Cameras & Camcorders

[bigblue0911]

Hello all,

Need some advice.  I want to buy a new camcorder for an upcoming cruise.  My options are either the DCR-SR68 or the HDR-CX110.  The DCR is a great deal right now, but I'm concerned about how the video quality would look on my HDTV.  Is there anyone out there who has a non-HD camcorder and watches the videos on an HDTV?  Oviously I know the quality of the HDR is going to be much better but how bad can the quality be of a non-HD?

Thanks for the help! 

[clean9624]

I have a non-HD camcorder and hook it up to my tv with the composite a/v cables.  Could the quality be better?  Of course.  Is it so bad that it is un-watchable?  No.  The picture is a little fuzzy (things aren't out of focus or anything and you can still see details in the video) but it isn't like watching my movies or even cable.  Now, some of this could be operator error, as my subject (my 2 year old) doesn't hold still very well.  Also keep in mind that my camcorder is over 6 years old and my biggest problem right now is finding the tapes for it.  I am pretty sure that the new non-HD camcorders are better than what they use to be.  You could probably get an idea of what it would look like from watching a VSH tape on your tv.  The quaility of the camcorder would probably be a little better as technology has come a long way.

If you plan on using the camcorder often and the price difference isn't huge I would go a head and purchase the HD .  If you the sole purpose of this is the cruise and you don't think you will use it much after that then get the DCR. 

[Allan-BBY Senior Social Media Specialist]

Hi bigblue0911,

A high definition TV will only display video at the resolution that the signal is providing it. To get an idea of what the footage will look like on your TV just watch a non-HD channel on your TV, or plug a DVD player (a non-up converting DVD player) into your TV and play a DVD.

Most TV is not in HD, and more often than not you are watching a standard definition signal while watching TV.

I hope this helps!