The Rise of Flash-Based Video Cameras

The Aiptek HD camcorder that I have

The Flip

The world of video is changing very quickly. It wasn't that long ago that good equipment was too expensive for the average consumer. It's been even more recently that HD cameras and editing software has become affordable. We now finally have the ability to film in HD, edit with quality software, and output to DVD or even Blu-Ray all from a standard home computer. And it's only going to get better.

And yet there's still a divide in the video world. On the one hand, we all love HD and are constantly drooling over the latest LCD or plasma TV. On the other hand, we all love YouTube and the low quality video of the web. We wish online video could be higher quality, but we've watched HD trailers from Apple and HD TV shows from ABC. They take a very, very long time to load, even on a fast connection.

So we juggle speed vs. quality on a daily basis. On the computer we settle for low quality, instant videos. On our TVs, though, we cringe when we flip to a non-HD channel. Home video tends to get caught in the middle. It's on the computer, so we kind of accept low quality, but we want to watch it on our TVs, so it must be HD. So we film and edit our home videos in HD...but then the files become too big to upload to YouTube so grandma can see them. Where's the balance?

Most of us want the ability to do both. We want to be able to film in HD when we want to, but also upload to YouTube or Facebook at times. We also crave instant filming. This is why cellphone video has become so popular. You just whip it out and within a few seconds, you're recording, no missed action.

In the past year or two, several new devices have emerged to fill the gap between ultra-low quality cellphone video and traditional, tape-based video cameras. The most popular of these is The Flip camcorder. It's an cheap, easy to use device that does one thing: point and shoot video. You turn it on and press the red button. A USB dongle flips out for easy connection to a computer. The Flip records in VGA resolution at 30 frames per second. In a recent review, David Pogue of the New York Times dropped an interesting fact: The Flip holds a 13 percent stake in the camcorder market and has been the best selling camcorder on Amazon since its release.

That's a pretty shocking statistic. And while the Flip certainly does fit the bill for a lot of people, there are a lot of things it doesn't do. Fortunately, there are quite a few other inexpensive, flash based camcorders out there with more coming all the time.

I recently got an Aiptek HD camcorder ($149 at Target). While it's definitely not top of the line by any means, it really is an incredible device. It films in 720p resolution at 30 frames per second and uses SDHC memory cards up to 32GB. I have an 8GB card which can store over 3 hours at the highest quality setting, and 22 hours at the lowest. It also takes 8 megapixel still pictures and even has a built-in flash. The camera can output in 720p over the included component cable to an HDTV.

One of its coolest features, though, is video-in. It can accept input from any composite device. So I could set up any other camera and have it output to the Aiptek which could record for hours.

I have used it on numerous occasions and it has changed the way I look at video opportunities. I've been shooting and editing video for years, but I've never had a camera that was so...instant. It literally takes less than 3 seconds to turn on and start recording. When I'm finished, it's a matter of plugging it into a computer and uploading the resulting file to YouTube. It's that easy. If I want to combine clips, I can do so with Final Cut or iMovie, since the files are H.264 MOV format. For windows machines, the camera ships with a simple utility to convert and edit videos.

I highly recommend this camcorder for anyone. Even kids can use it and the ability to store hours of footage (as opposed to the Flip's 60 minutes) makes it perfect for all day filming.

There is an unfortunate tendency among consumers to scoff at small, cheap, flash-based camcorders. A lot of people simply write them off as expensive toys and nothing more. I strongly encourage everyone to take a second look at these amazing devices. Don't just walk past them next time you're in the store. Give them a try and maybe even pick one up and try it. There's a lot to like.

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