Can any one out there help me decide? It appears that the current MiniDV's (120 and 200) have noticeably better video performance than the MD-70, with comparable low light abilities. In theory, the DVD will have better audio (Which is very important to me). I assume the EIS is the comparable. The manual controls are only slightly important to me. I don't like the cost of DVD RAM, but love the idea that I can edit out the bad from the good, so when I finally burn it onto a permanent DVD, I won't have all the unimportant stuff that gets recorded. Also, I like the thought that when I do play the DVD back, it will be organized in "scenes" much like a DVD movie instead of just having to fast forward on a MiniDV. I do not have editing capabilities on my PC do any MiniDV will have to go to a Pro for conversion to DVD. With my old VHS-C, I found the reliability of the tapes not as good as I would want and I fear the same might be true for the more mechanical MiniDV.

Any one have any guidance? Thanks in advance.

I considered both. Now, I am glad, super glad, that I didn't get DVD.
DV is cheaper and offers better pq. Sound? They should be the same, but the big variable is that most cameras have poor mics.
I can't imagine editing on the camera, it makes so much more sense to do it on a camera. Hey, you might delete something you want later!
A 120 will cost less than a dvd cam, maybe a lot less. Take the diff and get a good computer. You'll also save by using cheap dv tapes instead of those expensive and sometimes hard to find mini dvds.
I transfer my tapes (quite easily) to DVD with my Sony Vaio. I keep the tapes in a safe place and the dvd's look as good as the onse you rent. I have had no problems with my DV tapes, but do keep in mind that no one really knows how long DVD's will last. Depending on how they are stored, they could start breaking down in a as little as five years (according to Kim Kommando, the digital goddess). So, it is always good to have a backup, something that mini dvd won't give.

Well, it sounds like you have no option but a DVD cam, even though they are more expensive than a miniDV, have poorer picture quality, record for less time, and have higher media costs. Since you claim your PC won't edit, although I have edited miniDV with a 200 Mhz Pentium and burned SVCD to CDs with that PC, it seems that adding a DVD burner to your PC so you can make a DVD is out of the question. Too bad.

Someone actually listens to Kim Kommando? That's sort of like taking marital advice from Elizabeth Taylor.

DVD is a great camera format for people who will never want to do editing on their finished project. If you just want to slap it into the DVD player and look at what you have shot, get DVD cam.

If you know that you will want to edit your footage down into a finished product, Mini DV wins hands down. You can easily manipulate the footage with an NLE, put in your own chapter breaks, and burn it all to a DVD.

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What is the ratio between Y:U:V on dvd as compared to MinDV?
What is the ratio on the PV-GS120?

Is it 4:2:2 as opposed to 4:1:1?

Are DVDs compressed more than MiniDV?

Yes.

MiniDV is compressed about 5:1 and usually contained in a DV-AVI file at about 13 Gb per hour of recording. That DV-AVI can be compressed further onto DVD as an MPEG-2 compressed format. DVD which can hold almost 2 hours of video in 4.3 Gb so if my math is correct DVD is compressed at about 6:1 more than MiniDV. But I am not sure what you are leading to.

Rich

Which would give me a better chromakey: DVD or MiniDV

I don't think the audio on a DVD camcorder will be better than AVI. What theory are you citing?You can add that same feature to DVDs you make on a PC.It doesn't cost much to add editing capability to a PC. And even if you don't, you can find plenty of amateurs who will do it.I can't cite you figures on miniDV vs VHS but I'd guess miniDVs have pretty good tape mechanisms. I don't recall very many questions here about tape problems.

Good luck.

Dennis

DVD is physical media. MPEG2 is the video format. MiniDV would be better than MPEG2 for chromakey.