I've been researching some stuff that the lady and I are going to get soon. Namely...camcorders and satellite TV. I thought I'd pool the general knowledge of MURC to see which one people prefer:
Camcorders
MiniDV vs. Digital8? Which one is better?
Brand preference, if any? Panasonic, Sony, Canon...
Features you think are absolutely necessary?
US Satellite TV
DirecTV vs. Dish Network
Which one has a better picture quality? Better equipment?
My thoughts
From my research, I haven't had time to go to the stores and compare them myself, people say there is no differnce is playback quality from a miniDV and Digital8 tape. Digital8 is simply cheaper. Though some will say MiniDV tapes last longer with less dropouts...I don't know.
As for brands, I'm a fan of Panasonic stuff. I've used a Canon digital camera before and really liked it. Sony is known for good cameras, too. I think Panasonic gives you the most bang for the buck, but they only use the more expensive MiniDV tapes.
As for satellite...I'm kind of split. Both have all the programming I want for about the same price. Dish only lets you use their proprietary equipment, while DirecTV gives you the option of several manufatures - although, many of them may just be remarked generic equipment.
I used to have a quasi-DirecTV system before, and I thought a lot of channels were too compressed. On the Dish TV's they didn't look compressed at all...most of the time. But things may have changed since I've seen DirecTV last.
Lastly, DVR...both offer built-in DVR, but DirecTV uses TiVo, so they tag on an extra $5 a month for TiVo, unless you buy the expensive premium package. Dish on the other hand has a very inexpensive DVR at no extra cost per month. ...but once again, I can get a TiVo DirecTV box that I can work with, while the Dish is all proprietary...
Decisions, decisions...insight anyone?
Jammrock
Camcorders
MiniDV vs. Digital8? Which one is better?
Brand preference, if any? Panasonic, Sony, Canon...
Features you think are absolutely necessary?
US Satellite TV
DirecTV vs. Dish Network
Which one has a better picture quality? Better equipment?
My thoughts
From my research, I haven't had time to go to the stores and compare them myself, people say there is no differnce is playback quality from a miniDV and Digital8 tape. Digital8 is simply cheaper. Though some will say MiniDV tapes last longer with less dropouts...I don't know.
As for brands, I'm a fan of Panasonic stuff. I've used a Canon digital camera before and really liked it. Sony is known for good cameras, too. I think Panasonic gives you the most bang for the buck, but they only use the more expensive MiniDV tapes.
As for satellite...I'm kind of split. Both have all the programming I want for about the same price. Dish only lets you use their proprietary equipment, while DirecTV gives you the option of several manufatures - although, many of them may just be remarked generic equipment.
I used to have a quasi-DirecTV system before, and I thought a lot of channels were too compressed. On the Dish TV's they didn't look compressed at all...most of the time. But things may have changed since I've seen DirecTV last.
Lastly, DVR...both offer built-in DVR, but DirecTV uses TiVo, so they tag on an extra $5 a month for TiVo, unless you buy the expensive premium package. Dish on the other hand has a very inexpensive DVR at no extra cost per month. ...but once again, I can get a TiVo DirecTV box that I can work with, while the Dish is all proprietary...
Decisions, decisions...insight anyone?
Jammrock
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