DVD camcorders are a fast-growing sector in the camcorder market, with big players like Sony, Panasonic and Hitachi throwing their hats in the ring. They are gaining popularity by the day and are now available at reasonable prices.

DVD camcorders are different from regular digital video cameras, as the former record video onto three-inch size DVD discs, rather than DV tape. This procedure gives DVD camcorders a number of plus points. DVD discs are stronger than tape and unlikely to get chewed up in the camera. The disc can hold about 30 minutes of DVD-quality video. You can get more recording time by altering the recording mode, but you do that at the risk of compromising on the video quality.

Another advantage of DVD discs is random access, whereas on tape everything is recorded sequentially. So you dont have to rewind and fast forward to find the clip you are looking for. All you need to do is just select it from the menu. In some of them, you can even perform basic editing functions on-camera. Moreover, you can enjoy your home movies after removing the DVD from the camera and playing it in almost any DVD player.

DVD camcorders have three different formats. While Sony prefers to uses the DVD-R and DVD-RW formats, Panasonic and Hitachi have chosen the DVD-R and DVD-RAM formats. Among them, the DVD-R format is most compatible with standard DVD players. But you can use the disc once only when recording in the DVD-R format.

One area of concern, however, is that video is encoded as MPEG-2 on a mini DVD camcorder, as opposed to DV format. So, it needs specialist software to edit. DVD camcorders are also more expensive than similarly specified mini DV cameras.