hd wide angle camcorder with external microphone input (wireless if possible)

Yes I have also seen these 'reverse parking screens' on amazon. The connections say AV but from the images they look more like the red / white / yellow connections on the back of a TV. My camera doesn't have any cables for its AV port so I'm unsure how this would work. Also not sure on the power either as I assume its intended to power in to the car?

Red White Yellow are AV (Audio Video - Analogue) connections. Red is right channel audio, White is left channel audio and Yellow is composite video (CVBS). It's the most common (and worst quality video wise connection there is). S-Video is an improvement as it splits Composite into separate connections for luminance and chrominance. The best analogue video connections are RGB and Component (The latter is capable of full HD).

Component video uses 3 connections (Video synch is carried on one of the cables)

RGB (Red Green Blue) requires 4 as video synch is separate. RGB on a scart cable uses the CVBS connection to provide video synch.

Any camcorder should have CVBS video out as an option if it has an AV socket. 12V power shouldn't be an issue.
 
Hi Michael

USB and HDMI are digital connections. The socket you need is marked A on this screengrab from the manual. You need an optional AV cable (not supplied) to use it.
 

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You also have the A/V Out socket next to the shoe adapter release lever. You need to buy a lead.
See 3.5mm 90° Jack Plug to 3 x RCA Phono Lead Audio / Video AV Cable 2m lead length from Amazon £2.85.
Also see p100 and p117 of your User Manual.
You may also need to fiddle with the sockets as the video signal may not be on the yellow RCA plug. (it probably is, but if not it does not mean the lead is duff - OK)

The reversing screen will need 12v but this can be sourced from a set of batteries in a battery holder from Maplins.

I am assuming in all this that you want the screen to align the camera and for little else. If you are looking for a screen to give a quality image, you would need to go for the Lilliput sets at £111+ and use the HDMI connectors. Again may I suggest the 7" NextBase DVD player as this has an A/V input, its own power supply and its own lead. (but you will need to buy a RCA to RCA connector (Maplin))

The socket you need is marked A It is marked 4 on p6 of the Manual
 
I'm with Terfyn on the display. I often use an old portable DVD player as a monitor. It can be battery powered (mine has a separately attached re-chargeable battery), powered from a car cigar lighter and has a supplied mains adaptor. I sometimes use it to connect to a satellite box when aligning a dish. As an aside you could connect to a camcorder wirelessly using a pair of AV senders (these work from a composite video and analogue audio inputs)

You could also use a portable TV (or multiple ones) by connecting a rf modulator to the camcorder av outputs, the resulting PAL analogue TV channel could be distributed by coax and viewed using any connected TV's analogue tuner.
 
Hi Graham, yes I understnd that this is the connection to use, the complexity was finding a suitablly priced screen, power and the other leads that come with it.

Yes Terfyy the screen is required for visual purposes only, just to be able to see what the lens can see face on without having to try and turn and twist me head. I'm not sure if you intended to include a link for the above cable. Are you meaning something like this 90° degree angled 3.5mm 4-pole Jack to 3x RCA Phono: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics that would then connect to the RCA cables supplied on the 3.5" monitor screen?

The quality on the screen doesn't have to be that good in all fairness as I know the video qaulity is good, I just need to be able to see what the lens can.

I know what you mean over the NextBase dvd player, it has everything all in one without having to buy extra cables of power adapters to make it work? Was the comment '(but you will need to buy a RCA to RCA connector (Maplin))' referring to this or the parking sensor screen as I was of the impresion the DVD player unit has its own 3.5mm jack cable to plug straight in?

Thanks
 
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I fully see where you are coming from over the display but £70 seemed expensive for something that I know I wouldn't use the dvd player aspect, it would just be for the screen. At the most £50 would be the limit althogh even that is on the expensive side. I guess the positives of the expensve are that you don't need to fiddle around with extra cables, power supplies and whever else may be required.

To add to me not knowing what cables are required, is there already an AV cable supplied in the box which is the type RCA one end and 3.5mm jack the other? Also I guess at the other end I will then need the same cable for this to connect in to so I will then need the male / female version to connect to which then has the 3.5mm jack to connect to the cam corder?

Sorry for the very simple post.

Do I actually need the RCA to 3.5mm when I only need the video aspect?
 
The RCA to RCA is a 1" female to female 3 socket. as you will be terminating the A/V lead from the camera in RCA plugs and the same from the monitor, you will need a connector to mate the RCA plugs together. However check when you buy, some of the rear view monitors have a RCA socket for the video.

To add to me not knowing what cables are required, is there already an AV cable supplied in the box which is the type RCA one end and 3.5mm jack the other? Also I guess at the other end I will then need the same cable for this to connect in to so I will then need the male / female version to connect to which then has the 3.5mm jack to connect to the cam corder?
The DVD player comes with a lead but the Panasonic does not, The parking sensor screen also seems to have a RCA connector for video (socket?). There isn't a lead that will do just video as the camera jack needs to have the required tip, rings and sleeve to fit the 720s socket, you just need the video feed from the three RCA plugs so the two audio plugs are left dangling!

Do I actually need the RCA to 3.5mm when I only need the video aspect?
Well you need some sort of output and the only two live outputs are the HDMI and the A/V sockets. You need to consider how you will connect any monitor, that you buy, to the camera. The one traditional standard for an A/V out and the A/V in on your TV is the RCA connector. As GLT has said there are a number of ways to connect a camera to a monitor BUT obviously the protocol needs to be the same at each end! As the 720 only does HDMI and A/V, your choice is somewhat limited. So the choice is HDMI and an expensive Lilliput monitor OR A/V and any TV or screen with the same input.

Who said it was simple?
 
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Indeed so, I know what you mean. I am tempted by the 3.5" screen and then get the necessary RCA adapter leads to connect this to the camera as the screen is only around £15. My concern for ths is power.No images actually show the power adapter, they just say 12v dc mains power so I'm unsure what I'd be dealing with from that perspective. There is just a black cable that looks like a power cord with two bits of wire on the other end. I'd have thought that even with cables as additional purchases, this option would save me half the money? Then again it could bite me and not work at all.
 
You do know that the LCD screen on the 720 rotates to face forward? With a good pair of specs...............:( Or binoculars?;)
 
oooopps I think that is what is known as a school boy error. I'm slightly ashamed to say that I wasn't aware of this which is a bit embarassing to admit. Having just turned it on and flipped the screen around I see what you mean. Maybe I had tried to move it downwards instead of upwards to rotate the screen.

Perhaps my dilemma has now been resolved.....or maybe I'll need to try it first and see how it goes before looking into a display monitor in which case the above power conundrum still applies......or the more robust higher price dvd player.
 
Indeed so, I know what you mean. I am tempted by the 3.5" screen and then get the necessary RCA adapter leads to connect this to the camera as the screen is only around £15. My concern for ths is power.No images actually show the power adapter, they just say 12v dc mains power so I'm unsure what I'd be dealing with from that perspective. There is just a black cable that looks like a power cord with two bits of wire on the other end. I'd have thought that even with cables as additional purchases, this option would save me half the money? Then again it could bite me and not work at all.

12V DC Mains power at a guess the unit comes with a mains to 12V converter most likely that plugs into a standard power socket like you have on a laptop. Any source of 12V DC will do providing it is capable of delivering the required current (It won't be very much perhaps around 1A - 12W).
 
12V DC Mains power at a guess the unit comes with a mains to 12V converter most likely that plugs into a standard power socket like you have on a laptop. Any source of 12V DC will do providing it is capable of delivering the required current (It won't be very much perhaps around 1A - 12W).
I think the unit referred to is the rear view monitor so 12v will come from the reversing lights circuit of the car. This is why I suggested a Maplin battery box with 8 cells. The monitor, as I understand it, is for setting up the camera. (hence the suggestion to rotate the LCD screen)
 
Yes the unit is intended to be used as a rear view parking aid / camera hence the uncertainty over exactly where it gets its power from. If it has a transformer to which I can plug a connector with UK 3 prong plug at the other end? I get the impression the 3.5" screen may require extra work power wise. All the pictures show it a black lead with a similar end to that of a laptop power connection but it doesn't fully show the other end of this. I can see two bare wires that look like they should connect to some circuit board.
 
I hadn't twigged it was a car accessory, it will as already said connect to the car 12V wiring. Something like this will power it but you will need a mains socket.

12VDC 3 Amp regulated desktop power supply

A small battery powered TV will be easier.
 
Again with a battery TV you are in the money £60-£100.
Michael: Get your soldering iron out, buy a 12v source, either mains or battery and connect the parking aid up!!
It does occur to me that this is all becoming very complicated. The camera is at the back of the classroom and will now have a long A/V lead (maybe longer than you can commercially buy!) to a modified TV system at the front - have I got the idea right? Whereas all you may need is another person standing at the front so you can align the camera and lock it off on the tripod. You will be using a fairly wide angle on the zoom.
If you wanted to concentrate on, say, board work, you would need a camera operator to re-align and zoom into the work.
A moments reflection might be to your advantage.
 

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