I haven’t done many hardware or software reviews but am quite excited about the potential of products like this. Those who read this, know of my passion for video and my quest to make this more seamless and part of classrooms. This is the language of our youth but that’s for another post.
Part of the issue of introducing video has been time, hardware, software and skill level. We’ve seen the use of digital cameras increase as well as the video options of the still cameras. They’ve provided very good quality in many cases. With the “straight to the web” concept, this works quite well and the need for more devices like this increases.
I picked up a Sony Net-Sharing Camcorder for $200. My thinking is this will help classrooms use video more. I’ve seen an increase in usage with webcams direct upload to youtube and flixn, but webcams aren’t usually portable. Quality is always an issue, here’s my first real crack at this camera:
It’s very easy to use. I did import mine into Pinnacle to add some text and a few trims but the cool part is there is built in software in the camera that allows direct upload to youtube. As soon as the computer recognized the camera via USB, it shows it as a storage devices ala memory card and inside that is a folder with the PMB Portable software which you open to upload your movie. You can choose from a few pre-determined sharing sites or add your own. You simply authenticate to the site and upload your movie.
The big down side other is the ability to edit. It does come with a simple piece of software you can use to trim but that’s it. If you want to use your current video editor, it must be able to accept .mp4 files which Windows Movie Maker does not and I don’t think imovie does either. David Jakes suggested using Zamzar to convert the video which is a simple work around but again, adds a step and part of the reason for choosing these cameras is to make things simple.
I’ll continue to play and explore but am hopeful this and other similar products will be gateway tools to sharing and creating video.
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