Media type comparison.....

[sungator]

I'm considering upgrading to a Hi-def camcorder ( I'm a novice U/W videographer ). What are the pros / cons of the different recording media available -- miniDV vs. HDD vs. DVD vs. "flash memory"??? I use Adobe CS4 products for editing, effects, etc.

Thank you in advance for your comments and suggestions.

[edDV]

I'm considering upgrading to a Hi-def camcorder ( I'm a novice U/W videographer ). What are the pros / cons of the different recording media available -- miniDV vs. HDD vs. DVD vs. "flash memory"??? I use Adobe CS4 products for editing, effects, etc.

Thank you in advance for your comments and suggestions.

That has been much discussed here. I'll add some links later but you can search.

In summary since you are CS-4 experienced.

HDV Pros
- Compatibility with SD MiniDV
- Can record HDV but output DV format over Firewire.
- Compatible natively with most mid level edit/effects software.
- HDV is a special case of XDCAM so fits into the XDCAM editor support hierarchy.
- Instant tape backup.
- Very Cheap Media ~$3/hr. on pro grade tape.
- Can be edited natively on Core2Duo/Quad but better yet from digital intermediate.
- Inexpensive consumer camcorder Canon HV20/30/40 models have high quality for low cost (~$400-$600).

HDV Cons
- Tape based for those that care, thus 1x transfer.
- 1440x1080i/p vs 1920x1080i but has higher bitrate per pixel vs. AVCHD.
- Long term support will probably shift to flash based XDCAM-EX at the high end.

AVCHD Pros
- Flash or HDD recording (also Hitachi direct to Blu-Ray media).
- Faster than 1x transfer.
- 1920x1080 pixels @24 Mb/s in latest models.

AVCHD Cons
- Heavy compression results in less first generation picture quality vs HDV (noise and compression artifacts).
- Less support from prosumer software.
- Native AVCHD editing is slow even on a quad core. Really needs 8-16 core.
- Requires a digital intermediate transfer (Cineform or Apple Intermediate Codec) for any edit performance.
- Expensive media (Approx $35/hr for SD level2 flash @24Mb/s) although prices are declining.
- Backup needs discipline or original media will be lost.

XDCAM-EX/DVCProHD is what you want for next step up ($3000-$10,000 range).