Sony Dvd Camcorders Problems
DVD Camcorders & HDD Camcorders Problems?
I currently own a dvd camcorder (upgraded from miniDV tapes). I will admit i have been slightly disappointed with the DVD one, i think thats because the miniDV one was top of the range whereas this DVD Sony camcorder wasn’t. So i’ve been looking at this Sony HDR-XR520VE which is HDD. I’m just concerned as people have said it won’t work at high altitude and during loud noises??
Are DVD camcorders supposed to have high altitude problems? I only ask this as i used mine on a plane and it worked fine…Would the HDD work on a plane?? Would it work during a fireworks display for instance as this is loud noises?
Lare is correct on most points – but you need to be aware that when you went from miniDV tape recording DV format video – which is the least compressed consumer digital video format – to a consumer DVD based VOB which are the MOST compressed, you did not upgrade. You might have a newer camcorder because the DVD camcorder purchase was more recent, but that does not mean upgrade – in the video environment, the least compressed video will generally provide the best available video quality – when the camcorders are similarly priced and are recording the same thing. I would much prefer to drive a 4 year old Cadillac CTS than a brand new Aveo…
Because consumer DVD camcorders barely make useful doorstops, the don’t make the short list.
Neither flash memory nor miniDV tape have the high altitude or high – and prolonged – vibration issues that HDD camcorders have. In high altitude, read the manual (generally 9,800 feet or higher), there is not enough air pressure (or available air) for the hard drive heads to “fly” over the hard drive platters. If you are standing at the top of a tall mountain (over 9,800 feet), it is likely the camcorder will not record. That is why that warning is put in the manual. Flash memory and miniDV tape based camcorder do not have this warning. (Neither do DVD camcorders). They do not rely on available air pressure to ensure a system works. Yes, in a passenger airplane – which is in a pressurized cabin, a HDD camcorder will work just fine… there is enough air pressure for the hard disc drive to operate.
In the case of vibration, it is generally prolonged vibration that is the culprit. Fireworks are not typically prolonged, but short bursts. When audio and video comes into a HDD camcorder, the first place it goes is into a temporary storage buffer. If all is well, then the data is shoved to the heads and written to the platters. If there is enough vibration and the heads park, if that vibration lasts more than a couple of seconds, the buffer will fill, the heads won’t write the data to the hard drive and the error message “buffer overflow” will appear and nothing will be recorded. To eliminate this, remove the camcorder from the vibration. This is in the manual – but not in the manuals of flash memory or miniDV tape camcorders. The source of the vibration can be really loud music (whether amplified or not), really loud crowds (at big sporting events); really loud engines – race cars, airplane engines, etc.
The Sony HDR-XR520VE is one of the the replacements to the HDR-SR series. It records high definition video to very highly compressed AVCHD (MTS) video files. Presuming your earlier miniDV tape and DVD based camcorders were standard definition camcorders, you will see a big improvement in video quality because high definition video has a lot more data than standard definition video…
I never know where I will be for capturing video. I have recorded bands in places I never thought I would be – and I have recorded bands I never though I would record. I have been to the tops of mountains I never planned to be on. I have captured loud race car engines – and I am not a race car fan. Since I never know where I will be and what I might want to record, it made sense to me to limit the *known* problems associated with certain recording media. During my selection process, one of the other things I looked at is what the professionals use.
For the most part, they use camcorders from the Sony HVR series, Panasonic AG-DVX and AG-HDX series, Canon XH and XLH series and JVC GY series. Bigger lenses and imaging chips provide for better low-light behavior; but what got my attention is the format they record… DV and HDV. No anemic consumer AVCHD and no VOB. In the event a hard drive is used, it is more typically an external hard drive (like the FireStore) or even using flash memory (expensive P2 cards from Panasonic) – but very typically DV and HDV. In the consumer camcorder environment, DV and HDV is miniDV tape. Cheapest $ per gig storage and archiving; no extra step for archiving; least amount of digital video compression… In the consumer space for high definition camcorders, that means the Canon HV30/HV40 or Sony HDR-HC9… If you must go tapeless, then consider flash memory (like the Canon HF series or the Sony HDR-CX series), but I would not bother with HDD or DVD based camcorders.
My camcorders are miniDV tape based. A Canon and two Sonys.
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