Buying a New Camcorder
In this world of high definition, an HD camcorder is a great item to go nicely with your HD television. With more and more HD product becoming readily available, the prices of high definition camcorders are dropping all the time. If you’re still not up to speed with HD camcorders, here is a helpful guide to outline the key info that you need to know before you make a buying decision.
The difference between HD and standard definition camcorders… Similar to televisions, the big difference between standard and HD camcorders is their resolution. A video resolution consists of numerous lines. A high definition video can have as many as 1,080 lines, while a standard definition resolution consists of 480 lines. High definition video resolutions come as one of three resolutions – 720p, 1080p and 1080i. Most HD camcorders on the market record in either 720p or 1080p.
The difference between 720p, 1080p and 1080i… The big difference between these 3 formats is the video recording process. The ‘P’ in 720p and 1080p stands for progressive scan, while the ‘I’ stands for interlaced. Here is a brief guide to the different kinds of video formats:
Progressive Scan – This kind of video resolution records all the video lines with no skipping. This means it starts with line one and scans all the way through to line 1080. This gives it a big advantage over interlaced video for fast motion videos.
Interlaced – In this format, every other line is recorded by the camcorder. It begins by showing the odd numbered lines followed by the even numbered lines.
AVCHD – AVCHD is employed by many large brands such as Canon, Sony and Panasonic. This is a method that compresses and records high definition videos to a hard disk or flash memory card.
When it comes to choosing a HD camcorder, you’ll find that there are various types to choose from. There are more affordable pocket style camcorders that can be picked up for £150 or less, and then there are fully-featured more professional camcorders for as much as £1000 or more.
Be sure to look at camcorders reviews to find out which camcorder models have the best ratings. Have a look at our camcorder reviews.
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