| There are way too many tape, disk and stick formats | | | | camcordersMiniDVD - a DVD disk in a cartridge used |
| out there:VHS - The old standard, too big, not digital, | | | | in some Hitachi camcorders.MPEG video in still digital |
| easily played anywhere without conversion.VHS-C - A | | | | cameras - some still camera manufacturers feel that |
| small cassette that fits in an adapter to play in a | | | | you want to also record video with their units. Usually |
| regular VCR. Most people who have these older units | | | | you can collect snippets of less than a minute. The |
| record at the slow EP or SLP speed which gives | | | | results are interesting to post on a web site, but that's |
| them borderline crummy results. Not my favorite, as | | | | about it. This video is usually captured on whatever |
| you may guess, but these camcorders are cheap, | | | | memory sticks or diskettes the camera uses -- |
| cheap, cheap. In the right hands, I've seen dazzling | | | | another whole subject beyond the range of this |
| results.S-VHS and S-VHS-C - Called "super" VHS, this | | | | discussion.DVD - A major playback format but not yet |
| format puts more details on a VHS-like tape than | | | | widely available in camcorders.I didn't go into all the |
| regular VHS camcorders do, but unless you have a | | | | older formats and broadcast formats that are still |
| VCR that plays it back, the picture looks all torn and | | | | lurking around: 3/4", BetaMax, BetaSP, and 1" to name |
| raggedy. A good non-digital format for pros but on its | | | | just a few. On top of that, if you are sort of an |
| way out.8mm, Hi8 and Digital8 - A popular family of | | | | international soul, you've run into the fact that other |
| camcorder tapes primarily engineered by Sony, the | | | | parts of the world have different TV standards. Ours |
| small cassette looks sort of like VHS-C but there is no | | | | is called NTSC, much of Europe is PAL, France is |
| adapter to play it in a VHS VCR. It started with 8mm, | | | | SECAM and there are subsets of these. If you are a |
| got improved by Hi8 (which used to be expensive), | | | | student of world history shortly after World War II, you |
| and went digital with Digital8. Hi8 camcorders are now | | | | can fan out these three major formats to the rest of |
| on sale very cheaply-- they are a good choice for the | | | | the world by who was in charge of or aligned politically |
| budget-minded. The D8 (Digital8) format ain't bad -- it | | | | with whom. The tapes and disks are the same |
| costs less lower than some of the other digital | | | | mechanically, but what's recorded on them is different. |
| formats, it's a little larger (therefore more robust?), and | | | | It takes special equipment to translate from one |
| D8 equipment is compatible with computer editing | | | | format to another.A big part of our business is |
| systems through it's Firewire plugs just like pro | | | | dedicated to just transferring all these old and new |
| gear.MiniDV - A small tape format that at one time or | | | | formats to the more popular playback formats: VHS |
| another all the major manufacturers agreed upon (but | | | | and DVD. The digital formats are here to stay and |
| some have broken ranks as you step up into pro gear | | | | pretty-much obsolete the older formats. As this is |
| or move to still smaller tape or non-tape formats). At | | | | written, high definition camcorder equipment is not yet |
| the time this is written, I'd say this is the best | | | | available for consumers -- this equipment will probably |
| all-purpose format around. It's used in mid-range | | | | be very expensive when it first shows up. Get a good |
| consumer cameras up to some fine pro-gear used by | | | | camcorder today while everyone is still healthy and |
| the broadcast industry, worldwide. You can generally | | | | around, and the kids haven't grown too big, and don't |
| record one hour or so on a tape at normal speed and | | | | second guess yourself about what might or might not |
| can get 50% more time at slow speed, but watch out: | | | | be coming down the road.Video Kitchen can edit, |
| tapes recorded at the slow LP speed may not play | | | | duplicate or convert your video to and from almost |
| back anywhere but in the camcorder that made them | | | | any format. Our most popular services are transferring |
| -- great 10 years from now when the camcorder has | | | | photos to DVD building stunning photo montages and |
| gone to camcorder heaven and you want to dig out | | | | copying VHS and camcorder tapes to DVD to |
| those old shots only to discover they play like your | | | | preserve and share those special moments.We also |
| VCR has a bad case of the hiccups.DVCAM and | | | | shoot, edit and do mass duplication of VHS, DVD and |
| DVCpro - Industrial step-ups of the MiniDV format and | | | | CD for businesses and organizations. You can come in |
| standard. Electronically these digital formats are the | | | | and work in an edit suite with one of our editors |
| same as MiniDV, but the tapes are bigger and there | | | | producing a "broadcast-ready" program or edit |
| are other differences that Sony and Panasonic love to | | | | together a family video on a self-service basis.Our |
| argue about. We mix and match a lot of MiniDV and | | | | wide-ranging transfer services include converting old |
| DVCAM at our (primarily Sony) shop, using DVCAM in | | | | Super 8, 8mm and 16mm home movie film to video, |
| our more expensive camcorders where we need to | | | | converting video footage for PowerPoint presentations |
| shoot for two or three hours without stop. Panasonic's | | | | and encoding clips to be shown on the Internet, to |
| DVCpro is similar and has been bought into by a | | | | name a few.We have a location in Louisville |
| number of broadcasters, but it is less compatible when | | | | Kentucky's Highlands at 2323 Bardstown Road, |
| mixing and matching with MiniDV (in my opinion).Then | | | | Louisville, KY 40205 and one in Jeffersontown in the |
| there are some emerging formats that I've seen for | | | | East End at 1917 Blankenbaker Parkway, Louisville KY |
| sale or read about, but haven't bought into yet:MicroDV | | | | 40299. Please browse through our pages at and feel |
| - a very small tape in very small Sony | | | | free to call six days a week. |