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Camcorder Media


Media Introduction : Camcorder Formats : How to choose a camcorder

Camcorders historically have used magnetic tape housed in a plastic video cassette to record video and audio. More recently, camcorders are made to use DVD, hard disk drives and flash memory cards. A particular model of camcorder has to use compatible media, that is, only the type of media it was designed to use. Most of the various media types are physically and technologically incompatible. See camcorder formats for more information.   Flash Memory Cards The 2007 Sony Handycam HDR-CX7 model is the world’s smallest and lightest AVCHD high-definition camcorder. It can record nearly three hours of full HD 1080 video on an 8 GB Memory Stick PRO Duo™ media card (LP mode). Camcorders have used memory cards for years to capture still images. The small cards plug into the camcorder and can be removed. The capacities in the beginning were 8MB, 16MB, 64MB which was enough to get a few digital pictures. Flash memory cards are being made today with high enough capacities to allow camcorders to record video directly to them. Cards today are going 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, up to 32GB which allows enough video recording time for most people. The advantage with this type of media is no moving parts to wear out as in tape or disc based camcorders. Every manufacturer uses their own type of memory card. Sony uses their MemoryStick card while Canon, Panasonic, JVC and others use their own cards such as the SD (secure digital) memory card. These cards are getting smaller and smaller with higher storage capacities. Some compatibility issues have confused the consumer due to the variety of the different memory cards. SD, mini-SD and micro-SD cards are available with adapters to accommodate smaller cards. www.sandisk.com AVCHD is a High Definition digital camcorder format for recording 1080i and 720p signals. It employs MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 codec for video compression and Dolby Digital or Linear PCM for audio. Sony and Panasonic developed AVCHD for Hi-Def video devices. DVD   DVD camcorders record onto mini-DVD recordable discs 8 cm in diameter. (Standard DVD is 12 cm) There are record once and re-writable discs as well as double-sided and dual-layer discs. Make sure your camcorder is compatible before buying DVD media. DVD has some advantages over tape such as dynamic scene access (no rewinding) and the ability to pop into your DVD player, however, DVD camcorders use higher compression of the video than digital tape. Mini-DVD capacities are 1.4GB or 2.6GB while digital tape (mini-DV) is 15GB. DVD Recordable 8cm DVD for camcorders       Sony blank 8 cm DVD-R (write-once) Single-sided, 1.4GB, 30 min. SP recording Sony blank 8 cm DVD-RW (re-writable) Single-sided, 1.4GB, 30 min. SP recording Sony blank 8 cm DVD-RW (write-once) Double-sided, 2.6GB, 60 min. SP recording Sony blank 8 cm DVD+RW (re-writable) Single-sided, 1.4GB, 30 min. SP recording Sony blank 8 cm DVD+R DL Dual-Layer, 2.6GB, 55 min. SP recording standard definition 45 min. High Definition (AVCHD) Used in AVCHD High Definition DVD camcorders General Characteristics Format DVD+R Dual Layer Basic Format Specification Ver. 1.1 Recording Capacity 2.6GB Recording Time High Definition (AVCHD) Compression Rate of LP (5Mbps): approx. 60 min / SP (7Mbps): approx. 45 min / HQ (9Mbps): approx. 35 min / HQ+ (12Mbps): approx. 27 min Recording Time Standard Definition (MPEG 2) Compression Rate of LP (3Mbps): approx. 110 min / SP (7Mbps): approx. 55 min / HQ (9Mbps): approx. 35 min Substrate: Polycarbonate Track Pitch: (µm) 0.74 Outer Diameter: (mm) 80 Thickness: (mm) 1.2 AccuCORE Technology (Scratch Resistant, Stain Resistant, Anti Static, Archival Reliability) Single-sided DVD Ideal for AVCHD DVD Handycam Recording time : 60 minutes in Long Play or 35 minutes in High Quality and almost twice the recording time of a standard Mini DVD (1.4GB) Record and View Instantly 2.6GB total recording capacity Hard Disk Drive If you do not want to keep buying media, consider a camcorder with a built-in hard disk. You record hours and hours of video, then offload to a full-sized DVD or computer hard drive. Disk capacities go from 30GB to 100GB. Video compression is like DVD so you can fit loads of recording time on the disk before needing to offload and re-use the space. Recording modes allow high quality video or average quality for more recording time. Tape Magnetic tape is still around today. It has stood the test of time and has a proven track record. The digital recording of video today uses the Mini-DV tape cassette. Camcorders back in the late 1970s used the full-size VHS video cassettes, but to reduce the bulk of the camcorder, the VHS-C cassette evolved around 1983. This is a compact version of VHS, fully compatible except for the physical cassette which needs an adapter to play in a VHS VCR. VHS-C tape Sony, about the same time in the early 1980s, developed the 8mm tape. It competed with VHS-C and was about the same size. The 8mm video cassette based camcorders proved very popular and can still be found today. Sony later marketed the Hi-8 (8mm) video cassette which gave better resolution and could be used in their Digital-8 camcorders as well. Sony's Digital-8 camcorders provide a bridge between analog and digital by allowing 8mm analog playback of your old 8mm tapes as well as Hi-8mm digital recording. Average Cost: Camcorder Media   Format Record time Cost ea.  $ Tape width Recording VHS 6 hrs. EP 1.00 12.65mm Analog VHS-C 90 min EP 2.25 12.65mm Analog 8MM 240 mins. LP 2.50 8 mm Analog Hi8 240 mins. LP 4.25 8 mm Analog Digital-8 90 mins. LP 4.25 8 mm Digital Mini-DV 90 mins. LP 5.00 6.35mm Digital 8 cm DVD 60-120 min. 4.00 N/A Digital

Metal evaporated technology. Sony Metal Evaporated Magnetic Layers have twice the remnant magnetic flux density of Metal Particle (MP) coatings for higher performance while the DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) protective layer improves durability.

• Format: MiniDV Tape
• Memory Chip: None
• Length: 80 Minute SP (120 Minute LP)
• Storage Case: Plastic

TDK’s ME Position metal particle formulation.
Compared to TDK’s MP, ME Position offers an even clearer picture.