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Video Camcorder Formats and Media
There are way too many tape, disk and stick formats out there: VHS - The old standard, too big, not digital, easily played anywhere without conversion. VHS-C - A small cassette that fits in an adapter to play in a regular VCR. Most people who have these older units record at the slow EP or SLP speed which gives them borderline crummy results. Not my favorite, as you may guess, but these camcorders are cheap, cheap, cheap. In the right hands, I've seen dazzling results. S-VHS and S-VHS-C - Called "super" VHS, this format puts more details on a VHS-like tape than regular VHS camcorders do, but unless you have a VCR that plays it back, the picture looks all torn and raggedy. A good non-digital format for pros but on its way out. 8mm, Hi8 and Digital8 - A popular family of camcorder tapes primarily engineered by Sony, the small cassette looks sort of like VHS-C but there is no adapter to play it in a VHS VCR. It started with 8mm, got improved by Hi8 (which used to be expensive), and went digital with Digital8. Hi8 camcorders are now on sale very cheaply-- they are a good choice for the budget-minded. The D8 (Digital8) format ain't bad -- it costs less lower than some of the other digital formats, it's a little larger (therefore more robust?), and D8 equipment is compatible with computer editing systems through it's Firewire plugs just like pro gear. MiniDV - A small tape format that at one time or another all the major manufacturers agreed upon (but some have broken ranks as you step up into pro gear or move to still smaller tape or non-tape formats). At the time this is written, I'd say this is the best all-purpose format around. It's used in mid-range consumer cameras up to some fine pro-gear used by the broadcast industry, worldwide. You can generally record one hour or so on a tape at normal speed and can get 50% more time at slow speed, but watch out: tapes recorded at the slow LP speed may not play back anywhere but in the camcorder that made them -- great 10 years from now when the camcorder has gone to camcorder heaven and you want to dig out those old shots only to discover they play like your VCR has a bad case of the hiccups. DVCAM and DVCpro - Industrial step-ups of the MiniDV format and standard. Electronically these digital formats are the same as MiniDV, but the tapes are bigger and there are other differences that Sony and Panasonic love to argue about. We mix and match a lot of MiniDV and DVCAM at our (primarily Sony) shop, using DVCAM in our more expensive camcorders where we need to shoot for two or three hours without stop. Panasonic's DVCpro is similar and has been bought into by a number of broadcasters, but it is less compatible when mixing and matching with MiniDV (in my opinion). Then there are some emerging formats that I've seen for sale or read about, but haven't bought into yet: MicroDV - a very small tape in very small Sony camcorders MiniDVD - a DVD disk in a cartridge used in some Hitachi camcorders. MPEG video in still digital cameras - some still camera manufacturers feel that you want to also record video with their units. Usually you can collect snippets of less than a minute. The results are interesting to post on a web site, but that's about it. This video is usually captured on whatever memory sticks or diskettes the camera uses -- another whole subject beyond the range of this discussion. DVD - A major playback format but not yet widely available in camcorders. I didn't go into all the older formats and broadcast formats that are still lurking around: 3/4", BetaMax, BetaSP, and 1" to name just a few. On top of that, if you are sort of an international soul, you've run into the fact that other parts of the world have different TV standards. Ours is called NTSC, much of Europe is PAL, France is SECAM and there are subsets of these. If you are a student of world history shortly after World War II, you can fan out these three major formats to the rest of the world by who was in charge of or aligned politically with whom. The tapes and disks are the same mechanically, but what's recorded on them is different. It takes special equipment to translate from one format to another. A big part of our business is dedicated to just transferring all these old and new formats to the more popular playback formats: VHS and DVD. The digital formats are here to stay and pretty-much obsolete the older formats. As this is written, high definition camcorder equipment is not yet available for consumers -- this equipment will probably be very expensive when it first shows up. Get a good camcorder today while everyone is still healthy and around, and the kids haven't grown too big, and don't second guess yourself about what might or might not be coming down the road. Video Kitchen can edit, duplicate or convert your video to and from almost any format. Our most popular services are transferring photos to DVD building stunning photo montages and copying VHS and camcorder tapes to DVD to preserve and share those special moments. We also shoot, edit and do mass duplication of VHS, DVD and CD for businesses and organizations. You can come in and work in an edit suite with one of our editors producing a "broadcast-ready" program or edit together a family video on a self-service basis. Our wide-ranging transfer services include converting old Super 8, 8mm and 16mm home movie film to video, converting video footage for PowerPoint presentations and encoding clips to be shown on the Internet, to name a few. We have a location in Louisville Kentucky's Highlands at 2323 Bardstown Road, Louisville, KY 40205 and one in Jeffersontown in the East End at 1917 Blankenbaker Parkway, Louisville KY 40299. Please browse through our pages at http://www.videokitchen.com and feel free to call six days a week.
MORE RESOURCES: 18 triumphant images from the 1839 Photography Awards Popular Science InCadaqués 2025, Let’s Dive into Photography The Eye of Photography 42 Ways to Improve Your Photography Fstoppers Age is just a number: these photography icons all found success with a camera after a first career Digital Camera World Brian Harris obituary The Guardian Social Platforms Every Photographer Should Know About DIYPhotography Professional Photographer Association Announces Winners of 40th Annual Photo Contest - My Modern Met Beverly and Dereck Joubert on what makes a good image and how photography has changed National Geographic What Shooting Every Frame at f8 Taught Me About Photography The Phoblographer "I went on a 2-week photography road trip across America and this $20 pocket tripod was a complete lifesaver" Digital Camera World Wyoming History: Rock Springs Inventor’s Panoramic Camera Changed Photography Forever Cowboy State Daily Been There, Done That: Fun With Photography Sapulpa Times Groundbreaking photography focus of upcoming exhibit MyEasternShoreMD Wildlife Photographer of the Year launches 62nd competition with stellar new jury panel and rule change Natural History Museum Longtime photography adjunct maintains focus during digital revolution Alvernia University Photographers Luigi & Iango unveil their cover of Numéro art 17 Numéro Magazine The Sony World Photography Awards are BACK! Get extra free entries here and increase your chance Amateur Photographer Nikon Launches Two New DX Lenses: NIKKOR Z DX MC 35mm f/1.7 and DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR - DIYPhotography Leica Marks 100 Years with “Motion” Photo Auction DIYPhotography Why Versatile Lenses Are Shaping Photography’s Future Luxury Travel Magazine Time-lapse photography captures blooming epiphyllum under the moonlight People's Daily Online Humans can learn from the cooperative system of bees Lampoon Magazine PHOTOS: The past week in photography in the Bow Valley Rocky Mountain Outlook International Museum of Dance and YourDailyPhotograph.com : First Collection The Eye of Photography When Photography Is No Longer Enough Fstoppers Chasing followers, not photographs: how social media is reshaping photography - Digital Camera World Chasing followers, not photographs: how social media is reshaping photography Digital Camera World 5 pro photography composition techniques for stunning shots Digital Camera World Gilles Larrain, Photographer of 1970s Drag Culture, Dies at 86 The New York Times These Photographs Are Not What They Seem The Atlantic Learn the most important portrait photography techniques with the new edition of 'Mastering Portrait Photography' Digital Camera World Photojournalist Ed Kashi on his career-spanning exhibition at Monroe Gallery Albuquerque Journal Picture Solidarity Local News Pasadena How photography has helped me as a veteran Amateur Photographer “How Living Are His Portraits of the Dead.” Toni Morrison on the Photography of James Van Der Zee Literary Hub Photographer Deena Sveinsson Honored With Photography Award Estes Park News Ophthalmic Photography University of Michigan Health Esquisse: The Team Who Could Save Four Thirds for Photography The Phoblographer Photography Workshop Voice of Alexandria 18 majestic images from the 2025 Audubon Photography Awards Popular Science New reef in Indian ocean named after Turkish underwater photographer Hürriyet Daily News Enter our ‘Picturing Respect’ photography competition! La Trobe University Record photographer Clifford Oto's week in review Oct. 11 - Oct. 17 The Stockton Record Club culture takes over the PAC with Le Cannibale and Ri-SCATTI Collater.al Magazine 5 Diwali photography tips to capture stunning festival moments tonight: Simple tricks to try India TV News In Focus: 5 Photography Shows to See in New York Artnet News A Photographer’s Unconventional Vision of Pregnancy The New York Times Wickford Art Association’s highlights the storytelling power of photography | Arts & Living IndependentRI.com ‘The beauty of what survived’ — A photographer finds hope in the darkness of a burned Latter-day Saint church Deseret News More and more films are being made about photographers – and I think I know why Digital Camera World Mixing camera brands is a rookie mistake that could cost you thousands and even make photography harder Digital Camera World The 2025 Audubon Photography Awards: Winners National Audubon Society Staff Voices: Photography as a way to serve peace Welcome to the United Nations Winners of the Bird Photographer of the Year 2025 The Atlantic Where to Find Amazing Space Photography Online Space Daily See 15 Remarkable Photographs of Camera-Ready Camels Smithsonian Magazine Capture the Dark 2025: Winning photographs DarkSky International Why Are We Doing Film Photography Again? Fstoppers Fabio Di Giannantonio has now adopted Francesco Bagnaia’s ‘tactic’ amid ‘incessant’ Ducati questions motogpnews.com |
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