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Hard Drive Recorders vs Camcorders (Handycams)

We are regularly asked what is best to use; a Hard Drive or a Camcorder?

Customers that have contacted us for advice will know that our company ethos is one of honesty and commitment regardless of whether this means a sale or not.

We do not believe in just selling you anything in order to make a quick profit and then never being contactable when you have a question.

We are a company that only wants your business if we feel the products are right for you, and you are sure they are what you want, which is why, and our previous customers will relate to this, we will always go the extra mile to explain the use, pros and cons of every product we sell, whether its standard or designed specifically for you.

We will meet many of our customers throughout the year, especially the bikers, and are always happy to discuss their needs and requirements. How many of our competitors can say that?

Our need for total honesty over the need for sales brings us to the thorny issue of new technology in the form of Hard Drives vs Camcorders and our comments on the matter.

Hard Drive Recorders or Camcorder?

The choice is obviously yours. The making of that decision is sometimes a tough one, but should be based on many factors as they both have some very strong Pro's and Cons...

Hard Drive Recorders

New technology in the past 12 months has seen the availability of what are called HDR's.  These are basically small computer hard drives which can record upto 130 hours of video, tv, dvd etc, 10000+ mp3 tracks and 000's of images and voice recordings.

All contained in one small box of tricks that has a 2.5" led screen to watch the moviesw/play the tracks whilst on the move!

In additon they are so versatile in that they can be used as an additional 20, 40 or 60gb hard drive for your computer va a USB2 connection, and can be conne4cted to your tv/video/dvd/hi-fi etc to either record or play back the video or music etc.

They are absolutely superb products, and as well as the above uses, can be used, when hooked up to a 'viewer', such as the bullet camera, can be used for mobile / covert CCTV surveillance, self inspection for medical purposes or like we use them for, hooking upto other cameras and recording sports and leisure pursuit action rather than using a camcorder!

The downside is that you have to remember that they have been designed as an 'entertainment centre' and not exactly designed for use on a motorbike trackday!

They are,after all, very technical and in effect mini computers and therefore do not like sudden shocks or constant vibration.

Having said that, we have used the products in numerous situations, including on motorbikes on race tracks and found that generally they perform very well.

In addition, there are now other types of Digital Video Recorders on the market that record onto a memory card rather than hard drive.  This means that they are much less prone to failing when subject to vibration or a slight movement/impact etc.

Please visit the digital Video Recorder page to find out more.

The latest products which we have tested and now supply are Digital Video Players/Recorders which even have a calendar (compatible with microsoft outlook) and 3 games included for you to while away your time.

If a Digital Video Recorder is not for you then you may wish to consider...

Camcorders

The camcorder, whilst they dont have all the capabilities of the above Hard Drive, and whilst it means you have to change a tape every hour or so and stock the mountains of tapes somewhere, they do have the distinct advantage in that you can use in and out of the vehicle to shoot video footage, or to use with your family on holiday or down the park etc.

If you are going to use a bullet camera or similar with the camcorder then you must ensure that the camcorder has AV-In, without this function you will not be able to use it with an external 'viewer'.

Again, as with the Hard Drive, Camcorders are not designed to be used in moving / vibrating environments, whether in a rucksack on your back when skiing or under the pillion seat of a motorbike which can cause the tape to jump etc.

That said, the technology of the camcorders has come a long way and I personaly, from using on my motorbike on track days, have never had any camcorder fail or jump.  Whether the damage is happening slightly inside and one day they will fail completely is a risk that I take, in the same way as you will with your Camcorder or Hard Drive Recorder if not used in the normal 'safe' way that the manufacturers suggest!

I hope the above helps in your quest to find the best recording device depending on your requirements.

Keep watching our site for updates on the latest equipment available as we have found a proper 'shockproof' hard drive that is now available but is currently retailing at over £2000!!!

We are also constantly in touch with suppliers and manufaturers regarding other useful or updated products and camcorders etc which we can now supply if required.

QUALITY OF PICTURE

Whilst with the hard drive you can play back any footage to a tv or straight to a DVD etc, they are mainly designed to play back the footage on the player itself.

Should you play back the footage on a tv you will definitely notice a reduction in the picture quality due to pixelation.

You need to remember that the footage is compressed into Mpeg4 format, and not at full DV quality as it would be on a camcorder.

Therefore, if its staight quality you are after, then the camcorder may be the best choice. If its the quantity and flexibility etc that you are after, without the need for the best quality, then the hard drive may be best.