Are mpeg4 camcorders more reliable?

George_Bray

In my experience, conventional tape-recorder based camcorders don't last very long, whether video8, VHS-C, DV or whatever. It always seems to be something like a jammed tape, broken motor or suchlike which finishes them off. Then the cost of repair is normally prohibitive.

Would the new-generation MPEG4 based camorders prove cheaper to run, and be more reliable, would you say, albeit with slightly lower video quality?

A typical example is the Sanyo Xacti VPC-C5 as seen for £335 at:
http://www.purelygadgets.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=969

Amazon.co.uk have the earlier Xacti C1 model at only £179.

New generation camcorders which record direct to a DVD or inbuilt hard drive, also strike me as having delicate mechanisms, so I would rule those out also, as too costly over far too short an expected time period, before they fail.

Regards
George

billy_the_kid_2

My original Sony Video 8 camcorder lasted 13 years without any hitches. I now have a sony DVD camcorder and am very pleased with it. From what I have read, the Xacti models are too much of a comprimse to give good video quality.

Poppycat

A friend if mine has the Xacti not sure which model it is but he got it from Amazon last Summer. Its fine quiet impressed but not as good as a DV camera but the video still are very impressive, I am sure it about 5mp camera.

The mpeg4 is some special format not the normal mpeg4 format we are used to XviD/DivX etc for pc's although it does play back and you can convert it.

I have no problems with tapes I still have a old video 8 camera that is 13 years old and last time I checked last year it was stilll working although I now use DV. I do get problems with the camera saying it needs cleaning yet I havent sued it a great deal as was told by a camera shop whilst on holiday that it doenst need cleaning that often, so I ended up buying another cleaning tape when I had a newish one at home but didnt take with me because I didnt expect to use it so soon.

I like the DV format because its easy to transfer to pc and vice versa. Although I dont think the quality is anywhere near as broadcasting as some claim. In fact it isnt much better than video 8 in my view but it loses quality when being transferred.