I bought an HG10 in march and I just got the DW-100 Canon DVD Burner today. The Canon website and every review I read (which were pretty much just cut-and_pastes of Canon site) said:

the DW-100 allows you to connect to a Canon VIXIA HG10, VIXIA HF10, and VIXIA HF100 as well as the FS11, FS10 and FS100 camcorders to download video and burn AVCHD or Standard Definition DVDs.

My simple question is how do I get it to make a "standard DVD"?

After reading the HG10 manual, the DW-100 manual and the firmware upgrade manual that comes with the DW-100 I find no description of how to create a standard DVD. My purpose for buying the DW-100 was so that I could give people DVDs the day after I shoot the video with a promise to give them something better after I have time to edit. No one that I know has an AVCHD deck so this means that I needed to burn to standard DVD format. I did not buy the DW-100 for archive purposes but I was hoping that this would be a bonus feature.

What I have discovered so far:

1) When you are in playlist mode and you select delete, this is only deleting from the playlist. While this makes sense it is not described in the manual that way and I was scared to lose valuable footage. Hey Canon, it should say "delete from playlist" not "delete". The manual actually tells you to go to the delete video section to remove from playlist. It does not actually describe that there is a different kind of delete available in the playlist mode.

2) I find it very frustrating that the HG10 gives no information on file size until after you download or go through the process of connecting to the DW-100 and almost starting the burn. I found myself selecting a playlist, setting the HG10 to burn to DVD, connecting to recorder and only then finding out that I had 100MB too much so 2 discs were going to be required for the burn.

3) The DV-100 is one big honking device. It may be pretty but it ain't small. It drives me crazy that I have yet one more AC/DC adapter. If the device is that big couldn't they build it in?

4) Not clearly explained if I could download stills at the same time as videos.

5) Really, really not explained if output of DW-100 will work in your standard DVD player connected to your TV. I have to be honest. Maybe what I created is not AVCHD but it certainly wouldn't play in my new DVD player. I'll post more on this later... What I expected was a DVD that would bring up a menu just like on the camera: a playlist sorted by date and time and if I pressed play it would just play all.

6) To play a DVD from the burner/player I have to have the camera between the Player and the TV. Gee, that's convenient. Let's lug 2 power supplies, a camera, a dvd player and 2 additional cables to a friends house.

Future experiments:
1) Connect DVD to camera and camera to TV to try out replay.

2) Put DVD I created into a PC and see what occurs. I'll use one computer without any AVCHD capability and one with.

Just in case it's just me I've sent questions into the Canon site. I'll let you know what they have to say.

I hope this has been helpful/interesting. Let me know what else I should be trying...

Got a reply from Canon:

Unfortunately, the information found on the DW-100 is misleading to a degree. The DW 100 will record a standard def. recording if your camera is capable of recording standard def. Unfortunately the HG10 can only record in AVCHD, thus the DW-100 will only record the AVCHD recording. There is no shift or conversion for the different recordings.

I guess my optimism got the best of me. Knowing that the camera was smart enough to determine what type of video playback to use based upon the video cables connected between the camera and the TV kind of led me to believe that there was a possibility that this burner and camera combo would have a conversion option. Of course, as an ex-programmer, I should have realized that a conversion option was not likely to be available on a component that's main selling point is that it only has 3 buttons (power on/off, eject/close, record).

If I can't return it, I hope I can sell it.

I am planning to get either HG10 or HF10.

This is my first camcorder. Please pardon my newbie questions.

Do you mean if I take videos with either camcorders, I am unable to save to normal DVD and watch it on normal DVD player? I need to buy another player?

The burner on my pc is also normal DVD burner, so does this means I am unable to burn my videos in DVD and need to get another type of burner?

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The files created on memory card or drive of these cameras are in AVCHD format.

If you copy the files directly from the camera to a DVD they will only play in a Blu-Ray DVD player (AVCHD is one of the blue ray standards). That is the best way to save unaltered direct HD recordings from these cameras. My Blu-Ray player is actually a Playstation 3 and I can save the files on my network drive and play the individual recordings in HD directly from the Playstation 3 video menu.

Now - if you want to downconvert the HD video and make it playable in a standard (which is non-HD) DVD player, you are going to have to convert the files down to the MPEG2 standard. This can be done with the included software or with programs such as Vegas Video or Ulead Video Studio 11 (which is what I have).

I have a HF10 and i just bought a DW-100.

I only want to archive in hi-def FXP format.

Does dw100 output HD movies with normal DVD disks?

I mean can DW100 save the AVCHD movies onto normal DVD disks?

Or, do I need to get special disks (specially AVCHD disks?) to output in hi-def?

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Yes - the combination you describe will burn AVCHD files onto standard DVD's that will be playable on most Blu-Ray players or PS3.

It's kind of a Blu Ray disc - just not using an actual Blu Ray disc (so you don't get the capacity of a blue ray disc - just the capacity of a standard DVD). For me this is a great combination of cheap discs and enough capacity for home movies.

If I record my videos in FXP 1920 x 1080.

Will the DW100 burn my videos in High Def 1920 x 1080 on standard DVDs?

Or, will it downcovert? Do I need to use special dvds?

I want to shoot and archive in highest resolution.

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It will still be 1920x1080 when you burn directy on to regular DVD's. You would be able to play them in most Blu Ray Players and PS3. Although buring on regular DVD media it will not be playable in standard DVD players.

For DW100 owners, how do you guys backup your files?

Do you save the entire folder via USB?

Or, do you save via ImageMixer "Save to PC"?

I am finding out which is the more future proof way to archive the files.

I have a thread here http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/sh...ad.php?p=245095

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