| There are way too many tape, disk and stick | | | | disk in a cartridge used in some Hitachi |
| formats out there:VHS - The old standard, too | | | | camcorders.MPEG video in still digital cameras - |
| big, not digital, easily played anywhere without | | | | some still camera manufacturers feel that you |
| conversion.VHS-C - A small cassette that fits in | | | | want to also record video with their units. Usually |
| an adapter to play in a regular VCR. Most people | | | | you can collect snippets of less than a minute. |
| who have these older units record at the slow EP | | | | The results are interesting to post on a web site, |
| or SLP speed which gives them borderline | | | | but that's about it. This video is usually captured |
| crummy results. Not my favorite, as you may | | | | on whatever memory sticks or diskettes the |
| guess, but these camcorders are cheap, cheap, | | | | camera uses -- another whole subject beyond the |
| cheap. In the right hands, I've seen dazzling | | | | range of this discussion.DVD - A major playback |
| results.S-VHS and S-VHS-C - Called "super" VHS, | | | | format but not yet widely available in |
| this format puts more details on a VHS-like tape | | | | camcorders.I didn't go into all the older formats |
| than regular VHS camcorders do, but unless you | | | | and broadcast formats that are still lurking around: |
| have a VCR that plays it back, the picture looks | | | | 3/4", BetaMax, BetaSP, and 1" to name just a |
| all torn and raggedy. A good non-digital format for | | | | few. On top of that, if you are sort of an |
| pros but on its way out.8mm, Hi8 and Digital8 - A | | | | international soul, you've run into the fact that |
| popular family of camcorder tapes primarily | | | | other parts of the world have different TV |
| engineered by Sony, the small cassette looks sort | | | | standards. Ours is called NTSC, much of Europe is |
| of like VHS-C but there is no adapter to play it in | | | | PAL, France is SECAM and there are subsets of |
| a VHS VCR. It started with 8mm, got improved | | | | these. If you are a student of world history |
| by Hi8 (which used to be expensive), and went | | | | shortly after World War II, you can fan out these |
| digital with Digital8. Hi8 camcorders are now on | | | | three major formats to the rest of the world by |
| sale very cheaply-- they are a good choice for | | | | who was in charge of or aligned politically with |
| the budget-minded. The D8 (Digital8) format ain't | | | | whom. The tapes and disks are the same |
| bad -- it costs less lower than some of the other | | | | mechanically, but what's recorded on them is |
| digital formats, it's a little larger (therefore more | | | | different. It takes special equipment to translate |
| robust?), and D8 equipment is compatible with | | | | from one format to another.A big part of our |
| computer editing systems through it's Firewire | | | | business is dedicated to just transferring all these |
| plugs just like pro gear.MiniDV - A small tape | | | | old and new formats to the more popular |
| format that at one time or another all the major | | | | playback formats: VHS and DVD. The digital |
| manufacturers agreed upon (but some have | | | | formats are here to stay and pretty-much |
| broken ranks as you step up into pro gear or | | | | obsolete the older formats. As this is written, high |
| move to still smaller tape or non-tape formats). | | | | definition camcorder equipment is not yet available |
| At the time this is written, I'd say this is the best | | | | for consumers -- this equipment will probably be |
| all-purpose format around. It's used in mid-range | | | | very expensive when it first shows up. Get a |
| consumer cameras up to some fine pro-gear | | | | good camcorder today while everyone is still |
| used by the broadcast industry, worldwide. You | | | | healthy and around, and the kids haven't grown |
| can generally record one hour or so on a tape at | | | | too big, and don't second guess yourself about |
| normal speed and can get 50% more time at | | | | what might or might not be coming down the |
| slow speed, but watch out: tapes recorded at the | | | | road.Video Kitchen can edit, duplicate or convert |
| slow LP speed may not play back anywhere but | | | | your video to and from almost any format. Our |
| in the camcorder that made them -- great 10 | | | | most popular services are transferring photos to |
| years from now when the camcorder has gone | | | | DVD building stunning photo montages and |
| to camcorder heaven and you want to dig out | | | | copying VHS and camcorder tapes to DVD to |
| those old shots only to discover they play like | | | | preserve and share those special moments.We |
| your VCR has a bad case of the hiccups.DVCAM | | | | also shoot, edit and do mass duplication of VHS, |
| and DVCpro - Industrial step-ups of the MiniDV | | | | DVD and CD for businesses and organizations. |
| format and standard. Electronically these digital | | | | You can come in and work in an edit suite with |
| formats are the same as MiniDV, but the tapes | | | | one of our editors producing a "broadcast-ready" |
| are bigger and there are other differences that | | | | program or edit together a family video on a |
| Sony and Panasonic love to argue about. We mix | | | | self-service basis.Our wide-ranging transfer |
| and match a lot of MiniDV and DVCAM at our | | | | services include converting old Super 8, 8mm and |
| (primarily Sony) shop, using DVCAM in our more | | | | 16mm home movie film to video, converting |
| expensive camcorders where we need to shoot | | | | video footage for PowerPoint presentations and |
| for two or three hours without stop. Panasonic's | | | | encoding clips to be shown on the Internet, to |
| DVCpro is similar and has been bought into by a | | | | name a few.We have a location in Louisville |
| number of broadcasters, but it is less compatible | | | | Kentucky's Highlands at 2323 Bardstown Road, |
| when mixing and matching with MiniDV (in my | | | | Louisville, KY 40205 and one in Jeffersontown in |
| opinion).Then there are some emerging formats | | | | the East End at 1917 Blankenbaker Parkway, |
| that I've seen for sale or read about, but haven't | | | | Louisville KY 40299. Please browse through our |
| bought into yet:MicroDV - a very small tape in | | | | pages at and feel free to call six days a week. |
| very small Sony camcordersMiniDVD - a DVD | | | | |