Panasonic VDR-D310 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Jul 16, 2007 8:48 AM 
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Compression (4.0)
The Panasonic VDR-D310 (Specs, $499) compresses video in the MPEG-2 format, which all standard definition DVD and hard disk drive (HDD) camcorders use. There are small variances between manufacturers that make it more or less difficult to import into your computer for playback. Panasonic’s file structures are as good as Sony’s, for example (more on that below in Editing).
The VDR-D310 offers three quality settings for video capture, each of which corresponds to a bit rate. XP records at 10Mbps, SP at 5Mbps, and LP at 2.5Mbps. All bit rates are variable, meaning that static shots record at a lower data rate, then go faster if the motion in the shot increases. While recording at lower quality settings is never recommended, it can maximize the recording times on a disc. In XP mode, a single sided DVD-RAM disc can hold only 18 minutes. In SP, it can hold 37 minutes, and in LP it can hold 75 minutes.
Media (5.0)
The Panasonic VDR-D310 records video to standard 8cm miniDVD discs. Compatible formats include DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVD-R DL (dual layer). Panasonic is one of only two manufactures that supports DVD-RAM a reusable disc format that does not require finalizing before it can be played back. While convenient, DVD-RAM has less universal support on playback devices than DVD-R and DVD-RW. DVD-R DL, while not reusable, offers the longest recording times on a single disc, and may be the right choice for vacationers who don’t want to lug around a lot of blank disc.
Editing (5.0)