For years DV format and its corresponding camcorders ruled the market. However, in the recent years, there has been new development in audiovisual technology and today we find the popularity of another format growing by the day. This is the DVD format.
The DVD format has many advantages over the other formats. In terms of cost we find that because of its popularity, the DVD format ends up being extremely cost effective. Not only is the storage media extremely inexpensive and widely available, it is also very easy to transfer or store files in this format since the storage as well as the recording is totally digital. Then comes the ease of conversion. With the proliferation of computers, this becomes extremely easy too. All that one needs is a computer and the right software to edit, convert, copy or store a DVD media.
The format and the sector are growing rapidly and almost all players, beginning with Sony, Hitachi and Panasonic, have entered the market; each is rolling out more than one Mini DVD camcorder.
The most important difference between a Mini DVD format and a regular digital video is that Mini DVDs record video and image into a mini DVD disc, whereas others record into a DV Tape. There are a lot of inherent advantages to this. The first is that DVD discs are smaller and hence easier to store. They are also cheaper, more widely available and are a more robust medium for storing video. Besides there is no fear of the tape being eaten up like in a DV tape format.
Another advantage of a Mini DVD format is that the recorded disc is not sequential, unlike a DV tape. You can randomly access anything from any part of the DVD disc. Thus there is no question of wasting power and time on rewind and fast-forward. The clip one wants can directly be selected from the menu. Like the DV tape format, there are Mini DVD cameras evolving, which allow one to perform basic editing functions on the camera itself. Also one can just take a recently recorded Mini DVD and play it on almost any DVD player.
There is, however, one major disadvantage with the Mini DVD format. The video here is encoded in MPEG-2 formats. This means that one needs specialized software that can edit MPEG-2 format.
However, if there is no great need for editing, a Mini DVD would be the ideal format. It is believed be the format of the future.
