy to edit.
DV format can be edited in a host of consumer or pro editing programs starting with Windows Movie Maker and up from there.
IF DVD is your destination, the edited DV data or decompressed/edited MPeg2 data need to be encoded to DVD MPeg2 and authored.
| Xeoncross wrote: |
Also, with a TV Tuner capture there was a LOT of quality loss as the feeble connection would skip (like movies on old tapes), choke, and weaken randomly while recording the video to the hard drive. Mostly because I think that trying to go through a cam, out through s-video cables, into a tuner, converted into a stream for a program save to the HD was just too many variables. I know my PC was fast enough.
So is a Firewire more solid? Is there any sound/image distortion or when you try to get the cam to play back the movie though the firewire to the PC?
If I just new there was a lossless, easy way to insure my videos would make it to the PC IN GOOD QUALITY I might for-go the HDD and just suffer through ( ) the 1x MiniDV recording onto the PC.
Again, the whole goal is I just want an easy way to get a video file onto my PC. |
You are describing analog capture which is different from DV stream capture. DV stream capture is lossless but is not a file transfer.
Cheap MPeg2 consumer hard drive camcorders are able to transfer faster than 1x because they record to highly compressed files in the camcorder. If you don't edit, these can be authored directly to a DVD. If you do edit the decompression loss issues become important.
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vcdlover
Member
Joined: 11 Jul 2002
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| Xeoncross wrote: |
| vcdlover wrote: |
| The captured files are called .DV or .AVI which are raw files. |
Interesting, so you are saying that MiniDV creates it's own files called ".dv" that are actually lossless copys of the complete data that is on the cam. Like a .raw file for a photo. From what was being said it sounded like you just plug in the MiniDV and recoded it over IEEE to your PC. But like I knew, that wasn't the whole story. Something had to encode it into a computer file and it sounds like that is the job of whatever software you use.
So MiniDV doesn't have to be encoded quit the same way as a regular tape would need to be - it has it's own file type ".DV". So what programs support the creation and editing of DV/AVI files?
Also, with a TV Tuner capture there was a LOT of quality loss as the feeble connection would skip (like movies on old tapes), choke, and weaken randomly while recording the video to the hard drive. Mostly because I think that trying to go through a cam, out through s-video cables, into a tuner, converted into a stream for a program save to the HD was just too many variables. I know my PC was fast enough.
So is a Firewire more solid? Is there any sound/image distortion or when you try to get the cam to play back the movie though the firewire to the PC?
If I just new there was a lossless, easy way to insure my videos would make it to the PC IN GOOD QUALITY I might for-go the HDD and just suffer through ( ) the 1x MiniDV recording onto the PC.
Again, the whole goal is I just want an easy way to get a video file onto my PC. |
The .DV files are raw and yes you can compare them like a photo raw file that needs to be processed. If you use Vegas to edit your footage, Vegas has its own encoder built-in. Basically, it uses MainConcept to encode the raw files to whatever final format you like, for example like MPEG2. I don't use Vegas encoder, but TMPGEnc in stead. In Vegas, it uses the term encode as RENDER.
I'll give you an example of the total time to finish one hour of a video on a MiniDV tape. First, you need to have the right tools to do your job and I'm assuming you have those tools ready. It takes one hour to transfer your footage from the tape to the PC via firewire port. Only firewire port will work with MiniDV, nothing else. If you use Vegas to capture the footage, it has an option to capture in one whole file or it can split out each file when you pause/start your cam, or it's called Scene Detection. You can have hundreds of files in this case and you should do it this way because it much easier to delete the bad scenes. It'll take at least another hour to encode or render and at least another hour to author your final DVD, and another 10 minutes to burn your video. And of course, the time to edit is up to you. You can take an hour to edit or weeks or months to finish your editing. You now add those hours together and let see how much time it takes to finish a one hour video. It's not that easy to accomplish something like this, but it's not hard to do once you find the right path. It takes time to learn and spend money to get the right equipment.
Like I said before, the camcorder is just part of the video. You need a good tripod, goo | | |
