Batteries and Connections

Camcorder batteries are essential to the portability of video recording. They come in nickel-cadmium, lithium-ion and nickel metal hydride varieties, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. LiCd batteries, once the most commonly available, are declining in popularity. NiMH batteries are cheaper to produce and are more stable, but can lose a lot of power even when not in use. They also require a stable environment (no major temperature extremes) to perform properly.

Li-ion batteries have a lower self-discharge rate, a longer lifespan, and perform well in nearly any environment, but have the problem of frequently being proprietary. This means that a consumer may end up being “stuck” with buying a specific brand of battery for his or her camcorder, even if there’s a cheaper brand available. Batteries that are included with camcorders will vary in power, but will generally allow an hour of uninterrupted recording. Aftermarket batteries can cost nearly $200 but can offer up to six hours of continuous recording time.

Connections refer to the cables that permit video transfer to a computer or television for editing, copy, or viewing. S-Video-out cables let the consumer see their recordings on their television set. S-Video-out ports and cables are less common, but allow for video data to be transferred into the camcorder’s storage media, even from older analog videos. In terms of HD, HDMI cables are available for consumers wishing to view content in high definition. When it comes to transferring digital data to a computer, the choice is either USB or Firewire.

In terms of convenience and sometimes cost, many people prefer USB, since computers come standard with USB ports. However, Firewire is known for its superior data transfer capabilities because it’s based on peer-to-peer technology. This means that transfer rates are not dependent on the computer’s ability to handle data-flow conflicts. Things run much smoother, which means transfer rates up to twice the speed of USB transfer. This is important if the consumer doesn’t want to spend all night uploading video.