top camcorders with hard drives image
Buddy
I primarily need a notebook...
... for intensive applications (Adobe Creative Suite 2 Premium, Dreamweaver, FrontPage, etc.)
... to store music, photos and videos (also, video editing)
... to play games
... to connect to networks (wired/wireless)
The notebook should have
... Lots of hard drive space for storing personal, business and multimedia files
... DVD burner
... plenty of memory (1 GB +) to run multiple intensive applications
... If possible, dedicated video memory - for video editing
... S-Video output for connection to a TV
... IEEE1394 (FireWire) so I can connect my camcorder
... Card reader so I can download photos from my camera
... Ethernet/wireless so I can connect to networks
Price: as cheap as possible
What do you recommend?
Answer
Apple MacBook Pro by far! The MacBook Pro has been updated with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, along with more RAM and hard drive storage. I have the top-of-the-line 17-inch model, a thing of beauty clad in sleek aluminum.
Still only one-inch thin, the MacBook Pro also remains one of the lightest notebooks and it does come with a 15.4-inch widescreen display. This 5.6-pound notebook is excellent for home or office use but is portable and compact enough to take on the road.
Using the MacBook Pro is a pleasure, and it didnât take me too long to fall in love with the 17 inch screen, whose optional glossy treatment is perfect for watching movies. The notebook comes with an infrared, six-button remote, so you can enjoy movies from across the room.
I like the MagSafe Power Adapter, which disconnects from the notebook if you trip over the cord. For this model, Apple added the MagSafe Airline Adapter, which uses the same concept but connects to an in-seat power port (a $59 option, not included). The MacBook Proâs illuminated keyboard and motion-sensor technology for protecting the hard drive help make this a solid pick for business travelers.
The big improvement is the upgrade from Intelâs 2.16-GHz Core Duo processor to a 2.33-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. Like the previous CPU, the Core 2 Duo has two processing cores, but now each chip has 4MB of shared L2 cache. That cache allows the Core 2 Duo to store more data nearby so that it makes fewer passes to the main memory.
Speaking of memory, Appleâs computers have long been RAM weaklings, with standard configurations that paled next to their Windows counterparts, but Apple corrected that nicely. The 2.33-GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro comes with 2GB of 667-MHz DDR2 SDRAM standard, twice that of the previous version. I maxed out the system with 3GB of RAM, for an extra $575. Thatâs overkill for all but the most demanding power users like myself - I run my home network from it.
I downloaded the free Mac BootCamp, which enables Macs to run Windows XP. http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/
Productivity performance was decent. I suspect this may be due to the fact that Windows uses only a small partition of the MacBook Proâs hard drive (although you can set it to use more) and that Boot Camp itself has some performance overhead. BEWARE that using this now opens the MAC to the same malware attacks as the PC'ers are experiencing.
I ran MobileMark to test the battery life, the MacBook Proâs battery lasted 2 hours and 53 minutes with Wi-Fi off, compared with the average runtime of 3:41 for mainstream notebooks. I also ran a DVD rundown test and got 2 hours and 58 minutes with Wi-Fi on (compared with 3 hours and 5 minutes on the13.3-inch MacBook). Thatâs a decent runtime considering the larger size of this display, but the bottom line is that you should go with the slower (and cheaper) 2.16-GHz processor if you want more endurance.
Wireless antenna strength is supposed to no longer be a problem with Appleâs high-end notebooks, but I noticed a weaker signal with this MacBook Pro than with one of my other Mac's desktop in the same location. Compared with my Toshiba notebook, the MacBook Pro wasnât too far off with scores of 12.6 Mbps at 15 feet and 9.6 at 50 feet.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 15-inch MacBook Pro
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Processor and memory
Choice of 2.16GHz or 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
*4MB on-chip shared L2 cache running 1:1 with processor speed
*1GB (single SO-DIMM) of PC2-5300 (667MHz) DDR2 memory on 2.16GHz configuration
or
*2GB (two SO-DIMMs) on 2.33GHz configuration
two SO-DIMM slots support up to 3GB
*667MHz frontside bus
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Expansion
*One FireWire 400 port at up to 400 Mbps
*One FireWire 800 port at up to 800 Mbps
*Two 480-Mbps USB 2.0 ports
*ExpressCard/34 slot
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Battery and power
*60-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery (with integrated charge indicator LEDs) providing up to 5 hours of battery life
*85W MagSafe Power Adapter with cable management system
*MagSafe power adapter port
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Communications
*Built-in 54-Mbps AirPort Extreme wireless networking (802.11g standard; 802.11n capable with optional 802.11n enabler)
*Built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)
*Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector)
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Audio
*Combined optical digital input/audio line in (minijack)
*Combined optical digital output/headphone out (minijack)
*Built-in stereo speakers
*Internal omnidirectional microphone (located under left speaker grille)
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Display
*15.4-inch (diagonal) TFT display, support for millions of colors; optional glossy widescreen display
*Supported resolutions: 1440 by 900 (native), 1280 by 800, 1152 by 720, 1024 by 640, and 800 by 500 at 16:10 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 at 4:3 aspect ratio; 1024 by 768, 800 by 600, and 640 by 480 at 4:3 aspect ratio stretched; 720 by 480 at 3:2 aspect ratio, 720 by 480 at 3:2 aspect ratio stretched
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Video and graphics support
*ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics processor, dual-link DVI support
*128MB of GDDR3 SDRAM on 2.16GHz configuration
or
*256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM on 2.33GHz configuration
*Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on an external display, both at millions of colors
*DVI output port
*VGA output using included DVI to VGA adapter
*Built-in iSight camera
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Storage
*120GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive.
or
*Optional 160GB 5400-rpm, 200GB 4200-rpm drives3.
*6x slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Maximum write: 6x DVD-R and DVD+R; 4x DVD+RW and DVD-RW; 2.4x DVD+R DL (double layer); 24x CD-R; 10x CD-RW
Maximum read: 8x DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD+R; 6x DVD-ROM (double layer DVD-9), DVD+RW, DVD-RW; 4x DVD+R DL (double layer); 24x CD
***************************************************************
Input
*Built-in full-size keyboard with 78 (U.S.) or 79 (ISO) keys, including 12 function keys, 4 arrow keys (inverted âTâ arrangement), and embedded numeric keypad
*Backlit keyboard with ambient light sensors for automatic adjustment of keyboard illumination and screen brightness
*Solid-state scrolling trackpad for precise cursor control; supports two-finger scrolling, tap, double-tap, and drag capabilities
*Apple Remote
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Electrical and environmental requirements
*Meets ENERGY STAR requirements
*Line voltage: 100V or 240V AC
*Frequency: 50Hz to 60Hz
*DC input: 18.5 Vdc, 4.6 A max.
*Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
*Storage temperature: -13° to 113° F (-24° to 45° C)
*Relative humidity: 0% to 90% noncondensing
*Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet
*Maximum storage altitude: 15,000 feet
*Maximum shipping altitude: 35,000 feet
***************************************************************
Size and weight
*Height: 1.0 inch (2.59 cm)
*Width: 14.1 inches (35.7 cm)
*Depth: 9.6 inches (24.3 cm)
*Weight: 5.6 pounds (2.54 kg) with battery and optical drive installed
***********************************************************
Software
*Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger (includes Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Xcode Developer Tools)
*iLife â06 '06 suite for creating photo projects, making movies, designing DVDs, building websites, and composing music (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand), Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive, iWork â06 (30-day trial), Comic Life, FileMaker Pro Trial, OmniOutliner
*Photo Booth
*Front Row
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Options Include:
Apple Wireless Keyboard (M9270LL/A)
Apple USB Modem (MA034Z/A)
Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse (MA272LL/A)
Apple Keyboard (M9034LL/A)
.Mac Subscription (MA361Z/A)
AppleCare Protection Plan (MA515LL/A)
Online store options when purchasing your MacBook Pro
Up to 3GB main memory
Storage - 100GB 7200-rpm, 160GB 5400-rpm, 200GB 4200-rpm hard drive
AirPort Extreme Base Station (M8799LL/A)
AirPort Express (M9470LL/A)
Apple DVI to Video Adapter (M9267G/A)
Apple 85W MagSafe Power Adapter (MA357LL/A)
MagSafe Airline Adapter (MA598Z/A)
Rechargeable Battery, 15-inch MacBook Pro (MA348G/A)
Rechargeable Battery, 17-inch MacBook Pro (MA458G/A)
World Travel Adapter Kit (M8794G/B)
iWork (MA222Z/A)
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MacBooks pricing start at $1099.00 The MacBook Pro starts at $1999.00. Perhaps you qualify for an educational pricing - homeschoolers also qualify!
In short, the MacBook Pro is what I recommend - highly.
What do you think of the Sony HDR-XR520V Handycam® camcorder?
coldcity80
I'm looking to purchase a good HD Hard Disk Drive camcorder. I'm a Sony fan, but there are several options out there. Should I instead look into purchasing a Canon (Flash Memory) camcorder? What's better, Hard Disk Drive --or-- Flash Memory?
Answer
Short answer: Flash Memory.
Long answer:
With the known limitations consumer hard disc drive camcorders have with vibration/shock and altitude, challenges archiving the video and huge expense recovering data from crashed hard drives, I no longer recommend hard disc drive camcorders.
Flash memory camcorders use the same highly compressed file types so if you must, then flash memory is better between the two. Check the Sony HDR-CX500 series or Canon HF or HF S series camcorders.
Please keep in mind that video compression = discarded video data = reduced video quality. Also, if you are expecting to edit that video, you will need an editor that can deal with AVCHD/MTS files. There is nothing useful in the box with the camcorder and if you are running Windows/Vista, MovieMaker cannot deal with MTS files (Sony Vegas and Adobe Premiere float to the top. Macs have iMovie '08 or newer that can deal with AVCHD/MTS files (or FinalCut).
If you want best available video quality, then you need least compression applied to the video data stream. That continues to be DV and HDV format - and for consumer camcorders, that means miniDV tape. Canon HV40. It also happens to be the least expensive camcorder available with a mic jack and manual audio control. Since we are here... Check what the bigger dogs use...
Sony HDR-FX7, HDR-FX1000, HVR-Z1, HVR-Z5, HVR-Z7
Canon XH series, XLH series
Panasonic AG-HVX200
JVC GY-HM series
Most are miniDV tape. Those which are flash memory save to DV/HDV format - not anemic AVCHD (except the Panny - it saves to DVCPRO HD onto P2 cards). There are no prosumer or pro-grade camcorders with internal hard drives. The external hard drives (Sony and Focus Enhancements FireStore) save to DV/HDV.
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