"Eisboch" wrote in message
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"Wayne.B" wrote in message
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I'm thinking about buying a HiDef video camera, primarily for use on
the boat.

Does anyone have any recommendations or cautionary advice?



I recently bought a Samsung SC-HMX20C. There are many types being
marketed and here's what I learned during the research process:

"HD" doesn't mean High Definition. "HD" means hybrid drive or something
like that, meaning it has both disk drive and a memory card type memory.
Look closely at the specs and make sure the camera is a "full high
definition with 1028i or p resolution.

I was told to avoid the disk drive models because camcorder cameras tend
to get banged around a bit and their primary failure mode is the disk
drive. One of the reasons I went with the Samsung was because it has a
built in 8GB memory card (not removable) and an additional slot for
another 8GB removable SD type memory card.

The biggest issue I had to deal with was the native recording format, and
it was a bit of a surprise.
The Samsung records in MP4 video which not all editing or display programs
will work with. (Windows Media Player can't play it)

It came with a program from CyberLink which was horrible to work with. I
even emailed CyberLink with some simple questions, but it was like talking
to a cable TV tech center who read from a script. Worthless.

I ended up buying a program from Roxio Creator which is much, much better.
It will convert the MP4 video into .avi, .wmv and other formats and is
more flexible for editing and creating movies. I also found a decent
video conversion program on the 'net that was freeware and works well, but
has no editing capabilities.

As far as the camera is concerned, the high definition format is
impressive, especially when displayed on a large screen, HD TV monitor.
On small screens, I am not sure the extra size of the HD format is worth
it.

Eisboch




Forgot to mention. Look for an HDMI output directly from the camera. Mine
is built into a docking/recharging station that you place the camera onto.
The HDMI can then be outputted to any HD monitoring screen or monitor.

Eisboch