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Thread ID: 86085 2008-01-03 02:58:00 Digital Camera Recommendations SolMiester (139) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
626947 2008-01-06 07:30:00 I have a 42" Panasonic plasma and I have the Sky decoder with the component out (the small silver box which changes channels nice and quick).

I have everything going into my home theatre receiver which upscales and connects to my plasma and my projector via HDMI.

Works well (apart from all the remotes!)
Tukapa (62)
626948 2008-01-06 19:22:00 So then Tukapa, we are set for HD TV when Sky gets itself sorted.....I have the older sky box, wonder if that matters? SolMiester (139)
626949 2008-01-06 19:29:00 So then Tukapa, we are set for HD TV when Sky gets itself sorted.....I have the older sky box, wonder if that matters?

Freeview will also be going HD when terrestrial gets released this year
plod (107)
626950 2008-01-07 07:41:00 So then Tukapa, we are set for HD TV when Sky gets itself sorted

Supposedly...but those nice shiny new 1080 TVs sure do look nice.

I am the perfect consumer. :(
Tukapa (62)
626951 2008-01-11 00:57:00 This topic seems to have gone astray but it's worth pointing out a couple of other things:

- there's nothing wrong with DVD cameras for the vast majority of customers. They are extremely convenient (as Greg mentioned transferring footage from other formats for playback on disc can be very slow and requires some knowledge). With DVD you can skip directly to any chapter, re-record on discs hundreds of times without quality loss, change recording quality modes to extend recording times... the vast majority of video camera purchases are for customer who just want to record and playback memories - not fuss around with ingesting footage into computers, editing and converting it, burning it to DVD...

- 3CCD makes sense only if the image sensors are large enough to not become noisy in low light. It's worth noting that Sony or Canon, the largest manufactures of 3CCD cameras for professionals (Sony = over 50% by themselves), do not make 'compact' 3CCD cameras. Compact 3CCD cameras are fine in bright daylight but indoors and in low light their tiny (typically 1/6") sensors cannot compete with a single 1/3" sensor.

- HDD and the newer memory stick/card cameras are great for long recording times and small size but are pitched at more tech-savy users as they REQUIRE a computer (or specialised DVD burner). Once you run out of space in the memory you can't just swap out the HDD - you either burn your footage to DVD or delete it. Well worth considering if you're not as comfortable working with video on a computer.

- High Definition is well worth the extra cost. It's available for tape-based cameras (HDV) but suffers the same problems tape cameras have (can't reuse the tapes without quality degradation, can't 'skip' to recordings made, real-time transfer to PC etc). It's also available (in AVCHD format) for HDD, memory card and DVD models - keeping in mind, not all PC software/hardware is capable of editing AVCHD footage.
Consider what the video is for - if it's for playback some time in the future you'll be disappointed if the quality doesn't compare to the clear HD video you'll get used to from Blu-ray, HD broadcasts etc over the next couple of years (it's will be like watching a VHS tape now when we're all used to watching digital TV and DVDs)

...By the way, Sky haven't confirmed their HD plans yet. Freeview will offer HD broadcasting (starting with selected TV3 programs) on their terrestrial service from around April.

Tim
joe_exception (2874)
626952 2008-01-11 01:40:00 ...By the way, Sky haven't confirmed their HD plans yet. Freeview will offer HD broadcasting (starting with selected TV3 programs) on their terrestrial service from around April.

Tim

Actually, in this months SkyWatch, they DO mention it...


"This coupled with Dolby Digital Sound enhances the HDTV viewing experience. From the middle of 2008 SKY will be offering a selection of HD channels for our subscribers including sports and movies."

But this is getting a bit OT.
stephen (9719)
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