High definition pond video

[Mucky_Waters]

Well, I have been dreaming about getting a new High Definition camcorder for a while and finally dished out the money to make my dream come true.  I must say that I am not disappointed. They say that in 5-10 years high definition will be the norm and I can SEE why!. My wife doesn't like it though because the camera's picture is so clear it brings out all the detail and makes it easy to see even the smallest blemish on a persons face.  LOL.  She is right, but that's the price for progress I guess. 
Anyway, I already did post one video in Tinksters "some fall pictures.... love the colors!" thread.
Below is a short video of my pond last week when we had a cold snap and it had a layer of ice on it. Not the best example of what it can do, but it is the only one I have of my pond and this is a water gardening forum.

Sorry the file size is so large for such short clips, but in order to be called High Definition (HD) they have to be displayed full resolution 1280 X  720. If I resized them or compressed them too much they would no longer be HD.

Hope you take the time to watch it. 

Icy Pond Video

The video is in high definition windows media video (HD wmv) format, 19.4 Mb in size and best viewed full screen with a screen resolution of 1280 X 760.

[Timgod]

I've also been looking at them... and I still haven't even bought the high def TV yet...LOL. What camera model did you get? Did you get a great deal or did you finally just said I can't wait any longer. Cool video The birds seemed like they were almost in high speed. They must not like being on the cold ground too much.
Tim

[Sean]

Cool video!

Looked great

Cheers,
Sean

[maryvonne]

I enjoyed watching your video. Great camcorder.

Maryvonne

[milliemax]

  Wasn't able to view it for some reason!
  Nancy

[Mucky_Waters]

Hey, thanks for looking, or at least trying.  (sorry Nancy) 
I guess I should also mention that you'll need the latest version Windows Media Player, version 10 or later. Download here Probably running on Windows XP.
High Definition video is a relatively new format, and frankly up until a few months ago I didn't even know the videos could be played and edited on a computer at all. Once I found out they could be, I downloaded a few of the videos I was blown away by the clarity and detail. The big file size does not lend itself to the internet very well, but anything can be downloaded if given enough time.    I'm glad I took the time to download a 200 Mb video from this site Pine Lake Films when it was availible. It was a lovely HD video that really was a good example of what HD video is all about.

Tim, I ended up getting the Sony HDR-HC1.  Sony seems to be taking the lead in HD video cameras, and currenly has the cheapest one availible at the moment, the HDR-HC3. 
I spent a little more (about $300) and got the one I did because it has a few more features and controls than the HDR-HC3, but I have seen (downloaded), side by side video footage of those two and one other much more expensive camera, and the video quality was virtually indistinguishable.

[karen J]

Mucky W, if I were to buy the Sony HDR-HC1, or something like it, would I be able to play the video on my Sony wega HD widescreen using a simple cable? Or would I have to buy some sort of interface device?
I want to get rid of my old Hi8 Sony camcorder because it's a pain to use.

Nice waterfall!

[Mucky_Waters]

Karen
The HDR-HC1 comes with cables for component output that will carry the High Definition signal to your HD TV.  It also has an RCA video jack, S-video and Firewire outputs. So, it can be hooked up to a standard definition too, if need be.
The only output port it doesn't have that I wish that it did is HDMI. The cheaper Sony HD Camcorder, the HDR-HC3  does have HDMI output.
If you are seriously interested, I would suggest clicking on the links to read the reviews on the two cameras.
The HD camcorders cost a bit more than regular camcorders, but in my opinion the picture quality is well worth the price.
Oh, and one last bit of info, the HDR-HC1 model has been discontinued, so it is becoming increasingly harder to find one for sale. The reason it has been discontinued, from what I can tell, is that they introduced the new HDR-HC3 and a beefed up HDR-HC1 called a HVR-A1U and wanted to keep a larger price differential. The HDR-HC1 is only a few hundred dollars more than the HDR-HC3.