Are DVD camcorders any good yet??

nickers

Need a new camcorder and would love to get a new DVD one to get away from mini dv tapes, but is it too early yet? Can they hold an hours worth of film? Any other disadvantages?
Would appreciate any help. These chat boards are brilliant.

billy_the_kid_2

I bought a sony DVD cam a few months ago and am very impressed with it. Whilst the quality of mini dv is supposed to be slightly better, I am using the second highest setting and am getting very good results with it. I can currently get 30 minutes recording onto a disk. I then burn these to a high quality DVD brand for archiving. Or you could get cheap discs from SVP.

The best feature of DVD cams is being able to quickly replay any footage from anywhere on the disc, and you have many less moving parts than mini dv, less to go wrong.

bunking_off

Do you think these will be around for long?

I notice that JVC now make camcorders which have a hard drive in them - good for recording 37hrs of video. With no need to accommodate a DVD they look a lot more compact than the DVD ones - I just wonder with that in mind, when more manufacturers start making them will anyone want a DVD-based one?