i am interested in a hd camcorder that records in full hd. I don't want the hard drive or dvd type. I can't decide between mini dv and media cards. I know that the transfer of mini dv is in real time. Is that also true of media cards? I am leaning towards canon, but am open to other opinions.
Thanks.
Rhonda

My experience with Mini-DVD media for video has not been positive. I would recommend SDHC cards today.

I'm pleased with my Canon HF-10. It records to either it's built-in memory or to a SDHC memory card. It's the same camera I used in the demo of iLife '09 at the last meeting (shaky camera footage in the car).

iMovie '09 imported the content no problem. Adobe Premiere Pro edits in the camera's Native AVCHD format which means I can even edit right off the memory card without having to import the footage first. Huge advantage there.

Tape is dead! Everyone is moving (eventually) to tapeless workflows.

I have the Canon HF-11, and it's very nice. You want a media card because you can start editing *now* as opposed to importing in real-time with tape and then editing.

However, for any of the latest HD cameras, you will need Premiere Pro CS4 to edit the AVCHD codec (which has become the de-facto standard on consumer-grade HD cameras) natively.

Otherwise, you lose one of the advantages - every other editor requires transcoding the files before you can work on them, and depending on your system, this can be slow (on older systems, even less than real-time). Also note that you need a Intel-based Mac to import AVCHD with Final Cut or iMovie (not sure if that's a requirement for Premiere Pro or not).

quote:

Originally posted by Terry White:

Tape is dead! Everyone is moving (eventually) to tapeless workflows.

So how much do these cards cost and how much time do you get to record on these cards?

I've seen 16 GB cards go for $20-40 dollars, and you can get about 85 minutes of best resolution (on my camera at least) footage. 32 GB cards used to be around $140! They're finally coming down into the $80-100 range. There are different speed ratings for the cards - my camera requires Class 4 or better (higher numbers are better).

My camera comes with 32 GB built-in and and a card slot, and I have a 16 GB card to go with it.

Yes, Premiere Pro requires an intel Mac.

quote:

Originally posted by Jack Beckman:
Also note that you need a Intel-based Mac to import AVCHD with Final Cut or iMovie (not sure if that's a requirement for Premiere Pro or not).

So, it looks like flash is the way to go. I use IMovie and I do have an intel based machine. So, if I understand correctly, the transfer from the media card to computer can even be slower than real time? What a bummer!
Rhonda

Other questions: If I have a hd camcorder that records in avchd, can I send that file directly to a dvd without using a computer? Will the file be in full hd? I have a sony dvd burner that has avchd dubbing. Or, do I need a blue ray burner to get full hd? I do have a blue ray player. Thanks.
Rhonda

The only way to get full HD playback on optical media today is via Blu-ray. So you would need a Blu-ray burner in addition to software that could author the disc.

If you put the file on a regular DVD as a movie, then it would playback as standard def.

quote:

Originally posted by Rhonda:
Other questions: If I have a hd camcorder that records in avchd, can I send that file directly to a dvd without using a computer? Will the file be in full hd? I have a sony dvd burner that has avchd dubbing. Or, do I need a blue ray burner to get full hd? I do have a blue ray player. Thanks.
Rhonda

Although in theory on a slow enough computer it could take longer than real-time, but that's probably not going to be the case.

quote:

Originally posted by Rhonda:
So, it looks like flash is the way to go. I use IMovie and I do have an intel based machine. So, if I understand correctly, the transfer from the media card to computer can even be slower than real time? What a bummer!
Rhonda

You *can* shoot hi-def video and burn it to a regular DVD, but there are some caveats. First, you must burn the disk with the Blu-Ray layout - which means using Toast (with the Blu-Ray add on) or possibly Adobe Encore. Toast does advertise this as available.

Next, you need a Blu-ray player hooked to your TV - no DVD player will be able to read the DVD burned in Blu-Ray format. You're already good there.

Finally, you must limit your video to 20 minutes or so, as that's all that will fit on a DVD (I don't recall if that's a 4 GB dual layer or not). Probably not a big limitation for home movies, but you won't be distributing the next great epic that way.

Jack--Thank you for explaining that. So, if I chose not to edit the file from the camera, I could just bring it into Toast with the Blu-ray add-on and I would be able to burn an hd dvd which would play in my blu-ray player. I think I have it now.
Rhonda

That's what Toast says in their help - I haven't tried it because I don't as yet have a Blu-ray player. You need at least Toast 9 with the Blu-ray plug-in/add on.

The AVCHD to Toast to "Blu DVD" works fine, but you have to be careful about the media you use.

See http://macgroup.infopop.cc/eve...131090592#5131090592 for one user's experience.

quote:

Originally posted by Jack Beckman:
I have the Canon HF-11, and it's very nice.

Is that 1080P?

No, 1080i. I think there is only one 1080p consumer-grade camera out, and it was just announced a week or so ago.