Digital Camcorder
 

It was a sincere question.

Digital Camcorder
 

epinions thinks there are 33, what am I missing? http://www.epinions.com/Camcorders--...format_mini_dv

Digital Camcorder
 

That's a listing of digital camcorders that record to MiniDV (tape). Your original post asked for a digital camcorder that records to MiniDVD (disc). If you don't know your own question, how are we supposed to help? And curiously, this camcorder post of yours comes on the heels of a "vigorous fellatio" post of yours on the FB. Coincidence?

Digital Camcorder
 

You're supposed to just buy me something and send it to me. I don't know a damn thing about these devices and didn't want to have to do any work. It appears that I have to work now. If I buy one of the tape things, can I export video to my harddrive and upload it to the web or send it via email?

I'm a hopeless gadget geek, but have never explored video camera stuff until your wife explained how much money Wonk was proposing to pay her for fetish video. Coincidence?

Digital Camcorder
 

What is "miniDVD"? There are MiniDV camcorders and DVD camcorders. Personally, I wouldn't bother with the latter. I'd stick with tape, and then use iMovie or some PC-based program (which won't be as good for the price) to edit the tape into a watchable DVD. Merely editing out the crap from a tape makes what you see 500% more watchable. Once you add fades, captions, and music, no one will groan when you pull it out.

As for price, dunno. But I think there are some basic Sonys that aren't much more than $500.

Nokia's new phone
 

Rule of thumb: people who use the word "reticent" don't have clue fucking 1 about what the average person might do

Digital Camcorder
 

Yes. Make sure your computer and the camera have Firewire/i.Link/IEEE1394 port/jack. One easily can then import the tape material to the computer, edit (with proper software), and send or post to web. Keep in mind that emailing video is a bandwidth hog. Full-quality video is about 12GB/hour, so one GB=5mins, which means that even a 30 second clip, at full quality, is ~80MB. So that means you'llhave to reduce the quality to a postage stamp, and keep it short. Even then, you're looking at 1-2MB emails, which won't please lingering dial-up users.

If you can, I'd post to a website and get people to download/stream to their computer.

Or just burn a bunch of short DVDs adn send them.

Digital Camcorder
 

I have a Canon Elura (or something like that) that records to MiniDV tape. The video can be imported into my PowerBook through FireWire. In the entire time I've owned the camera (basically a year) I've used it exactly four times, and I used iMovie and iDVD to burn a disc exactly once. While I can't complain about any kind of difficulty with the process, actually editing a videotape into the "500% better" condition mentioned by Burger is extremely time-intensive. Five years ago you couldn't do it without professional equipment, period. Now, consumers are learning why A/V geeks are always up in the middle of the night drinking Red Bull --- doing this shit well isn't hard, but it's extremely time-intensive compared to digital photography. Be warned.

Nokia's new phone
 

That is, I think, a misconception. I am very knowledgable about the amusements of hoi polloi; I choose to disdain them after due consideration.

Digital Camcorder
 

No argument there--15 minutes of final production took many hours.

That said, having learned iMovie, I could probably do a rough cut in about 3x the length of the finished product. No fades, titles, etc., but cutting out crap like a camera aimed at the floor while remembering to remove the lens cap.

Making a legit movie takes a lot of time. One actually has to do things like think of a theme that will keep people watching.

Digital Camcorder
 

Agreed it's a bit of a pain. It's comparable to the amount of effort that used to be involved in editing down a videotape, only with a much nicer result. If you never edited when going from camcorder to VHS in the old world, you're not likely to do much digital editing either.

OTOH, if all you are doing is going straight from camcorder to DVD, but you usually make multiple copies of your videos, you're going to spend just as much time copying the DVD as you would loading the MiniDV video onto your computer and burning multiple DVDs. In which case the MiniDV is preferable because you get a higher-quality recording from a lower-priced camcorder.

On topic of DVD authoring, what software do people like for PC these days? I'm ready to shell out a few bucks for a decent program to upgrade the junk that came with my burner.

Digital Camcorder
 

DVD camcorders don't generally record to a full size DVD, but instead a smaller sized DVD, informally called miniDVDs. I have both MiniDV and miniDVD. Atticus is right, downloading from tape is really time consuming. 1 Hour of tape? Almost 1 hour to download, as it transfers at real time. Yeah, you could just dl the parts you want, but why wouldn't you want to dump all of it and edit it on your computer. Why limit the content you can use?

DVD is not as good quality, but if you're not Fellini and are just doing family videos, who cares. Master the dvd in the camera, stick it in your computer. Bam. It's on the hard drive, ready for editing.

Digital Camcorder
 

Wasn't aware of the miniDVD.

But don't much care about the transfer speed, since it's something I can do while doing other things. "Set it and forget it!"

Also, using a DVD cam doesn't work with iMovie (unless they've changed) because of the way DVDs are encoded (it's the end encoding).

That said, if you're never going to bother editing, then a DVD cam probably is a good choice. If you are, I would stick with miniDV, which is basically the industry standard.

ETA: Google provides this stream of thoughts: engadget

Digital Camcorder
 

Do what I do: bring the powerbook to work and spend your day editing it instead of posting on these stupid boards.

New XBox
 

Mr. Gates hears. And he obeys.

LOS ANGELES - Microsoft on Monday unveiled the high-profile games it planned for the launch of its new Xbox 360 console and revealed it would not abandon its existing Xbox platform for the foreseeable future.

There had been widespread speculation that Microsoft would make a clean break with its first attempt at a games console by winding down production of the original Xbox and making the new one incompatible with older games.

Microsoft, which hopes to overtake Sony as the number one console maker in the next generation of machines, made itself popular with current players of its Xbox titles when it announced that the 360 would be compatible with older version games, as well as the high-definition ones being produced especially for the 360.

New Game Boy
 

Looks a little hard to play.

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Co...2p.hmedium.jpg

A guy had a Sony PSP on the Bart last night and since I was standing, I got to watch him play NBA Basketball. His arena was GSW Coliseum (dumb shit) and he was playing the Phoenix Suns. Steve Nash scored most points and his picture looks nothing like him. Otherwise, the graphic were awesome!! They even had rotating advertisements on the scorers table at courtside.

New Comcast DVR
 

My old DVR box crapped out and Comcast was kind enough to replace it. The new box is by Motorola (same as the older one) but has updated software, much more like TiVo's. For example, I can set a season pass, which I could not on the older version. Best new feature: dual tuners, which allow you to watch one thing and record another, or record two shows simultaneously. Very cool...

Insert HD OTA Signal at Satellite
 

Is there an easy way to incorporate an external HDTV antenna signal into the satellite lines coming down from the satellite? I am going to be fucking around with it this weekend to add additional lines for an additional HD DVR, and I would like to avoid having to deal with DVR-side OTA antennas for the HD signals not transmitted over DirecTV.

Are their multi-switches that do this?

Insert HD OTA Signal at Satellite
 

Tell DirecTV that you can't get OTA local channels. They can't/won't check you. And pay the $5. Otherwise, there's a multiplexer you can buy through Direct or your local electronics store to do the switching - but you'll still have to run the feed.

Insert HD OTA Signal at Satellite
 

We've been around this mulberry bush before. HD feeds of LA and NY are not the same as HD locals. In other words, there are HD channels that DTV doesn't carry on the satellite. Maybe this will change when DTV had 10 birds in the sky all pumping out MPEG-4 AVC spot beams all over America,* but until that day comes, there will be local HD channels you can only get with an antenna.

*You know, the MPEG-4 spot beams that will make your $1K HD Tivo obsolete. And mine.

Insert HD OTA Signal at Satellite
 

FYI, (and this is why I'm getting off my ass to add a second one and want to deal with this) they're down to $699 standard street price, and available for around $620 on eBay.

Verizon FiOS
 

Anyone using this yet? My block is still not FiOS eligible, but I know that it is being deployed as fast as they can string the fiber.

Insert HD OTA Signal at Satellite
 

Dude, what is the difference if you watch 2 and 1/2 Men on an LA feed or on the SF feed? It's the same damn program on at the same damn time. News? Who cares - watch that in non-HD

Insert HD OTA Signal at Satellite
 

Well, I fucking care, because I want to get local news and sports and stuff like that.

Insert HD OTA Signal at Satellite
 

You get that. Just not in HD. You care if Suzy the weather girl is in HD?

Insert HD OTA Signal at Satellite
 

I want it to be as seamless as it is right now, just without an antenna. What I want to know is whether there is a way to have the HD signal from OTA in the feed to the tuner. I want it to record all local channels in HD. Fuck this SD shit for anything.

Insert HD OTA Signal at Satellite
 

I don't think you're going to be able to do what you want to do. The current TivoHD boxes only allow for a line input. There would be no way to program the Tivo to record unless you're sitting there watching then show and then, what's the purpose? The only way you can program it now off the guide and your guide is not going to have your OTA local channels.
Just deal with Suzy the weather girl in non-HD.

Insert HD OTA Signal at Satellite
 

This is my weather girl. Yes, I prefer her to be in HD.

http://www.imakenews.com/usatma/usatma_e_a000092701.JPG

Verizon FiOS
 

Not available in my area yet, but I enjoyed these two entries in Gizmodo today:

• Lies I Have Told Verizon DSL Support Today
  filed under Gadgets
  
  • “I am an IEEE-certified electrical engineer.”
  • “I would be happy to wait.”
  • “I have completed all your tests as you requested, including rewiring my house.”
  • “My secondary phase-coupling array shows a positive electricon flow across my end-to-end wiring.”
  • “Have a nice day.”
  • “I am sorry I used the term ‘totally assed in my face.’”
  
  Lies Verizon DSL Support Has Told Me Today
  filed under Gadgets
  
  • “Phone lines over 14 feet will, over time, fry your modem.”
  • “Your phone lines are like a car. Every once in a while, they need service.”
  • “We cannot send a service technician to your house.”
  • “I’d be happy to help you today.”
  • “It is impossible to speak to my supervisor. My supervisor is Verizon.”
  • “This is the ‘North American’ office.”
  • “There is not electricity going down your phone line, sir. It’s data. Electricity has nothing to do with it.”

Verizon FiOS
 

I hate Verizon. They suck ass. Still, the power of FiOS might be enough to bring me over to the dark (light?) side.

VoiP help
 

Can any of you gadgety people help me out?

I recently switched from my local landline phone company to Vonage. Setting up the phone and router, going through the process has all been pretty easy. And I'm saving a bundle.

Last night, at about 1 am, my alarm system starts to beep. The key pad says "Comm failure" and it occurs to me that the alarm system probably "talks" to the telephone lines. Which are now dormant. And then I realised, my TiVo is going to want to make a phone call on Saturday, and there's no dial tone in the wall there either.

Any suggestions as to how to get the Vonage service to travel through my existing phone jacks? Is there some simple piece of hardware I can buy to accomplish this?

Thanks in advance. Fell free to PM me if I haven't provided essential information.

VoiP help
 

It shouldn't be a problem:

http://www.vonage.com/help_knowledge...hp?article=649

(I thought Vonage presumed this is how it's done--you plug your entire internal phone system into the Vonage jack, which then goes into the broadband.)

BTW, on Tivo, you should get a network adapter, wireless if necessary, and have it get on your network as well. The info updates are faster and you can program tivo from work (or elsewhere, even the vomitorium, if you have internet access there).

Verizon Cellular Service in NY
 

While we are close to the topic, has anyone noticed a decline in Verizon's cell service?


Specifically:

*every other call is dropped;
*phone book never works;
*battery dies quickly when phone is roaming;
*signal strength rarely strong.

VoiP help
 

But see http://www.vonage.com/help_knowledge...hp?article=820

VoiP help
 

You must be their lawyer.

Do they also recommend keeping a landline because in a power outage you won't be able to dial 911 either?

The obvious solution, of course, is to plug the router and cable modem into a battery backup system. Should keep it running longer than the alarm's battery backup, if properly configured.

And it's possible that your ISP sucks less than the phone company, but who knows?

Buy a TV
 

SEOUL - Though prices for smaller flat-screen displays could rise this year, big-screen TV prices are set for a prolonged slide as a battle rages between liquid crystal and plasma display standards.

Consumer tech giants such as Sony and LG Electronics are sacrificing profit for market share, analysts say. "Above all, price will be the most important factor when it comes to who will win the battle between plasma and LCD for big flat-screen TVs," said UFJ Tsubasa Securities analyst Kazuya Yamamoto.

Over the past year, prices of both have fallen sharply. A 42-inch plasma TV set using high-definition technology, which is widely expected to emerge as a global broadcast standard, currently sells for around $4,000, while the same size LCD costs about $5,000, according to Samsung Electronics and LG. A less hi-tech 42 inch plasma set can be bought for $2,000.

"LCD makers will need to add new generation lines faster than originally planned to meet the aggressive plasma pricing," Lehman Brothers said.

Analysts say the price of a 32 inch LCD set should drop another 40 percent to around $1,430 to grab more customers.

LCDs last longer than plasma screens but are not as bright, while energy-hungry plasma screens have a wider viewing angle but can require noisy fans to keep them cool.

In the medium term, plasma appears to have the edge in prices for big-screen TVs but huge LCD investment plans could change the picture. "As LCD prices come down, they will manage to beat out plasma in the 40-inch area in 2007 and 2008. We will see a cut-throat price war between the two competing technologies next year.

DisplaySearch, a research group, says that by 2008, plasma will account for 73 percent of the global market for 40-inch or larger flat TVs.

LG Electronics, Samsung SDI, Panasonic products maker Matsushita Electric Industrial and Pioneer Corp. are betting on plasma technology. "We expect production costs to drop by some 20 percent with the introduction of a new technology called 'single scanning' that halves the number of driver chips required to display images on the screen," said G.W. Kim, a spokesman at LG Electronics.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7989623/page/2/

VoiP help
 

Truth is, in Florida, all the utilities are a crapshoot.

Since I rarely turn my alarm on, I'm not all that worried about this.

Buy a TV
 

The market's already lousy with $1k 27-32" HD LCDs. I don't see many, if any, plasmas at those prices. This article is a year behind; LCD won and will continue to win. Plasma is Bilmore's technology; whippersnappers use LCD.

VoiP help
 

For the record, and so that no one has to endure the hell I endured this weekend, you cannot use a network adapter with a Direct TV Tivo. Yes, there are USB ports back there. No, they do not work. Direct TV likes it that way.

The solution, which is less than ideal, is to use the Vonage router with a multi-handset cordless phone system and to get a cheap, local only land-line only for the Tivo and the alarm. And apparently I could do without Tivo making its call, since it downloads all of the program information from the satellite, but for the Sunday Ticket, it needs to make a phone call...

On an unrelated, but gadgety note, I bought myself a shiny pink Ipod today.

VoiP help
 

Ahh, too bad you didn't specify that it was directv. I thought, though, that they had some sort of card for people without phone lines. Maybe not for sunday ticket, though. (All I know is that a relation has DirectTV in some phone-less cabin in Maine, and it works).

As for the landline, the cheap local service surely is as good a deal as the phone company has. They plug the unlimited local service, and all the features, and soon you're bill is over $40 for phone service alone. Yet if you want the limited service, and no features, you can keep it under $10 (usually). Even if you do make calls for pizza, you'll never use up the monthly message units.

BTW, I would think you could wire up the way that Vonage suggests, and then have the local line act as line 2. (just splice the land line into the line 2 (black/yellow) at your service entry). Then, go to radio shack and buy one or two of the L1/L2/L1+L2 splitter-jacks, and plug the alarm and tivo into the L2 jack.

for clarity, $8.59 online at the 'Shack. Cheaper than a new cordless system.

http://www.radioshack.com/images/Pro...79/279-432.jpg