Is it worth getting an HD camcorder if I don't have an HD TV?
I really like filming videos and editing them, but I don’t have an HD-TV or an HD-Monitor. Is it worth getting an HD camcorder now when I won’t be getting an HD TV for a at least a few years?
One Response to “Is it worth getting an HD camcorder if I don't have an HD TV?”
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These days, I almost always suggest waiting unless you plan on using it NOW. Prices are falling so quickly on these things, that it makes a whole lot of sense to just wait until you actually need (or really, really want) these features. Otherwise, prices will fall dramatically in the near future, and in a few months to a year or two, you’ll look at the new prices, and ask yourself why you didn’t wait to buy the HD upgrade; especially if you hadn’t even used that extra feature that you paid for.
If you have neither an HD screen nor a burner for a hi-def disc format Blu-Ray or HD-DVD), I’m not sure that I see the purpose in this YET. Depends on how long you’ll wait for an HD screen and personal preference, I guess.
Keep in mind that prices on HD screens are groundrocketing these days (the term I just invented to oppose "skyrocketing"), so you might have an HDTV sooner than you think. I saw one off-name brand that had a 19" 720p widescreen for $199 this weekend.
If you anticipate actually making use of the HD format in the near future, then the HD camcorder is something to consider. Still, HD camcorder prices will ALSO go down as HDTV prices go down; the technology will simply be more widely available.
Keep in mind that if you edit, you’ll eventually lose the HD format when you output, unless you output to your camcorder again. That, or you can get a hi-def disc format burner, but they’re expensive and the formats are still battling it out; you don’t want to get the "wrong" one, the way Betamax users got the shaft when it lost out to VHS.
If you specifically enjoy playing around with hi-def, I say why not splurge a bit? But this only applies if you have a means by which to actually view it. OR, you can get it if you’re making video professionally, and your clients need hi-def formats.
If you’re still working with SDTV, though, hold off and wait, unless you’ve got a really good deal on an HD camcorder, and you plan on an HDTV in maybe the next year or so. It’s all about personal preference, and a little bit of betting on what the market will do in the near future.