Quick off-topic question (re camcorders)

[DTLongo]

For the last four years I have been making archival videos of a local symphony orchestra on whose Board of Directors I am (www.midatlanticsymphony.org). My camcorder is a standard-def, 30 mb. hard-disc Sony DCR-SR100. It produces VHS-quality video and with its own microphone pretty good audio for archival purposes albeit with some backgrond noise, hard-disc mechanism background noise I think. Question: if I upgrade to one of the newer high-def comcorders, one perhaps with flash storage, would those videos be compatible with and playable on standard-DVD equipment? Also, can they produce better (quieter) full-range stereo audio with their own microphone?

Thank you in advance for your feedbacks.

[Mallette]

Highly recommend the Sony HDR XR550. Fine on board mikes, and superb 1080P video. Why you take pictures with "...pretty good audio for archival purposes albeit with some backgrond noise..." is beyond me. Sort of like recording high quality sound at someone's painting show.

Nonetheless, the sound quality of this camcorder is quite good. If you get serious, I'd recommend a Sennheiser MKE44P as a mike. While there are better single channel mikes, I don't know of a stereo mike that is better than this. In the right place, it will produce better results that the majority of high end single channel mikes in the hands of modern engineers who can't seem to figure out how to place mikes for good imaging, and most of all, don't seem to know where their ears want to be.

All told you're looking at 1800.00 or so here (c. 1100 for the Sony, 550.00 for the mike), but it's a bargain considering the quality you'll get. If you have to do any fundraising, showing 1080P and the sound quality of the Sennheiser will blow their socks off.

Wish I had the opportunity you have...

Dave

PS - Didn't address your compability and storage issues. The Sony has a 250gb HDD which is mounted to a PC just like any hard drive. Transfers are at HHD speed and no more complex. I'd recommend Pinnacle Studio as a highly cost effective package that will allow you to make DVD's or whatever from the video. Easy and cheap. As to flash storage, it's slow and expensive compared to an onboard HDD.