Tape vs Digital Camcorders

As mentioned in other threads...

If anyone needs a little Education...

On the Flip in action...

Jim's excellent Video business model and resource to all kinds of Money making ideas...

Re-workable into Unlimited niche ideas, services in those Hot marketplaces & trends...

http://www.jimkukral.com/
http://www.thedailyflip.com/
http://www.onlinevideotoolkit.com/

Both babies can Definitely work...

Although, the RCA Small Wonder EZ201 Camcorder might be a better option regarding price and features...
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camc...-32445372.html

Ton's of interesting ideas all over the place...
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?p=21428
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?p=21753

Phil

Originally Posted by Adman

1) do they have a way to attach to a tripod
2) have an External Mic connection

Thanks,
Don Alm

I tripod is no problem, but no mic connections as far as I know. The also make all kinds of cool accessories now like mounts for your mountain bike or waterproof housings for waterskiers or sufers in the crowd - and I made a quick windshield mount with a spare GPS suction bracket.

Michael - I have viewed videos played from the camera directly on the TV and they look very good and would imagine you'd get the same quality if burned onto a cd or dvd.

Editing with the basic software they give you is somewhat limited, but using a 3rd party program shouldn't be a problem.

Mill Myers has some great videos including this one about the flip on youtube.

Steve

Rod & Steve,

Thanks for your valuable input.

I've got another question...

I notice the RCA has removable memory and the Flip has internal memory (which limits it, as far as I can figure, because you cannot upgrade the memory).

From what you know, what pros/cons do you see with either method - removable v internal memory on those little camcorders?

Michael Ross

Originally Posted by MichaelRoss

Rod & Steve,

Thanks for your valuable input.

I've got another question...

I notice the RCA has removable memory and the Flip has internal memory (which limits it, as far as I can figure, because you cannot upgrade the memory).

From what you know, what pros/cons do you see with either method - removable v internal memory on those little camcorders?

Michael Ross

Happy to help Michael!

I think the memory issue really all depends on how much video you plan to shoot. If you're shooting short videos or will have access to a computer to download the videos you shoot thoughout the day then you don't really need the extra storage. If you're taking the family out for the whole day and want to capture it all - then it'd be nice to be able to swap in more memory if needed.

Also - a feature many of the RCA models have is the ability to flip the viewing screen around so it can be seen from the front - useful if you want to get yourself in the shot without needing a dedicated cameraman.

HTH,

Steve

Michael,

I think having the available memory is a big plus for the RCA.

It is surprising how fast you can shoot 60 minutes worth of clips. And the size of those one minute clips adds up at about 100 MG per minute.

For short clips taken within access to your PC and/or that are going straight to Youtube, the extra memory doesn't really matter. Because those larger .AVI files will be condensed to much smaller Flash files. And you can readily upload and store those clips at Box.net.

However, if you are shooting away from your PC and/or you want to get the highest resolution you can to maybe put to DVD, having the option to drop another 2GB or 4GB SD card is the way to go (with prices at roughly US$15 & US$25).

Running out of memory never seems to happen at a good time. And between my partner and I we're starting to rack up quite a few free Box.net and Orbitfiles accounts (shhh...quiet please)

Incidently, I prefer Box to Orbifiles and others because you can batch upload files versus selecting one at a time.

One other interesting feature that I don't have a VCR to experiment with and can't confirm but wanted to mention. I don't see any reason why you couldn't record your digital camcorder files to VCR. Which could be useful at times. Maybe Phil could put on his magic hat and find a link to that info?

Also, here's two very informative product reviews from the pros:

http://shopper.cnet.com/digital-camc...-32445372.html

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/e...orders_rca.htm

Cheers,

Rod

Rod,

It's in here somewhere...

Mixing up the Keywords Finds all sorts of interesting stuff...

digital camcorder files to VCR...
http://www.google.com/search?q=digit...ient=firefox-a

VCR digital camcorder files...
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&c...G=Search&meta=

A few other Camcorder reviews etc. to checkout...

YouTube Camcorders...
http://www.google.com/search?q=YouTu...ient=firefox-a

And...

Now, its manufacturer, Pure Digital Technology, has introduced the Flip Mino, an even smaller $180, 3-ounce camcorder that can capture 60 minutes of 640x480 ...
http://www.tvtechnology.com/pages/s.0080/t.14631.html
http://news.google.com/news?oe=utf-8...nG=Search+News

http://www.puredigitalinc.com/products/index.html
http://www.puredigitalinc.com/press.html

By the way...

A little Tip...

Watch out and consider Getting in on Pure Digital Technology...

Just like my Comments on Visa in the following thread...
http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthre...highlight=visa
http://www.fool.com/investing/genera...d-you-buy.aspx

Definitely a couple Winners in my opinion and a few others with a little Googling homework & research...

Can't buy it all up by myself... So why not share a little...

Kaplan said Pure Digital is planning to go public in 2008. And while he would not disclose specific financial information about the company, he said Pure Digital's goal is to be profitable by the time it files for its initial public offering.
http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/30/tech...ideo/index.htm
http://www.topix.com/com/pure-digital-technologies

Shhh...
http://investing.businessweek.com/re...vcapId=9088015

Phil

Phil,

That's a boat load of good info. And likely a Hot tip as this technology evolves.

To complete Michael's question, I was told yesterday that the RCA 201 & 205 will NOT recognize any SD card larger then 2GB. Up to 2GB works, the 4GB will NOT.

One other site worth mentioning is Jumpcut - http://www.jumpcut.com/ - one of Yahoo's online video sites.

Jumpcut offers what is basically a lighter ONLINE version of Windows DESKTOP Movie Maker software. They also host clips like Youtube. But what promises to separate Jumpcut from others is the ability to remix clips with your OWN audio files online.

Other sites like Photobucket - http://photobucket.com/ - work great, but with most of them you cannot remix clips ONLINE with your own audio files - only the files they choose to offer.

So, for example, you could not create a slideshow presentation and record your own separate sales presentation to drop in and describe it.

With a site like Jumpcut you will not have to download a bunch of large files to your computer. You won't need Movie Maker to remix them. And you can create clips away from your office with just a digital camcorder and online connection for Free.

Cheers,

Rod