I am looking for a camcorder that will allow me to take analog video in and digitize it to the camcorder.

I currently have a Cannon ZR 700 mini digital camcorder. It allows me to do this. I called Canon tech support and they no longer offer that feature on there newer models. They have discountinued the ZR 700.

I am a High School basketball coach and do video editing on my PC. I have recently spoke at a Coaches clinic and many people have asked me to help them build a system like I have now to edit film.

My biggest problems is taking other forms of media such as VHS, DVD, etc from coaches I trade tape with and digitizing it- so I can work with it through a camcorder. So I need to have a process of coming up with working media through a camcorder. I have asked about DVD recorders with a firewire output. It doesn't seem to exist yet. This part of the process is crucial in terms of scouting an opponent.

It would be easy if all schools had the same media. Most of the coaches I trade film with are giving me DVD's of there games. I must convert them to Mini-DV media and work off of that.

I don't know a lot about other makes or models of camcorders. Or other types of working media or hard drive camcorders. The only media I have work with digitally is mini-Dv casettes. I have been using this same process for 5 years now. I started with the Canon ZR 200. My JV coach currently uses that one.

I use power director 7. I absolutley love working with it.

Looking for some help or suggestions to my problem.

[jaymac]

Why not just convert the dvd's to dv-avi on the pc with something like Virtual-dub mpeg its free

[senu]

For the purposes of editing off a PC.
A DVD disc is perfectly acceptable
However if you really must have avi-in ( which is what you seek) on a camcorder
Canons HV 20 and 30 ( although HDV) can do this as SD
This would also be true for any camcorder with AV-in: They are increasingly less common but by no means extinct