hi, i own a JVC HDD camcorder MG330 (30GB). the quailty is set to Ultra fine. after recording i transfer them to my PC and rename it so its .mpg... now, atfer i burn it to DVD or even HD DVD on dvd... the quailty it some what grainy? the picture is soft and fuzzy.. Ultra Fine is suppose to be the same resolution as a DVD movie! its as if i was watching a VCD or VHS :S

i use Ulead VideoStudio to create and burn my project.

i know its not the software because the menus and still pictures i add into the DVD are amazingly sharp! especailly when i burn them using the "HD-DVD on DVD" burning method.

plz hellp! thx!!

Out-of-focus feel, lack or resolution, overall softness and lots of noise seem to be inherent characteristics of JVC HDD-based camcorders.

lol great!. i recently adjusted it to M (manual mode) and i turned on the brightening feature.. picture seems to be better!! thx ne waise

So what cam are you "hawking" jockey???
I have 2 JVC HDD cams , among other dv cams...
They work fine , when you play and discover how to use them....
They are not the "inherant" thing you proclaim...
Do you own one????
If not....I will say no more...

Jimbo,

When you look at his other posts, you will see that Jockey had an MG555 that he compared with other camcorders with scrutiny. I generally agree with him about the picture quality. I also own an MG555, and I think the quality is poor when considering the specifications (1/2" sensor, etc.) I'm generally happy with mine, but I wouldn't be happy with it if I payed retail price for it.

That said, what tips do you have for better quality? Initially I had turned "vivid" mode off, but I'm back to using it again. I guess I like the colors to pop. I'm using the shutter priority a lot when filming indoors or interviewing subjects on a tripod, I think it makes a difference over the other settings. I would of liked to see a more narrow depth of field when using aperture priority, though; I'm not seeing much background blur.

My wish for this camera? I'd like for there to a focusing ring on the lens barrel, but I guess that is a pretty rare thing to have on a camera. I'm hoping the new Casio F1 will satisfy in this department.

Todd.

Well excuse me...I never realized that someone who purchased and own's a particular cam would downgrade it so much...??
All I can say is buy something else...

Jimbo,

I'm not happy with any of the camcorders out there. Too expensive, too little features, the good ones still use DV tape...

But I like my JVC. It's a beautiful gadget. It works well for my needs at this point, and I got it for a great price. I just think it's fair to acknowledge the low points as well as the positive features that you read in a sales brochure.

This being my first camcorder, maybe I'm being too picky?

Todd.

Perhaps....

Camcorders are cheaper, smaller, better with more features than what was available 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years ago.

I certainly enjoy sound, zoom lens and autoexposure. Shooting in Super 8 film today would run about $350 per hour of video. And I do not miss going to the drug store two weeks after shooting film to pick up my little reel of 3 minutes of "Home Movies".




Rich
Any video is better than no video.

Any video is better than no video.

I got to thinking about this when watching a DVD last night. In the movie, one of the characters pulls our old home movies of him and his sister. The movies were playing on some kind of projector. Needless to say, the image quality was abominable. But, it was there, and it showed memories. When watching the old movie/video, it didn't really matter how it looked, as long as it was there to watch again. Just having the video makes it priceless. Five years from now, the video will look even better. but we'll all be glad that we have todays movies now, even if the focus is slow and the images are slightly fuzzy.

Todd.