Can you make a video tape into a DVD?

DVD RAM Video Camera

• I need to buy a new digital VIDEO camera. I need to decide if I can go for a DVD RAM (disc) camera instead of the more common mini DV (tape) camera. The DVD players made in China can play all types (and all regions) of DVDs, so compatibility is not an issue. Nor is the price of disc relative to miniDV tape. To my knowledge, only Hitachi and Panasonic make DVD RAM cameras. Hitachi has three models. For details on Hitachi, please see: http://www.hitachiconsumer.com/products/sing/audio/moviec/dvdfaq.htm Panasonic appears more expensive for the equivalent Hitachi specification. Question: Why are the negatives for buying DVD RAM camera? You may address the following: a) Is resolution of a DVD RAM camera inferior to miniDV camera? Hitachi's models DZ-MV270E / DZ-MV238E offer approx. 720,000 CCD pixels in movie mode. A fair comparison would be to compare the resolution AFTER a mini DV tape is transferred to DVD or Video CD with the recording on a DVD RAM camera. b) Why have DVD RAM camera not taken off as well as mini DV cameras? Is it the price that prevents it from being popular? Or, it is complexity of technology which firms other than Hitachi and Panasonic have not yet acquired/ mastered? Note, the technology is not new - after all the Hitachi cameras have been out for couple of years. c) Are there firms (beside Hitachi and Panasonic) which offer DVD RAM cameras? If they do, please state their model numbers and debut date.

• Answer:

  Hi aaz, DVD-RAM is a phase-change eraseable format, with an expected disk lifetime of from 25 to 100 years. DVD-RAM is popular for computer use because of its rewriting capability (100,000 times versus 1,000 times for DVD-RW) and because it appears to the user just like a hard drive. DVD-RAM is popular for DVD video recording because of the ease and flexibility with which recordings can be edited (even on the camcorder). DVD also offers the conveniences of not needing to rewind and of immediate access to any recording on the disc, and avoids the problems of head wear and tape jams. However, DVD-RAM is still very much a minor player in the "DVD format wars". An increasing number of DVD players can read DVD-RAM discs, but you do need to check before you buy. You also need to check that the DVD player can handle the smaller 8cm DVD-RAM discs used by camcorders. For DVD questions, a good "first port of call" is the DVD FAQ list: DVD Frequently Asked Questions - June 9 2003 http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html "The spec for DVD-RAM version 2.0, with a capacity of 4.7 billion bytes per side, was published in October 1999. The first drives appeared in June 2000. ... DVD-RAM 2.0 also specifies 8-cm discs and cartridges for portable uses such as digital camcorders. Future DVD-RAM discs may use a contrast enhancement layer and a thermal buffer layer to achieve higher density." Some negatives of buying a DVD-RAM camcorder are that the disc must be handled with care when outside the camcorder, and that the physical size of the camcorder is constrained by the size and shape of the disc. DVD-RAM camcorders are a "late starter" in the camcorder market, which has been dominated by various formats of tape. DVD-RAM may grow its share of the market, or may remain a niche product - but given the playability of the DVD-RAM media this needn't be a problem. The cost and the newness of the technology appear to be the factors constraining the growth of DVD-RAM camcorders. As you correctly point out, such camcorders have been available for a few years - that's a long time in terms of product lifecycles, but a short time in terms of media formats. Picture quality could be a deciding factor for you, in favor of MiniDV. At present, the highest resolution available on a consumer DVD-RAM camcorder appears to be 1.1 megapixels. This is exceeded by the 2 megapixel resolution available on high-end consumer MiniDV camcorders such as the Sony DCR-TRV70: Sony Breaks the Mini DV Camcorder Mold http://news.sel.sony.com/pressrelease/3114 However, you indicated that you would consider a comparison based on a transfer to DVD or Video-CD. If Video-CD quality is acceptable to you, then both MiniDV and DVD-RAM camcorders can far exceed that quality. However, DVD allows for higher quality, and a 2-megapixel camcorder has the potential to produce a slightly better picture (after transfer to DVD) than a 1.1-megapixel camcorder. In addition to the Hitachi and Panasonic camcorders with which you are familiar, a line of DVD camcorders has been unveiled by Sony, due for introduction in the "late [northern] summer 2003". Unlike the Hitachi and Panasonic models, the Sony camcorders record to DVD-R, which has poor editing facilities but greater compatibility with existing DVD players: "Sony DCR-DVD100 and DVD200 Handycams" http://www.simplydv.co.uk/newsitems/sony_dvd2003cams.html Sony DVD camcorder preview http://www.masterdvd.com/sony-dvd-handycam.html I hope this gives you some useful information to help with your purchase decision. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance. Additional Links: Compare prices and read reviews on DVD-RAM Camcorders at Epinions.com http://www.epinions.com/elec-Video-Camcorders-All-DVD_RAM Google search strategy: dvd faq ://www.google.com/search?q=dvd%20faq dvd-ram camcorder ://www.google.com/search?q=dvd-ram+camcorder sony dvd100 OR dvd200 OR dvd300 ://www.google.com/search?q=sony+dvd100+OR+dvd200+OR+dvd300 Regards, eiffel-ga