Tape, Disc Or Card? And What the Heck is AVCHD?

HD cameras can be classified according to the media they use for storing the information. Traditional cameras use tape, which is still the most affordable solution. Small cameras usually use a compact memory card for recording and there are also solutions on the market that store the information on a small hard drive or even directly to a blu-ray disc.

Among the consumer friendly alternatives hdv, a format that records to tape, is what comes closest to what real professionals use, even if it is still not quite as good as the commercial grade hdcam, ds-hd, or dvcopro-hd formats are. However, for recording the important events in your life devices that record in dv-format or employ the avchd compression to record to a small memory card or hard drive are certainly good enough.

The biggest drawback of using the dv-tapes is that the material has to be transferred to your computer in real time, as if actually watching the tape. If you have shot three hours worth of footage, it will take three hours to transfer it to the computer for editing.

Cameras using the avchd format are much more convenient in this regard, as the video and audio material can be transferred quickly just like any other file from a USB memory stick. However, for the editing part of your movie project you need to make sure that your video editing software supports the avchd format. And you also need to pay attention to the formats you publish your finished movie in.

AVCHD What?!

Avchd is an effective method of video compression that is the result of collaboration between the companies Panasonic and Sony.

To be more precise, what this format does is record the video footage using the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video compression codec. The audio is stored in one of these two formats: Dolby AC-3, or uncompressed form (multichannel PCM). As the format has its roots in the blu-rat format it also includes the same kind of folder structure, including functions for improving things like menu navigation, slide shows and subtitles.

Although the format can be recorded onto DVD discs or onto a mass storage device like a hard drive. In order to play or edit the material you need to have an appropriate acvhd compatible codec installed on your computer. A compatible player is often included in the package with a new Avchd camera, and the files can also be played back as is on the Playstation 3 video game console. There are also free codecs available, but currently these are not as efficient and as reliable as their commercial counterparts. For editing in this format you also need an editing program compatible with avchd.

Finally one more thing - should you really buy a HD camera? The very short answer in my opinion is: yes absolutely!

In fact, it would be difficult to come up with any compelling reasons for buying a new SD camera any more, even if you have yet to update the rest of your home entertainment system to the HD era. The memories and events recorded in high definition today, will look even more stunning in the years to come - if they are recorded in HD as they happen.