HD Camcorder & SDHC, or something else?

Let's say you were bought an HD camcorder for Christmas. The purchaser didn't know what HD was, nor that you had no means of watching anything in HD.

You don't own an HDTV and there is no sign of this changing for a while yet and the PC in my..er..your system wont playback in HD either.

this camcorder takes SDHC cards up to 32GB and has a massive 6MB internal memory. The internal memory equates to 17 seconds of HD footage, so it's practically useless without an SDHC card and of course, it didn't come with one of those.

The largest, reputable branded SDHC card you can find is a SanDisk Extreme III 8GB SDHC Memory Card With MicroMate Reader at around £60. To fully benefit from the HD goodness, you're going to either need a new HDTV (~£500) or a new HD GPU (~£200 for the one I...er...you want).

I know it's next to useless asking a bunch of geeks what they'd do, but I'm stuck and need advice.

So, would you go for the above option, or would you go to your wife and ask her if she'd let you return the HD camcorder and get a miniDV camcorder instead?

:help:

I'd take this opportunity to go out and spend, spend spend :)

Why not use the camcorder to rcrd SH footage? meaning you can get about 4 hours or something on that 8GB card.

And if you are recording in SD, you don't need a super fast card, which means a basic Class 4 card will work just fine.

Weirdly, I couldn't find a great deal on 8GB SDHC cards, but a 8GB microSD card is only £34. Add a microSD to SD adapter for a couple of quid and you are all set.

Sandisk 8GB Micro SD (SDHC) memory card with Sandisk USB reader : SanDisk 8GB micro SD

There's this 8gb SDHC card for 30 notes +p+p

8GB SD (SDHC) SanDisk Memory card : SanDisk 8GB SD

Risk the wroth, send it back and get an HV20 instead. :D

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Originally Posted by Funkstar

Why not use the camcorder to rcrd SH footage? meaning you can get about 4 hours or something on that 8GB card.

And if you are recording in SD, you don't need a super fast card, which means a basic Class 4 card will work just fine.

Weirdly, I couldn't find a great deal on 8GB SDHC cards, but a 8GB microSD card is only £34. Add a microSD to SD adapter for a couple of quid and you are all set.

Sandisk 8GB Micro SD (SDHC) memory card with Sandisk USB reader : SanDisk 8GB micro SD

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I had thought about that. My theory was, why have an HD camcorder and not use the HD facility. I guess I'm saving on the effort of taking it back, arguing a full refund and then finding another camcorder, but I still wont be using it to its full potential.

SD cards are cheap and I have a few 1/2GB cards knocking around already.

Hmmm

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Originally Posted by this_is_gav

Risk the wroth, send it back and get an HV20 instead. :D

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The HV20 is HD too isn't it?

Computer hardware and software at amazing prices, available online from Scan Computers UK

What s wrong with that?

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Originally Posted by Paulm@scan

What s wrong with that?

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It's a Danelec :)

Danelec is only an OEM - I have a Danelec USB stick - its a Toshiba chip inside (I was lucky!) trouble is you don't know waht is in it until after you have bought it - but then thts true of most OEM devices.

I would rather pay the differencefor a SanDisk any day. I've bought a few no-name SD cards recently and they are all a bit rubbish, even the Corsair one.

I'll not make that mistake again :)

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Originally Posted by Funkstar

I would rather pay the differencefor a SanDisk any day. I've bought a few no-name SD cards recently and they are all a bit rubbish, even the Corsair one.

I'll not make that mistake again :)

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probably your dodgy hardware not the SD cards :eek:

TBF I have used them never had issues but then again not for HD :)

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Originally Posted by mycarsavw

The HV20 is HD too isn't it?

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Yes, but it's MiniDV, stupidly awesome value for money and can down-sample to SD in camera if you want it to (I just record in HD and down-sample in PP (allowing me to crop and things), but that's down to how the user works).

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Originally Posted by Paulm@scan

probably your dodgy hardware not the SD cards :eek:

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So I should have RMAed the photo frame instead of the memory card? (both from you guys ;))

Oh and a friends digi cam wouldn't recognise the no-name 2GB SD but the crucial from my panasonic worked fine. Weirdly the Panasonic hasn't hada problem with the no-name...yet.