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High definition or HD camcorders are the new kids on the block and the focus of attention for all the major camcorder manufacturers. Sony, Canon, Panasonic, JVC, Sanyo and even Samsung are wheeling out more HD camcorders than ever before and although miniDV and DVD camcorders are much cheaper to buy, the prices for high definition quality are starting to fall. The advantages of HD are obvious, high video quality. Most of us have got a HD LCD or plasma TV and seen the improvement in picture quality when watching shows like Lost. You feel like you can almost touch Jacks designer stubble ;-) Well now you can record your memories in glorious high definition as well and it's only going to cost you about $500 to get started. The amazing Canon HV20 will currently set you back about $650 and it can produce movies like you watch as the cinema. Prices will tumble as the technology becomes the standard and we wave goodbye to miniDV and DVD camcorders. So long fellas! Trouble is we also have to make sure our computer and editing software are up to the job as well. High definition video gobbles up a lot of disk space and you will need a powerful PC to deal with all that extra processing. You will also probably need to upgrade your editing software as well as only the new versions can deal with high definition (HD). If you have Windows Vista Premium or Ultimate, you will have a copy of MovieMaker HD supplied, which will allow you to capture and edit HD (albeit slowly and badly), but if you have XP or Vista Home, then it's a no go I'm afraid. In the early day, the only way of recording high definition video was to use HDV (High definition video). The new format being favored by the manufacturers on their HD camcorders is AVCHD, which can be recorded onto hard disk drives (HDD), DVD's and memory sticks. HDV arguably still offers the best quality, compatibility and low costs, but the next generation AVCHD is hot on it's heels and looks set to dominate over the coming year as they sort out the compression issues and prices drop. The biggest advantage of the new media types is the ability to jump around your footage at random as it does away with the rewinding and fast-forwarding of the tapes. Best HDV camcorder is the 2007 Canon HV20, but the verdict is still with regards AVCHD, as the new 2008 HDD and Solid State (Memory Card) camcorders have yet to be put through their paces, but notable current models include the Canon HG10 and the Sony HDR-CX7. The video below was shot using a Canon HV20 HD camcorder just using automatic settings. Return from High Definition HD Camcorders to Home Page
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The best editing software currently available for regular camcorder users like you and me is Sony's Movie Studio 8 Platinum (pictured left), which you can get from Amazon for around $90.
