Which Mini DV player?

[billyfromConsett]

Our clubs all use mini DV players to run movie shows. Does anyone know of a company that actually makes one? Sony used to and so did JVC. But I can't find a retailer that currently sells anything that fits this job.

All I can think of of using are cheap mini DV camcorders (@£100ish) to do the job.

Anybody know what is out there?

[admin]

You mean like http://www.jvcproeurope.com/uk/pub/prod ... index_html

[billyfromConsett]

Not exactly but it's the nearest I've seen.

Their basic recorder is designed for editing and miniDV and full size DV production. We are looking for something simply to play our tapes and connected to a projector.

Cost-wise, their basic recorder is far more than a domestic player, and starts at around £1300.

It's a good place for me to email though.

[ned c]

I believe the Sony DSR 11 has been discontinued but a used one may meet the bill. It plays and records both PAL and NTSC, take the small and full size DV cassette, has Firewire and analog i/o. I used one for 6 years of heavy work and sold it on to a studio where it continues to give good service.

ned c

[billyfromConsett]

I believe the Sony DSR 11 has been discontinued but a used one may meet the bill. It plays and records both PAL and NTSC, take the small and full size DV cassette, has Firewire and analog i/o.
ned c

It looks a great bit of pro kit, with loads of features that we actually would never use. I think my club, if we spent over £1000 on hardware, would want something new, with warranty.

Still not seen anything that isn't for the domestic/semi-pro side.

The DV walkmans seem to be now obsolete.

[Mike Shaw]

While searching out a source for an FX1 (still saving, still saving...), I found what seems to be a replacement for the Sony GV-D1000E miniDV player - with screen (which I have - and which is still available for between £700 and £900). I can't remember the 'number' of it, but it has a 7" screen, and most importantly handles HD miniDV. Whether that is 'as well as SD" I don't know - I'd imagine it would handle both.

I think that I saw the machine on the CKE website, but can't be sure. A new miniDV recorder/player is, I'm afraid, way down on my shopping list at the moment...

[billyfromConsett]

I've just called Sony- they told me they don't have a player for miniDV, but do have the GV-hd700e http://www.creativevideo.co.uk/public/v ... y_gvhd700e

It looks like it will do standard def as well, so I think this is what I've been looking for.

thanks Mike

[Mike Shaw]

That's it - that's the one exactly. Only thing is, I saw one for £700 (must have been CKE) - but perhaps it was sh (??) - it was on a 'Used Equipment' listing.

It looks like the replacement for the DV1000e I mentioned - whichy is still available out there - but obviously, not from Sony if it is discontinued. Perhaps because it is discontinued, the price may now be droppping - after all, the HD one is to be far preferred. Not only can it handle HD, it has a larger screen. It also looks a bit slimmer. Otherwise ...

Mauybe I should sell you mine and go get the new version?

[Dave Watterson]

Being the dumb one round here ... what's the great advantage of a deck over a cheap camcorder to play back tapes?

I have both, though the deck is getting pretty tired now.

It is marginally easier to load and unload the deck but since I have the version without a screen the camcorder offers the advantage of having its side-screen for use when lining-up the start of a film.

At a club having a camcorder there might also mean that between films you could run its feed live to the projector to show the speaker in close-up as they do at rock concerts.

Dave

[Mike Shaw]

I've heard this argument so many many times - even from a store that specialises in selling such equipment.

But I simply don't buy the idea that a camcorder, designed for shooting videos is the best and most reliable way to play them back. Even with top level camcorders (I have a TVR900 for example) playback etc is at best fiddly. Its a subsidiary, ancillary and lesser feature. And the mechanism simply isn't designed for repeated playbacks, forward and reverse searching all the time.

I've had my miniDV player now for over 3 years: it is robust, reliable, convenient, very easy to control and has never gone wrong. The club bought a very cheap camcorder to play back miniDVs. It is extremely fiddly to use (especially in the dark), to the point where films were never stopped at the right moment, were continually having to be rewound and searched for the 'start' of a movie, and worst of all, keeps going wrong.
Was the investment worth it? The argument was, they could buy three or more of these machines for the price of the miniDV player. So, at the end of the day, maybe their three machines will live as long, altogether, as my miniDV player (I think otherwise of course - I think my player will outlive all the cheap camcorders they can buy). On the other hand - I have no trouble using my machine at all. No fiddling. No anxieties. I take it as back up to the Kent Film Festival - thank heavens I did this year - their JVC miniDV/vhs player refused to eject tapes. My trusty old Sony miniDV VCR performed faultlessly.

I can understand the cost argument for choosing a cheap camcorder. But there is more to it than price. There is ease and convenience of use, the reliability, and the satisfaction of having 'the right tool for the job'.

It is a real shame that they are so expensive - more expensive than a camcorder which has the same capability plus the ability to shoot video as well. The reason is probably simply the amount of sales they attract - if they were to sell by the thousands instead of the hundreds, then maybe the development and manufacturing costs would be amortised sooner and the costs brought down to a sensible level.

So ... its your fault they're expensive ( ) - go and buy one and help bring the price down !!

[billyfromConsett]

I use a cheap camcorder as the means to get my footage in and out of my computer - my XM-1 and VX2100 are too special to be used for playback.

The cheap camcorder lasted just under 3 years before it developed a fault- so I used my extended guarantee to have a new mainboard put in . So the crappy thing is nice and happy again!

A decent playback deck is what our club should have, though at £1000 (up to 10 times the cost of a cheap and fiddly camcorder, our funds can only can bend so far...)
_________________

[Mike Shaw]

You can buy mine for a measly £500

Then I could lash out the rest for the new super duper all singing all dancing HD version ...

[stingman]

I like the Camcorder idea better but the standalone option looks more pro.
The camera idea is a bit better as these could be lent out to new movie makers.
My camcorder developed a fault but only on the Lens recording side. It still records via the analogue ins and firewire and can still be connected to the tv or other source to view tape. I can still record my computer stuff back onto tape.

[Roy]

Ian. I had exactly the same problem with one of my camcorders. On telling the manufacturers they admitted it was a design fault that under certain conditions the wire came off from the chip, and the repaired it free of charge. Considering I had used the camcorder for two years, I thought that was good of them. Works perfectly now except that the built in speaker doesn't play back although the phones and Av out and Dv out sound is ok. Roy

[stingman]

Roy. Was it a Canon by any chance?
My brother had a Panasonic and the camera thought that the lens cap was on and refused to work!
Going by this thread, it seems to me that the recording and playing mecanism s are really good. It`s only the other bits that pack up, so my idea os useing the camera as a player for the video clubs seem to be alright, especally if the club wants to save a bit of money. I would buy a spare through... just in case.