Buying a DVD camcorder in the US

[Latte Lover]

We are thinking of buying a DVD camcorder on our next visit to Florida. Does anyone know of any pros or cons of buying one there?

 

[Cherb]

Personally I'd be a little cautious. There are a number of things to look out for when purchasing either a DVD camcorder or MiniDV camcorder in USA:

- America uses NTSC colour systems whereas UK uses PAL (have a look on your VCR at home and you should see a little PAL symbol near the VHS sign). Make sure that any camcorder you purchase can be set to record in PAL format for best compatibility when you get home. If your DVD player or TV can't cope with an NTSC signal, and not all can, then at best all you'll get is a bad black and white picture.
- America uses different voltages so the charger for the battery might not be suitable (it will also have a different plug). Best ask the guy in the store about this.
- Finally, you can only bring back £130 of goods before you should pay duty on them back in the UK. Just be careful as it could end up costing you more in the long run.

Try looking on UK websites for cheaper prices before you go (it'll also give you a chance to get used to it before being asked to film the family turning upside down on the rollercoasters!). Comet website is typically cheaper than their shops, and UK's amazon site is also cheap.

Good luck.

 

[Latte Lover]

Thanks Cherb
Maybe we'll buy it here after all.

 

[Netty]

try www.pricerunner.co.uk
www.kelkoo.co.uk
for the best prices to buy one from

 

[AndRu]

I'd do as much research as possible in the UK and decide which makes/models appeal to you - find the one you really want. Then search for the best price and list them before going to the USA. At least then when you're trawling around shops over there you'll have something to compare the prices against. As Cherb says, you can be stung by taxes on the way back into the UK but a mate of mine got around this by ...

• Buying a camera in the UK from Argos
• Taking it back for a refund
• Keeping the receipt

He then bought a similar camera in the USA and when asked at customs about it, he produced the Argos receipt to make it look as if he had bought it in the UK and not America Long winded and devious but it worked for him!

 

[rhysd2]

cant say i've researched the dvd recorders much but might want to check how they record bearing in mind we use region2(i think) dvd coding and americans use region 1.

best to check it can switch between formats. most modern ones can according to jessops

 

[tartangirl]

I was planning to get a camcorder in US in June but I there are a few great deals around at the moment so I just ordered on the internet.

Check out www.dealtime.co.uk as well as Kelkoo and pricerunner. I picked up a JVC GR-DX28 for under £250 and had it in 2 days.

 

[Goofyish]

cant say i've researched the dvd recorders much but might want to check how they record bearing in mind we use region2(i think) dvd coding and americans use region 1.

best to check it can switch between formats. most modern ones can according to jessops

Usually, home made DVDs are 'Region Free'. The region coding only applies to pre-recorded movies etc.

Another thing to check is the warranty details. Camcorders purchased in the US made not be covered in the UK.

 

[Cochise]

Usually, home made DVDs are 'Region Free'. The region coding only applies to pre-recorded movies etc.

Another thing to check is the warranty details. Camcorders purchased in the US made not be covered in the UK.

Yes they would be region free, it is simply the NTSC/PAL issue that you have to watch. Most major manufacturers have worldwide guarantees now.

 

[patdavies]

The NTSC/PAL diference is irrelevant.

All that is recorded onto a DVD is a digital data stream. PAL or NTSC is added by the player to suit the required output.

Otherwise, you would not be able to play US DVDs on UK players.

Region coding only exists on pre-recorded DVDs in an attempt to prevent cross-border sales and protect market shares - it has nothing to do with the NTSC/PAL argument.

Region code is 1 byte of data embedded in the DVD near the begining (the centre). This is read and compared with the region code byte programmed into the player. If the data matches, then the DVD will play; if not the player microcode will reject the DVD. Multiregion players work by setting all bits on (x'FF') so that any DVD embedded code will match. Enhanced Region Coding now exists to prevent this, but is overcome by making the player reference byte 'agile' and trying all combinations until it matches.

 

[Cherb]

Sorry Pat I disagree with your NTSC/PAL comment. The DVD is indeed recorded in a particular colour format.

The only reason you can play American DVD's in the UK is that the majority of players and modern TV's do support the NTSC colour system. Just be careful as older / cheaper ones do not.

Therefore if you give granny a copy of your florida trip in NTSC she might not see much

 

[Tron[ADS]]

Sorry Pat I disagree with your NTSC/PAL comment. The DVD is indeed recorded in a particular colour format.

And you'd be right to disagree. Pat I am afraid, is completely wrong.

The situation is much worse for our American friends when they want to watch a PAL dvd. Most US players do not include PAL decoding whatsoever, so despite getting past the region lockout, the disks still cannot be played. I recall my uncle having some problems with his US Samdung 709, which once region hacked, would still not play UK disks.

If you take a look in the dvdr forums, the americans get very upset when a PAL dvd is posted, in fact looking now, I can see someone has taken the time to convert "The Aviator" to NTSC.

With regards to DVD set-top recoders, they will simply record whats thrown at them, so a NTSC camcorder will be recorded in NTSC, and similarly PAL will record in PAL. The only restriction with most DVD recorders is that you cannot mix a PAL recording with an NTSC recording on the same disk.

A UK DVD player/recorder that has a quazi pal mode will allow an ntsc signal to be played on any UK tv, regardless of if it is ntsc compatible.

Personaly I prefer NTSC because it looks great in progressive scan.

 

[mrsminniemouse]

I am not very technical at all. But I know that my hubby is, and he bought a Sony DVD camcorder in Florida last May because it was very very cheap but it has been a nightmare! It takes ages to download the film to the PC, then the PC has to convert it then you record it...or something. We have now bought a new DVD player/recorder that supports NTSC but it has cost us a lot and the whole episode has wasted loads of time. Hubby has spent hours on the phone getting advice from Sony etc, but it has been a right pain.

I love to shop in the US but we have learnt that some products are not worth the saving. Just my opinion though...

Mandy

 

[Latte Lover]

Thanks everyone, you've given us plenty to think about.

 

[Tron[ADS]]

Something else to think about is the prices in the UK, which have fallen significantly in recent months. i think you would be hard pressed to make much of a saving in the USA to be honest, except perhaps on a very new model.
One other thing to note is that the time is not right to buy a dvd camcorder....sure the media is nice (make that extremely nice), but the quality and recording time is not. Image quality / bit rate is noticably below the standard of mini_dv, which is a bit of a step backward. Wait for the next generation if you want a dvd based camera.

 

[tony64]

what is the problem with downloading from DVD camcorders to PC ?????

 

[Tron[ADS]]

what is the problem with downloading from DVD camcorders to PC ?????

Not sure what you are asking here ?
Did anyone say there was a problem with that ?

 

[tony64]

just the it was really slow

How long are we looking at ???
i am thinking of byeing one and don't what to make an expensive mistake

 

[Cherb]

Assuming you're putting it onto your PC to edit it then it does the transfer in "real time". Therefore if you have a recording of 1 hour, the transfer will take an hour.

 

[Tron[ADS]]

Assuming you're putting it onto your PC to edit it then it does the transfer in "real time". Therefore if you have a recording of 1 hour, the transfer will take an hour.

Ive not had any personal experience of them, but could you not just pop the disk in the pc drive and copy the vob's straight onto the pc and then convert to uncompressed avi ?