Which is better dv or dvd camcorders?

[Jeff003]

I'm thinking about purchasing and I was wondering which one is better.Can you play a dv disc in a regular dvd player?

[elwood731]

Originally Posted by Jeff003

I'm thinking about purchasing and I was wondering which one is better.Can you play a dv disc in a regular dvd player?

DV is not a disc, but a tape. So no, you can not play DV on a DVD player, well, at least not in the way you're asking.

You can plug your camera into your TV and play it that way, and most DV consumer cameras now come with a remote control, so it wouldn't be too hard. DV cameras are also very easy to hook up to a PC and burn a DVD of your footage, but it is an extra step.

If all you want to do is film some family moments than I think you could go with DVD. If you want to do any sort of video editing with your footage, then I would suggest DV.

[Jeff003]

Thanks for the info.I've decided on dvd I'm looking at the Hitachi DZ MV150MA Dvd Camcorder.They have it at Walmart for $399.Does anyone have this model?If so how is the video quality when recording to dvd?Also can it record to dvd-rw?I saw at walmart it only said dvd-r and dvd ram.How about the Microphone does it sound good when recording outdoor sounds for example waterfalls,birds etc?I'm lnterested in dvd so I can just put the disc in my player and watch home movies

[dugpa]

I'd go with DV as it usually has less compression than DVD.

[akrycek]

I agree with dugpa. DV is easier to edit and is less restrictive than DVD especially if you want to add menus and such. Some DVD Camcorders have software that will allow you to do that, but I have not seen many favorable reviews of it. I would check out something like http://www.camcorderinfo.com for more information and a few other review sites before you make a purchase. They didn't have the 150 model you mention, but they did review the 730 model. I also didn't see that 150 listed at Wal-Mart, but they did have the 730 for $399.

Krycek

[videoworx]

using a DVD camcorder does not give you instant convenience that you see in TV commercials. In order to view DVD-R discs on a regular DVD player, the disc has to be finalized by the camcorder - a process that can take up to 20 minutes.
If you use the DVD-RAM format, you don't need to wait, but very few players can actually read this format (Panasonic players can, for instance). Hitachi DVD camcorders do not perform very well - the term "you get what you pay for" applies to them. If you want DVD, stick with Sony or Canon.
Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 now allows importing from DVD's directly into a timeline for editing, although it does require decompressing, then recompressing the MPEG-2 data (which would cause a loss in quality).

I swear there's another thread about this, I'm having deja vu...

[sub780lime]

just a curious question, i see a lot of cameras that list mpeg4, so, does the camera have a usb hookup and allow you to pull from the tape in the camera to the PC in a MPEG format. My fiance and I registered for a DV camera for wedding, just because its much cheaper than DVD camcorders and were more likely to get it....so, i rambled a little but my question above still stands.

[videoworx]

yes, mpeg 4 data is sent via a USB connection to the PC. You will not be able to edit the footage without losing some quality (and is very time consuming, even with a fast processor). However, there are plenty of programs that will allow you to convert mpeg 4 to mpeg 2 for burning to DVD.

[sub780lime]

Originally Posted by videoworx

yes, mpeg 4 data is sent via a USB connection to the PC. You will not be able to edit the footage without losing some quality (and is very time consuming, even with a fast processor). However, there are plenty of programs that will allow you to convert mpeg 4 to mpeg 2 for burning to DVD.

well that sounds good to me, we'll have to see if someones generous enough to get us one as a wedding present, we registered for a samsung