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09-03-2006, 10:54 AM
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#1 |
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Snowflake
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Dystopia
Posts: 13,136
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Cheap Digital Camcorder
I got a Pure Digital Point & Shoot Video Camcorder as a gift at a baby shower. It's not a product aimed at techno-files (the literature all about how easy it is to use). It has 512mb of built-in flash memory (not expandable) and I don't have very high expectations of it. But, before I open it, I do want to know that it isn't shooting in some proprietary format, because it looks like they want me to take it to "an authorized dealer" and pay $13 to have a DVD made. So what format does it record in? Well...
This review says "The video is recorded using a special version of the DivX compression format at 640x480 resolution, and the audio is mono." This review says "It uses MPEG-4 encoding to ensure small file sizes" but then says "the Point & Shoot Digital stored the video clips as AVI files" ??? Not getting a very straight answer here. The manufacturer includes zero technical info on their site. Their business model seems aimed at having people drop these things off at the developer for $13 a pop. If all else fails, I guess I can run the video through a media PC and re-capture it. I hope I don't have to do that . . . but, after all, this thing was free. Anybody have any idea how these cheapie video recorders are configured?
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****************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio |
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09-03-2006, 11:09 AM
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#2 |
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The future is unwritten
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 71,105
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Isn't AVI an msWindows and MPEG-4 an Apple thing?
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The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump. |
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09-03-2006, 11:13 AM
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King Of Wishful Thinking
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Philadelphia Suburbs
Posts: 6,669
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You can find anything on the Internet. Here is the PCmag full review.
Quote:
The best I think of is that MPEG-4 is a compression and AVI is a format. I still have a hard time playing mix and match with all of the elements in video.
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Exercise your rights and remember your obligations - VOTE!I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. -- Barack Hussein Obama Last edited by richlevy; 09-03-2006 at 11:16 AM. |
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09-03-2006, 12:03 PM
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#4 |
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Snowflake
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Dystopia
Posts: 13,136
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Product Q & A had the answers I was looking for (more or less).
It's funny, richlevy, I also noticed that this thing isn't as good at being a video camera as my Canon PowerShot camera is. For this reason, as well: this thing can't edit it's own videos. You can't even fast forward or rewind while viewing. Pretty stripped down. But, it is small. And free.
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****************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio |
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09-03-2006, 01:56 PM
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in the Hour of Scampering
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Jeffersonville PA (15 mi NW of Philadelphia)
Posts: 4,060
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Quote:
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"Neither can his Mind be thought to be in Tune,whose words do jarre; nor his reason In frame, whose sentence is preposterous..." |
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09-03-2006, 02:01 PM
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in the Hour of Scampering
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Jeffersonville PA (15 mi NW of Philadelphia)
Posts: 4,060
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Quote:
This post has an image of the little still/video camera I carry. Not fancy, and not killer quality, but very inexpensive and it got me though my UK trip. Most of the stuff on my Flickr were made with it.
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"Neither can his Mind be thought to be in Tune,whose words do jarre; nor his reason In frame, whose sentence is preposterous..." |
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09-04-2006, 09:03 AM
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#7 | |
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King Of Wishful Thinking
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Philadelphia Suburbs
Posts: 6,669
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Well, here is a noname brand on Overstock. What I can't figure out is what 12MP interpolated means in terms of quality since the camera is listed as a 3 MP recorder.
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__________________
Exercise your rights and remember your obligations - VOTE!I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting. -- Barack Hussein Obama |
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09-04-2006, 10:25 AM
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#8 |
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Snowflake
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Dystopia
Posts: 13,136
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I love the flip-out LCD on my PowerShot! Dude, you lost yours?
__________________
****************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio |
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09-05-2006, 08:15 AM
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#9 |
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Snowflake
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Dystopia
Posts: 13,136
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Update: I decide to open this thing and start playing with it. After I try connecting it to the TV with the provided cable (which works) when I disconnect it the little screen goes white, and I have to power cycle. Okay, that was strange. Next day, I decide to video our neighborhood while I'm driving to the store. Driving along...hmmm what's this...the counter is still at 0:00... Did I not hit the button? No, hitting the button doesn't do anything. Hitting any of the buttons doesn't do anything - I can't even turn it off, it's completely frozen!
I'm thinking...defect in workmanship? They can't all be this crappy...can they?
__________________
****************** There's a level of facility that everyone needs to accomplish, and from there it's a matter of deciding for yourself how important ultra-facility is to your expression. ... I found, like Joseph Campbell said, if you just follow whatever gives you a little joy or excitement or awe, then you're on the right track. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry Bozzio |
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