Better format than MiniDV for consumers? Is it superior in any way any more?

King Mustard · #1 (**permalink**) 01-04-2009, 01:03 AM

I did a Multimedia degree from 2005 to 2008 and was told to film all course material on DV tape.

I currently have a Canon MD101 MiniDV digital video camcorder, but capturing the footage in real time and having to change tapes is frustrating.

Is there any advantage to this format any more?

Are there better formats for consumers these days?

Mark W · #2 (**permalink**) 01-04-2009, 01:21 AM

Changing tapes is frustrating? Do you have any hands?
If you dont like changing a tape you need you see a councellor as you appear to have issues. with tapes.

If you have done a media degree I am suprised you even have to ask the question.

SD card - nope - you gotta change cards - even ' worse' than tapes for the none handed.

Hdrive cameras - been in the shops for 5 years now....

Did it not occur to you that your tutours may be tellling the truth ?

King Mustard · #3 (**permalink**) 01-04-2009, 01:25 AM

Originally Posted by Mark W

Changing tapes is frustrating? Do you have any hands?
If you dont like changing a tape you need you see a councellor as you appear to have issues. with tapes.

If you have done a media degree I am suprised you even have to ask the question.

SD card - nope - you gotta change cards - even ' worse' than tapes for the none handed.

Hdrive cameras - been in the shops for 5 years now....

Did it not occur to you that your tutours may be tellling the truth ?

It also appeared to me that their knowledge may be dated and not quite up to scratch on modern technology as most lecturers are these days (as most are 35+ years old).

What has the length of time hard disk drive-based digital camcorders have been available got to do with anything? Surely 5+ years means they're progressed well. Part of my topic was to discover if they're now a better alternative to MiniDV for consumers looking to pay between £150 and £450 for a digital camcorder.

Alan Mills · #4 (**permalink**) 01-06-2009, 10:52 AM

There are worthwhile memory card solutions but you pay a large price for botht eh camera and the workflow. Anyone up to and including wedding videographers are just as well to stick with MiniDV tapes for now I reckon.

Of course, if you use Premiere Pro you will have Adobe OnLocation as well. If you use that then you can capture straight to your PC as well as or instead on to tape. A good mate does this and recoprds to tape also as backup. Apparenbtly you lose a second or two of audio though when you change tape. Curious.

Mark W · #5 (**permalink**) 01-06-2009, 09:02 PM

I see. I suggest you make the politicol economy angle loom large in your essay as this is a consumer product and it's technical and user expirience needs to be examined in the context of it's place in the marketplace.

Personally I see Hdrive cameras as a fad and a marketing schill. Many people on the board, including the admin, have had thier fingers burned by this format and it also appears from user reports that sales people are telling bare faced lies about this format - ' it's better than HDV ' - has been reported on the forum.

HDV tape was / is very well accepted even in pro markets, and created a surge of interst and no doubt purchases as everyone saw thier dv cameras as not good enough ( rubbish ). Hdrive cameras filled a marketing niche for those who are vulnerable to the new and wanted something they percieved as the newest thing - a worse thnig.

They are dam near unusuable as originators of editable video for all but the wise and quad core endowed - get that in your essay too eh ?

The future is solid state - hard drives are far more fragile than tape drives - it's silly putting hard drives in portable devices. Yeah I am clumsy but people are - I have broken every portable device I have ever owned that contained a hard drive. I have never had a tape transport break - but I did mange to break a tape the other day, but that was after 4 years of constant re use.

It amuses me that not having to change the tape, or, not being able to insert blank media when you fill the drive / tape has been spun as an advantage - it isnt - it's daft.

I dont like Hdrive cams - can you tell yet ?

King Mustard · #6 (**permalink**) 01-06-2009, 09:58 PM

Originally Posted by Mark W

I see. I suggest you make the politicol economy angle loom large in your essay as this is a consumer product and it's technical and user expirience needs to be examined in the context of it's place in the marketplace.

Personally I see Hdrive cameras as a fad and a marketing schill. Many people on the board, including the admin, have had thier fingers burned by this format and it also appears from user reports that sales people are telling bare faced lies about this format - ' it's better than HDV ' - has been reported on the forum.

HDV tape was / is very well accepted even in pro markets, and created a surge of interst and no doubt purchases as everyone saw thier dv cameras as not good enough ( rubbish ). Hdrive cameras filled a marketing niche for those who are vulnerable to the new and wanted something they percieved as the newest thing - a worse thnig.

They are dam near unusuable as originators of editable video for all but the wise and quad core endowed - get that in your essay too eh ?

The future is solid state - hard drives are far more fragile than tape drives - it's silly putting hard drives in portable devices. Yeah I am clumsy but people are - I have broken every portable device I have ever owned that contained a hard drive. I have never had a tape transport break - but I did mange to break a tape the other day, but that was after 4 years of constant re use.

It amuses me that not having to change the tape, or, not being able to insert blank media when you fill the drive / tape has been spun as an advantage - it isnt - it's daft.

I dont like Hdrive cams - can you tell yet ?

What essay? I completed my course a year ago...

Mark W · #7 (**permalink**) 01-06-2009, 10:35 PM

I see - my bad - I tend to speed read - badly apparently.