Mini dv camcorder problems?

Mini Dv Camcorder help?

• Hi there, i was a little stupid and got a mini dv camcorder instead of a mini dvd, a spare of the moment ebay purchase without fully looking, we have all been there right? Well i wanted a mini dvd so i could play and store my stuff, i like my little camcorder that arrived but is it worth keeping, great deal i got but i know nothing about mini dv's how do you store them? can you play them throught a tv? Are computers necessary for them? Please help. Thank you

• Answer:

  It may have been a mistake, but it was a lucky one! MiniDV is far better than mini DVD, for all sorts of reasons, not least the video quality is much better. Tapes can be stored for years so long as they're kept in normal indoor conditions. The main thing is to keep them dry and avoid extreme tempreatures. You can connect your camcorder to a TV via AV cables (they should have been supplied) and then use the camcorder like a VCR. Are computers necessary? No, but.... The first thing to realise is that 90% of your footage will be complete garbage - it's a law of nature! To produce something that's worth watching you'll need to edit it and, while you're about it, you can make a DVD rather than have to use the camcorder to play your video. You'll need a computer for that. The work flow is capture your video, edit it, create the DVD. You'll need to capture the video via firewire - if your PC hasn't already got one you'll need to install a firewire card. They're cheap, easy to install and readily available. You'll also need a firewire cable. Once everything's connected you can capture and edit the video with Windows Movie Maker (it should already be on your PC), save it as DV-AVI (it's under Save on My Computer, Best quality show more choices, Other settings) and then write it to DVD using DVD Flick. There are better apps out there, but these are free and hopefully will get you started on an enjoyable hobby.