Sony DCR-DVD108 Camcorder Reviewby David KenderPublished on Jun 18, 2007 9:12 AM 
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Compression (4.0)
The Sony DCR-DVD108 (Review, Specs, $339) outputs video in the MPEG-2 format in three qualities. These quality settings correspond to the speed of the data transfer. The highest quality, HQ, captures at approximately 9Mbps, then SP at 6Mbps, and LP at 3Mbps. The difference between the settings is obvious. Almost invariably, you’ll want to record in HQ. Even at its best, standard definition MPEG-2 found in most camcorders is but a fraction of the quality that MiniDV camcorder compression uses. MPEG-2 of this variety is generally highly compressed. Compression artifacts – blocky chunks and other aberrations – are common, and worsen when paired with a low-end imager like the 1/6” CCD in the DCR-DVD108.
Media (4.5)
The Sony DCR-DVD108 uses DVD-R/+R/-RW/+RW and + DL 8cm discs to capture video. DVDs have gained incredible popularity, but among the experts, the jury is still out on DVD versus other media. Many people seem to like having a physical record in their hand, particularly a non-tape media that can pop right into their computer or DVD player and offer random-access. However, the archivability of DVDs has been attacked in recent years, and manufacturers were forced to seriously overhaul their shelf-life estimations, down from 100 years (in some cases) to a much more dire 3-10 years, depending on construction materials and environment. If you own a DVD camcorder, you’ll probably want to back-up your footage to a storage drive.
Editing (6.0)
The Sony DCR-DVD108 records its video in the standard DVD file structure system, with three component files for each video clip. This means that you most likely will not be able to drag and drop footage. As a first step, you’ll have to use the included software or another intermediary software to create a unified file. This middle-step creates a stumbling block in the editing process that most serious videographers can do without, which is why DVD camcorders are better suited for the point-and-shoot crowd.
Included in the box is the Picture Motion Browser 2.0 software, a rinky-dink bit of a program that allows you to work with still photos, primarily. For any real video work, you’ll want a true non-linear editing (NLE) program.
The summary: DVD camcorders are not designed with editing in mind, particularly not a low-end camcorder like this.