Is there anyone who knows something about digital camcorders out there?
I have been looking at this camcorder http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Aiptek-Media-Player-and-Video-Recorder-Camcorder-PDVR/sem/rpsm/oid/171735/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do#tabs as a birthday gift for someone I know. My question is, how do you connect it to a computer and will you be able to play it back on your computer? If you look under specificiations it says there is no USB and no iLink, but it also says there is a USB cable in the box. Also, will this format play on Windows Media Player, and will I be able to transfer it to Windows Movie Maker?
The Circuit City ad only says that it does not have a USB 2.0 port.
It still has a USB port, just not hi-speed. May not be an issue for the recipient.
If necessary, you can always record video to the SD card and then transfer to the computer through a high-speed card reader.
Most DV Camcorders offer a firewire output, connected to a firewire input on your computer (if it doesn’t have one, buy a PCI Card and install it yourself, or take it somewhere that does). They RARELY include a firewire cable in the box and you must buy it separately to be able to connect it to your computer.
Most camcorders that offer any sort of USB input only allow functionality (either by default or only) for interfacing with the photo taking abilities of the camcorder AND NOT the video taking capabilities. However, I have no doubt that this is dependant on the actual camcorder itself.
Regardless, if you want to be dumping video on your computer, you’ll need to research how the camcorder is able to do this, and whether your computer will interface with the camcorder.
Funny, after writing all of the above I actually checked the link, and… the camcorder doesn’t have a tape recording function. This unit records its video on SD memory cards. Since that is the case, it interfaces with the computer via its USB port, or you can take the SD card out and place it in your SD card slot on your computer (if you have one).
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You won’t be very satisfied with it.
There is a new canon TX1 that is $500 that is very similar ands WORLDS better.
Short of that you should stick with Mini DV for $270 and a firewire connection to your computer.
Most still cameras today let you record video in MOV or AVI format at either 640 or 320. The MOV 320 files play on most computers, but I’m not sure if U Tube will take them.
As for that Aiptek, transfer is by direct file exchange from the SD Card to your computer via a card slot on your computer or a card reader.
But it’s in raw MPEG4 format and I’m not sure if that is compatbiel with UTUBE and you would need to get conversion software to put int into the right format or to edit it in Windows Movie MAker.