What's the deal with tapes on a digital camcorder???

O

onlyonesandman

Guest
Hi all,

I wondered: Why are TAPES being used in digital camcorders??? Digital video information cannot be recorded on a tape!!! Or can it.

Another question. In which format are digital camcorders recording. Is it a mpeg video clip or some other format or are these formats being made when downloaded to a computer and can every digital camera be connected to a PC.

Phew, I dont snow anything about digital camcorders yet ( sorry ).
Please help me of my newbie status :)

Tnx in advance.

Sandman.
 
onlyonesandman,
I can assure you that we can record digital information to tape. Why do we do that? I think it's because it's portable and still convenient. We've had digital audio on tape for years (DAT). Tape is just a different 'surface' to record on. My old ZX81 used to record to tape - but that must be OT!

These guys explain the DV format better than I will!

It sounds like DV is it's own format!

There are several ways to connect a DV camcorder to a PC. The best way is firewire (also known as OHCI, or IEEE-1394 ! ). This IS the best way to move your DV video between PC and camera. You get exactly the same 'data' copied between the two.

This is becoming a bit of an essay!

You can also connect via USB, serial ports or via a transcoder.
 
@kevenh, you said that you can also connect via USB. Can you send over your ENTIRE movie or just photos?

And which software is needed when connecting with say USB. And is quality less with USB than firewire? :eek:

Hm, more questions.... :confused:
 
I'm a little new to this DV editing lark myself!
But I think the speed of the transfer would drop right down if you used anything other than a firewire port.
But, yes, you could use USB to transfer video, and pics.
USB support would be built in to your PC (if it was made in the last 3 or 4 years!!).
 
From what I have gathered in the last few days!! hee hee!!

The format which is used is MPEG for video transfer and JPEG for pictures! I hope I'm not giving you false information though!
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom