Jenni Layton - DigitalDiva Productions

We all want to get the most for our money, and want to get the most out of the recording tapes we buy. Sometimes economical is not always the best option - especially when you are talking about treasured memories. When using recordable tapes, make sure to follow these tips to make sure you have (and keep) the best recording possible:

Record on the fastest setting possible (SP vs. LP)- We all want to be economical, but the VHS and VHS-C tapes that are now 10+ years old will tell you to avoid this habit. The quality degrades and archives horribly. Picture and sound are both affected. Use the quickest setting and this will give you the best copy. SP stands for standard play and is the setting you should use on your camcorder. LP stands for long play and should never be used unless it's something that is not important or doesn't need to be perserved.

Never record over something you no longer want - I've been guilty of this one too. Every time you re-record onto the tape, it creates another layer. It's like deciding to build a new home over a pool that's been filled in with cement. You can't see the pool anymore, but it's still there ready to give you problems in the future. The new layer is less reliable and will most likely give you difficulties when trying to view or capture in digital format. This is true with miniDVs as well. I have many a recording when the record button was accidentally pushed while walking around an amusement park, so I thought I'd just record over that unwanted footage. These new recordings layered over the top have been less clear (both audio and video), and contained inadvertent scrambled data and dropped frames randomly through my "good recordings." Always start with a clean tape and throw away unwanted ones to avoid the temptation to put it into the camcorder.

When trying to transfer your tapes to DVDs, there are many companies that will not accept tapes recorded in LP format. I am still willing to work with these tapes and do my best to get the best capture possible. These recordings, however, will not be of the same quality as those recorded in a single layer SP format.

I've had several friends ask me about the different options out there for purchasing a camcorder. Here's some of the information I've gathered, but it will all depend on your personal preference and obviously what your budget looks like! The options out there are pretty overwhelming, and I'm still learning new things everyday, so I've grouped them into the 3 main types of media. This is, of course, my own personal opinion, so take it for what it's worth!

HD hard-disk camcorders:
This definitely where it's all heading. The prices are coming down, but still a more expensive option. Here's my biggest concern. I like media that can be written on once and archived. That's true with tapes too - as long as you don't record over them multiple times, the original quality will look and stay the best. I've had more problems with hard drives (internal and external) going corrupt and crashing than and CD or DVD. My other concern in compression. The original data you record is put on an internal hard drive and compressed to fit the HD quality. This is why I've been waiting to invest in one because I'm waiting for them to work out all the kinks. I think they are getting more reliable and user friendly and I like that you can archive the data to DVD. These DVD will not be able to be viewed on your DVD player, they are just an archival of data, so you can record more on your camcorder and clean up some space. You'll have to burn it through some type of software on your computer to watch it on your TV, but at least you can back-up on the data on a DVD until then.

I didn't get a good look at all the input/outputs on my clients' cameras, but to watch them back, you obviously want to see the video in HD on our HDTV right? Well, that isn't the case unless you buy some additional cords, but I don't even know if they exist. I don't remember seeing and HDMI output/input on my friends' camera and had to watch what they recorded with AV cables (red/yellow/white) on my HDTV. The only way to watch the HD video you captured in HD is to burn it to a Blu-ray disk with a Blu-ray disk burner or make sure there are HD outputs and you have the correct cords. So if you go the HD camcorder route, know that you'll probably want to purchase a Blu-ray disk burner at some point too. Those have been running around $130 - $200 with Fry's Electronics having the best prices (http://www.frys.com/). Be sure to purchase one that is and actual blu-ray BURNER. There are sneaky ones out there for much less that have a blu-ray PLAYER, but it will only burn regular DVDs. Also - empty blu-rays run around $5 - 20 per disk depending on "printable" label options. I see these costs coming way down soon as they are becoming more and more popular.

There are non-HD hard drive camcorders, but if you're going non-HD, you might as well stick with the less expensive and reliable miniDV camcorders. Plus a lot of those are for people who want to be able to upload and share them on the internet sites. They are pretty cheap though if you're looking for a quick fix until you can purchase something better (ie "The Flip").

DVD camcorders:
Don't even waste your time with these. They stink. Boo. They are great if you want to have your video right on a miniDVD disk that you can put right into your DVD player, but if you ever want to do any editing, you're out of luck. The disks are expense, and they are for the point, click, archive route. If you try to edit the files, you loose the quality, and they just aren't cooperative. It has to do with the compression that's happening while it's writing to the disk. So you're only copy of the video you shot is highly compressed and you just hope and pray it'll last. Plus, I don't know that all DVD players will even play these miniDVD disks. If you have a DVD player that "slides" in versus a "tray" you're out of luck because you won't be able to view these on your TV.

MiniDV:
Obviously, I have LOVED my mini DV player. They do have HD quality as well for more $$$, but even if they aren't HD quality it is still the next best thing (again, if you're going to put your HD video on DVD, you'll want to get a blu-ray burner). What I like is that you can have an original copy on the digital tapes that isn't compressed at all. This is why I've been hanging on to it, waiting for them to work out the kinks with hard disk cameras. The digital tapes are much better archival quality as well than the VHS versions, as long as you don't tape over them multiple times. They are the least expensive too, so if you're looking for something to tide you over until you can invest in the HD cameras, this is a good choice. The only problem I've ever had with the miniDV is the name brands of camcorders. Apparently, Canon has some propriety encoding it uses when it records the data to the tape, so you can't play back tapes recorded on a Canon with any other manufacturers DV camcorder. I had to borrow my in-laws new Canon camcorder to capture a clients' videos since they no longer had that camcorder because it broke. Sony tapes can be played back on any version of camcorder without any problems and I haven't had problems with any other brands so far either. So I would avoid Canon just because you'd have to buy another one if yours broke and you wanted to play back your tapes.

There are a lot of deals out there right now, and I'll try to keep my blog more updated as I find out more information and new versions come out. Happy Shopping!