There are way too many tape, disk and stick formats out there:
VHS - The old standard, too big, not digital, easily played anywhere without conversion.
VHS-C - A small cassette that fits in an adapter to play in a regular VCR. Most people who have these older units record at the slow EP or SLP speed which gives them borderline crummy results. Not my favorite, as you may guess, but these camcorders are cheap, cheap, cheap. In the right hands, I've seen dazzling results.
S-VHS and S-VHS-C - Called "super" VHS, this format puts more details on a VHS-like tape than regular VHS camcorders do, but unless you have a VCR that plays it back, the picture looks all torn and raggedy. A good non-digital format for pros but on its way out.
8mm, Hi8 and Digital8 - A popular family of camcorder tapes primarily engineered by Sony, the small cassette looks sort of like VHS-C but there is no adapter to play it in a VHS VCR. It started with 8mm, got improved by Hi8 (which used to be expensive), and went digital with Digital8. Hi8 camcorders are now on sale very cheaply-- they are a good choice for the budget-minded. The D8 (Digital8) format ain't bad -- it costs less lower than some of the other digital formats, it's a little larger (therefore more robust?), and D8 equipment is compatible with computer editing systems through it's Firewire plugs just like pro gear.
MiniDV - A small tape format that at one time or another all the major manufacturers agreed upon (but some have broken ranks as you step up into pro gear or move to still smaller tape or non-tape formats). At the time this is written, I'd say this is the best all-purpose format around. It's used in mid-range consumer cameras up to some fine pro-gear used by the broadcast industry, worldwide. You can generally record one hour or so on a tape at normal speed and can get 50% more time at slow speed, but watch out: tapes recorded at the slow LP speed may not play back anywhere but in the camcorder that made them -- great 10 years from now when the camcorder has gone to camcorder heaven and you want to dig out those old shots only to discover they play like your VCR has a bad case of the hiccups.
DVCAM and DVCpro - Industrial step-ups of the MiniDV format and standard. Electronically these digital formats are the same as MiniDV, but the tapes are bigger and there are other differences that Sony and Panasonic love to argue about. We mix and match a lot of MiniDV and DVCAM at our (primarily Sony) shop, using DVCAM in our more expensive camcorders where we need to shoot for two or three hours without stop. Panasonic's DVCpro is similar and has been bought into by a number of broadcasters, but it is less compatible when mixing and matching with MiniDV (in my opinion).
Then there are some emerging formats that I've seen for sale or read about, but haven't bought into yet:
MicroDV - a very small tape in very small Sony camcorders
MiniDVD - a DVD disk in a cartridge used in some Hitachi camcorders.
MPEG video in still digital cameras - some still camera manufacturers feel that you want to also record video with their units. Usually you can collect snippets of less than a minute. The results are interesting to post on a web site, but that's about it. This video is usually captured on whatever memory sticks or diskettes the camera uses -- another whole subject beyond the range of this discussion.
DVD - A major playback format but not yet widely available in camcorders.
I didn't go into all the older formats and broadcast formats that are still lurking around: 3/4", BetaMax, BetaSP, and 1" to name just a few. On top of that, if you are sort of an international soul, you've run into the fact that other parts of the world have different TV standards. Ours is called NTSC, much of Europe is PAL, France is SECAM and there are subsets of these. If you are a student of world history shortly after World War II, you can fan out these three major formats to the rest of the world by who was in charge of or aligned politically with whom. The tapes and disks are the same mechanically, but what's recorded on them is different. It takes special equipment to translate from one format to another.
A big part of our business is dedicated to just transferring all these old and new formats to the more popular playback formats: VHS and DVD. The digital formats are here to stay and pretty-much obsolete the older formats. As this is written, high definition camcorder equipment is not yet available for consumers -- this equipment will probably be very expensive when it first shows up. Get a good camcorder today while everyone is still healthy and around, and the kids haven't grown too big, and don't second guess yourself about what might or might not be coming down the road.
Video Kitchen can edit, duplicate or convert your video to and from almost any format. Our most popular services are transferring photos to DVD building stunning photo montages and copying VHS and camcorder tapes to DVD to preserve and share those special moments.
We also shoot, edit and do mass duplication of VHS, DVD and CD for businesses and organizations. You can come in and work in an edit suite with one of our editors producing a "broadcast-ready" program or edit together a family video on a self-service basis.
Our wide-ranging transfer services include converting old Super 8, 8mm and 16mm home movie film to video, converting video footage for PowerPoint presentations and encoding clips to be shown on the Internet, to name a few.
We have a location in Louisville Kentucky's Highlands at 2323 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40205 and one in Jeffersontown in the East End at 1917 Blankenbaker Parkway, Louisville KY 40299. Please browse through our pages at http://www.videokitchen.com and feel free to call six days a week.
Photography comes from the Greek words meaning "light writing" and... Read More
Disposable cameras are cheap and easy to use. If you... Read More
There are also some excellent online courses available and some... Read More
The photos you took of the party are really great... Read More
Night photographs express a special something that cannot be seen... Read More
1. Pet photos - advertise a Pet Photography business where... Read More
There's so much you can do with an underwater video... Read More
Digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras are excellent cameras that... Read More
It doesn't matter if your emailing photos of your grandson... Read More
Quality digital cameras are becoming affordable for just about everyone... Read More
Wholesale disposable cameras are disposable cameras bought in quantity. Bulk... Read More
Demystifying Digital Camera JargonWant to buy a digital camera but... Read More
So you are a small business person or web designer... Read More
Setting up your own photography business it easy, you don't... Read More
At a Photo Club meeting I attended recently, the President... Read More
Babies make the best and the worst subjects to photograph.... Read More
As a professional wedding photographer I get this question asked... Read More
While digital photography offers you the ability to review photograph... Read More
The most important part of buying a digital camera is... Read More
If you are in the market to purchase a digital... Read More
There are really great advantages in digital photography:You can shoot... Read More
So, you have taken lots of pictures with your new... Read More
When should you use hyperfocal focusing? Well, sometimes when shooting... Read More
A digital camera accessory you should purchase is a spare... Read More
The digital camera is but a technological advancement of the... Read More
One technology that hasn't kept up with the rapid pace... Read More
Photography with the aid of a digital camera is beyond... Read More
There are a large number of digital camera accessories available... Read More
The business of stock photography has drastically changed over the... Read More
Point and click. The new life of digital cameras gives... Read More
Once in while I receive e-mails or phone calls from... Read More
Did you know that in many cases digital photos are... Read More
If you use a digital camera (I use a Canon... Read More
One of the oldest companies, Olympus has had a long... Read More
There is one simple technique any body can do to... Read More
It's hard to find sometimes but it's making a resurgence,... Read More
Tight BudgetsTight budgets are common these days. But the demand... Read More
A digital camera accessory you should purchase is a spare... Read More
So your picture came out less then perfect. Blemishes or... Read More
Once in while I receive e-mails or phone calls from... Read More
Photography comes from the Greek words meaning "light writing" and... Read More
In a traditional camera, the lens was king. If the... Read More
There are lots of options available for getting your digital... Read More
Quality digital cameras are becoming affordable for just about everyone... Read More
Good wildlife camera equipment on safari can make the difference... Read More
There is a wide world of photography. It touches each... Read More
The digital camera is but a technological advancement of the... Read More
PrefaceIn order to understand color management, it is important to... Read More
Quite often I will have clients bring in old photographs... Read More
Outdoor photographers shoot year round. That includes the hot summer.... Read More
So, you have taken lots of pictures with your new... Read More
Underwater photography's is primarily focused towards entertaining and informing the... Read More
Using a digital camera to take pictures is great. It's... Read More
When should you use hyperfocal focusing? Well, sometimes when shooting... Read More
Shopping for a new digital camera can be quite frustrating... Read More
I love panoramas. There's something very appealing about their shape.... Read More
Dots Per Inch is a useful measure of relative resolution.... Read More
Everyone has a digital camera today and we all take... Read More
There are really great advantages in digital photography:You can shoot... Read More
The digital camera is essentially a computer-based device, whose core... Read More
The path to picking a digital camera usually leads to... Read More
So you have this great digital camera and you've taken... Read More
Getting the most out of your digital video camera can... Read More
George Eastman, founder of Kodak is world renowned today. Digital... Read More
So you have this great new camera. Now you're standing... Read More
Before you rush into buying your digital camera this holiday... Read More
Photography |