Digital Camcorder and DVD help needed

[geffric]

Situation: We need a new camcorder. The old one is broken and unrepairable. AND I really want to take a camcorder on my DCL cruise. The old one was a VHS-c. and I want to convert all of my old VHS-C tapes to DVD and have the new camcorder tapes in DVD format too. I do not have a DVD burner.

I have been looking at the Sony Camcorder that records on the DVD but DH decided that maybe we didn't need to spend $900. So we started looking at other digital camcorders. However, I want to burn the tapes on a DVD to keep them. WE have tons of VHS-C tapes from years of vacations/events/stuff and IMHO in the not to distant futue we won't even know how to use them since VCR will be extinct..

While we were at Best Buy looking at Camcorders - DH disappeared and when he returned he said " I found the solution"..Ok.. we went over to the computers and he is lusting after a SONY Viao computer .. you can hook the VCR to it and record DVD's, as well as hook the digital camera into it to burn DVDs directly too.

Great idea.. BUT.. We don't need another computer - there are 4 of us and 4 decent / relatively current computers,, and somehow I don't think that this is a low cost solution either. Computer $ 1400 + camcorder $500.

Is there another way to solve this/DVD camcorder question??

 

[ohanafamily]

geffric, I thought you were going to PM me...


1) you can buy a DVD writer for +/-$250 + installation for your main computer (depending on how old it is).

2) The technology for the DVD writing camcorders is not yet at the level I would buy at yet...the DVDs only last 30min in the better modes, and they are "Small Sized", so you might want to copy them over to regular sized ones. Also, the battery life is kind of short. There was a Panasonic one at Circuit City that was OK, but the Sony is better (I am a Sony Snob). The discs are also expensive...
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=cat12085&type=page&_requestid=13575

3) As far as the DVD+R,DVD-R goes...Only 1 personwas able to give me a good answer when I asked this question at several electronics store. The general answer was "Try it and see". The manager at an Office Depot told me On all of the boxes we carry, on the DVD-R there is rthe 'Disc DVD Icon', it is not on the DVD+R boxes.
4) Moving all of your tapes to DVD...Time consuming, and the VHS-C is going to require a video capture card that the laptop may not have.
5) If you have the adapter that lets you play a VHS-C tape in a regular VHS player, I would recommend at least looking at the DVD-R writers stand alone units, some are quite nice. Some will even copy a Video Tape. Some have DVR's in them. Best Buy had a few to choose from. (See Item#3, also, DVD RAM will not play in a standard DVD player.)
http://www.circuitcity.com/verity_s...uctType=1&search=DVD CAMCORDERS&begin=20&qp=0