Camcorderinfo reports that the first first HD-DVD standalone burner is available for $3600 !. Although that price seems outrageous try to remember back to the old days of computers and remember what the price was for a IBM XT.
I personally will sit on the sidelines for a while and watch developments in the HD-DVD world. Heck, I still have a 36″ CRT television.
Over at Videohelp is a thread that duscusses two recorders that I am interested in. The JVC DR-M100S versus Toshiba DR-4.
In past threads it seemes like the Toshiba had a better TBC like feature.
JVC has an FR (flex mode) recording mode. So in addition to 4 preset “modes” you can set the machine to record in 5-minute increments. It also does not have IRE settings since they are preset for the country the unit is sold in.
According to this thread JVC incorporates block suppresion tech, which is why those encodes have low or no image noise. It also has chroma noise filters, unique to the LSI chipset, which removes that hazy blue/red muck for VHS tapes.
As mentioned here I was preparing to burn a set of 60 dual layer discs. My old Samsung burner that cam with my HP computer could only burn dual layer media at 2.4X.
I was SHOCKED at how low prices were for state of the art DVD burners like the Pioneer 111D and NEC 3550. Current prices are between $35 & $40 dollars.
I initially ordered the Pioneer DVR-111D DVD burner from NewEgg. When I hooked it up it was not working. I panicked and then ordered the NEC ND-3550A burner.
Prior to the arrival of the NEC I had discovered that the jumper on the Panasonic was set to Master. I set the jumper to cable selct like my DVD ROM and the drive has performed beautifully.
I am going to keep the NEC ND-3550A burner and install it in another computer.
If you’re in the market for a DVD burner you can’t go wrong with either the Pioneer DVR-111D or NEC 3550 series burners !
I am burning my first dual layer media as I speak. I had taped a 2:15 performance and the encoding bit rate would have had to be set at 4200 or so. Personally I don’y like to go much below 5500Mbs.
According to Videohelp.com and CDFreaks Verbatim is about the only reliable dual layer media.
I bought the White Inkjet Dual Layer and I am happy to report it is burning quite nicely at 4x. I tried a few burns at 6X and ended up with some $3 coasters. 4x burns seem like they’re much better.
There have been a few sites that have posted reviews on the new line of Panasonic video cameras. Namely the GS-500 and GS-250.
Camcorderinfo.com and Panasonic 3CCD User have been a little harsh in their reviews. Last years models, the Panasonic GS-400 & the GS-250 were the sweethearts of these two sites.
So what went wrong ?
Personally I think Panasonic made a mistake by assigning the model number the way they did. It is intuitive to think that the GS500 is an upgraded model from the GS400. The same holds true for the last years GS-250 and this years GS-300.
If you compare the feature set of the last years GS-250 and this years GS-500 you will see a much better alignment of features. It is unfair to compare last years GS400 with this years Panasonic GS500.
All of the “manual” features that these sites lament for are great for amateur filmmakers and enthusiasts. But what about the regular Joe that wants to shoot vidoes at recitals and sporting events ?
The fact is I do not think you can find a better camera than this years GS300 and GS500. They shoot perfectly fine in automatic mode. I own a GS250 and I almost always leave it in Auto for all types of conditions. If you’re shooting a play or recital there is no way you will have time to react to adjust white balance, focus, iris etc on the fly. That is why they call it automatic. And believe me it does a great job.
I have to admit I was a little dis a pointed at the loss of the headphone jack from the GS-250 to the GS500. That is one feature I do like to use when I use my external Rhode VideoMic.
There will always be members of the “cork sniffers society” that will turn there noses up at these new models. But for the rest of use they will perform just fine.