When I was shopping for a new camcorder, I was torn between the choice of MiniDV and DVD camcorder. The DVD camcorder seemed so neat and convenient, just pop a DVD in and record to it, then straight to the set top player. The MiniDV seemed a bit awkward, record, transfer to a PC then to DVD.

The reason I went with the MiniDV was tape transports have been around for years and optical is fairly new, when the recording/playback part fails you have an expensive security camera, so I went with the tape transport. I am sooo… glad I did!

I have discovered that editing the footage is a blast on the PC. A friend has a Hitachi DVD cam, he asked me to help him make a demo for his band, just a 5 – 10 minute mix of videos and the band members. Most of what he has is on DVD ROM, after much work I did get the video in a format that my editing package would recognize. I did some basic cutting, transitions and added a jpeg of the bands logo to the beginning of the video. The edited video then needed to be re-encoded, so it ends up we are working with Mpeg 2 encoded files and then encoding them again. The end result is something that looks like it was recorded on an old VHS camcorder of years past.

I’m going to trash using the DVD ROM’s from the Hitachi and film the band with my Canon Elua 65, not the best in low light, but otherwise it suits me just fine. In my 45 years I have made some decisions that I have regretted, purchasing a MiniDV over a DVD camcorder is not one of them.

Well said. I have come to the same conclusion as you by reading the posts here over several years. I have no first hand experience with a MiniDVD camcorder like you. You have expressed my view much better than I can. Thanks for sharing.

Dave

The above info plus the fact that you can only record 30 mins of video (20 mins in HQ mode), you have to wait a min or 2 for the disk to finalise and lastly the blank media is ever so expensive should persuade most people that miniDV is the one to go for.

The DVD cams are a much better choice in the long run because you can reuse the media over and over again so it becomes way less expensive than buying new minidv tapes all the time. The video is already dvd compliant so it does not need to be captured (very long and tedious process) and then recoded like with minidv. The 20 min barrier may or may not be a problem you will have to decide that. I can tell you I have done 2 wedding ceremonies (one being my own) and it produced beautiful video both times without missing anything. It really only takes about 1 min to finalize a dvd but it really doesnt matter because you can shoot all day long putting one disc in after another and finalize them later on at your conveinence. It only takes about 12 seconds to remove a disc and be recording on the next one.
You have done something way wrong here or are using the wrong editing program because there is no reason to rencode the video again (i never have too) or maybe that is just the kind of quality you get with an Hitachi cam? Then again maybe you will have great luck with your tape based cam. Good luck with whatever works for you.

But for new buyers would anybody in there right mind really recommend a tape based anything in todays market? It is old, dead technology that is not going to be offered or supported much longer by any manufacterer. Just look at the new HD cam's from sony, you have a choice between HDD and DVD not tape!

__________________
First I was a 403user than I was a 405user now I am a UX1user!!!! Plus a Popcorn Hour NMT and 42" 1080p LCD HDTV Life is Good!!!!!
Link to a few raw unedited SD dvd cam sample clips http://www.4shared.com/dir/1728796/25f562f9/sharing.html

Seems to be working with the Sony HC1 and HC3 High Denfintion Video camcorders which have been out for a while and being used by consumers....

Just a select few MiniDV vs DVD threads:

miniDV tapes VS miniDVD (05-29-2006)
PLEASE HELP! DVD vs. Mini DV? (04-06-2006)
DVD403 with PE 2.0 problems with finished DVD(02-26-2006)
DVD Recorder / Player (02-21-2006)
DVD vs DV (02-19-2006)
DVD camcorder vs. MiniDV camcorder (06-26-2005)
DVD Recorder (05-08-2005)
DVD403 and HC90 Good MiniDVD comment (04-09-2005)
Please help, want to buy DVD Camcorder but so confused -even after reading reviews! (A Good MiniDVD comment) (12-15-2004)
MiniDV or DVD?? HELP please!!!! (10-30-2004)
DVD Vs MiniDV continued (10-10-2004)
MiniDV vs DVD cam - Another Option (10-10-2004)
mini dvd vs mini dv (10-08-2004)
MiniDV or DVD camcorder? ( 09-20-2004)
Need advice 1st camcorder - DVD? (09-18-2004)
DVD vs MiniDV 08-29-2004
Advantage vs mini dv? (04-04-2004)

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In Defense Of Tape (07-18-2006)

Discussions regarding hard drive, memory based and MiniDV camcorders:

Comparison of MiniDV/DVD/HDD/Flashcard camcorders 07-15-2006
HDD vs Mini DV tape conversion to DVD-Quality? 05-30-2006
EVERIO GZ image quality 05-25-2006
Editing Your MPEG2 Files, Shooting in Mixed Formats 05-02-2006
Sony DCR-SR100 first impressions 04-26-2006
Hard drive vs. tape camcorders 04-03-2006
Comparison test of nine MPEG2 cameras 02-24-2006
HDD vs tape 01-19-2006
Panasonic AV100 - General ? 01-03-2006

Rich

403,
Where did you get the idea that you can't reuse a mini-dv tape??
Capturing mini-dv with your computer is long and tedious, but it gives you complete control over the process. That is why we use it.
How much control do you have with your dvd cam??

And yes, there are a great deal of people who do not think tape is dead.
Sony HC96, HC1, HC3, Panasonic GS500, GS300, Canon Elura 100.
These are all incredibly popular cams and they are all mini-dv.
They all came out recently.

You can, but you dont! because every time your tape runs across the head on your camcorder it loses more of its lubricity and leads to more dropped frames and read/write errors, eventually eating itself alive. It is really only good for a 1 time use, unlike a laser based unit which never touchs the media (did ya know that?).

Are these same people watching there masterpieces on there VCR'S? Do they listen to cassette tapes or 8 tracks in there cars too?

Only because these two are the only horses in the show, in the near future we will see what happens when you give people options.

If you like tape more power to ya but the world is leaving you behind. As evidenced by the new sony stuff coming out soon. Tape is quickly becomming just a thing of the past. As more and more of the DVD and HDD based cam's (and flash media as well) come out you will see less and less tape based units even being built. Which is why I say -- are you setting them up for the future or the past?

__________________
First I was a 403user than I was a 405user now I am a UX1user!!!! Plus a Popcorn Hour NMT and 42" 1080p LCD HDTV Life is Good!!!!!
Link to a few raw unedited SD dvd cam sample clips http://www.4shared.com/dir/1728796/25f562f9/sharing.html

VCRs, cassette tapes and 8 tracks are all analogue.
Mini-dv is digital and records video at a much higher bitrate than mini-dvd. I don't think that is a very good comparison.

The Sony HC3 and HC1 are not the only horses in the show.
There is the JVC HD1, Sony FX1, Canon XL-HD1, and more.
These are cams that pros are using.

I'm not saying that the trend isn't leaning towards optical and hdd camcorders, but tape is far from dead.
It is still better in terms of performance.
They haven't gotten there yet with dvd or hdd. It looks like its going to be a while.

And by the way, people in their right mind would certainly recommend a mini-dv if they want to edit.

403USER, I am only replying to your quotes which appear to have been quoted from my responses in this thread.

The Sony HC1 and HC3 High Definition Video camcorders use tape. That is a fact.

Some other horses in the show; Canon XL-H1; JVC GR-HD1; JVC GY-HD100U; Sony HDR-FX1; Sony HVR-A1; Sony HVR-Z1 are High Definition Video camcorders. They use tape. They are being manufactured, sold and used right now, not in the future. That is another fact.

You can believe whatever you wish.

I'm not setting them up for anything but pointing them to some various opinions. I am not trying to predict the future. I have not recommended any video format in this thread. This thread is titled DVD camcorder vs. MiniDV camcorder by a user who has used MiniDV and DVD camcorder video and prefers MiniDV because of his needs. That is why I presented a list of threads in which people have discussed the issue. Only you really know what your needs and desires are.

Rich

__________________
FireWire Survey

Mini DV is a format.

DVD is a toy.

It's unfortunate that people fall for the marketing hoopla.

Don't forget, DVD's have a terribly high failure rate and short life. Popping your baby's first steps directly into you player is all well and good, until that DVD dies (and it WILL die) and you no longer have the memories at all.

Garbage!

This analogy makes no sense.

You are arguing in favor of a lower-quality format, by comparing the current higher-quality standard with analog audio media?

A good 8-track casette is a higher-quality format than a 128kbps mp3. So much for progress...

Don't get me wrong, Tape isn't perfect. But DVD is a step backwards.

I am all for HIGHER quality MORE ROBUST media.

DVD camcorders are expensive novelty gadgets, nothing more.

Harsh words, I know.

If you look at discussions about the newer camcorders that record on a hard drive (which will transfer at higher rates than DVD), even those can't match the transfer rate of MiniDV tape. I do professional audio recording and have moved from DAT (similar to miniDV), than hard disk (on a separate audio recorder....not laptops), and now to recorders that record on to flash cards. These are all (except for the older DAT format) at 96kHz/24 bit rates. Video is much more demanding than audio, even at 96/24 sampling rates, and because of size requirements, the small hard disks available don't have the speed and transfer rates needed for video. And flash type cards (solid state memory) are not yet fast enough for video. But, as improvements are made, the real next media for video will not be DVD (unreliable, etc.) or hard disk, but solid state media (like flash cards). And working with flash card media for recording is a dream: no noise from the recording media/mechanism (a big plus, especially for camcorders), lighter weight, and to get your audio/video into your computer for editing you just copy the file--no re-recording.

Video on a DVD is more highly compressed than the format used for miniDV, and therefore less accurate. You need the highest quality recording so that you can edit and still end up with a high/very good quality video. When I'm recording for audio CDs (which are at the sampling rate of 44.1kHz/16 bit), recording with at least a 24 bit depth is an absolute necessity and 96kHz adds icing onto the cake. Even though I'm editing but not doing any equalization or other electronic tricks (like adding reverb, for example), the high quality of the master recordings translates into better sounding CDs. The same concept applies to video.

So I'm really looking forward to the time when camcorders use solid state media (which will probably be very reasonable in price by then).

Bob
http://www.dtrmusic.com

Current commonly available HDV "Tape Based" camcorders as of 8 May 07:

Canon HV10
Canon HV20
JVC JY-HD10U
Sony HDR-FX1
Sony HDR-FX7
Sony HDR-HC5
Sony HDR-HC7

Rich