Can HD camcorders [ miniDv format] play miniDV cassettes not recorded with HD camcorders. Thanks.

Question

I have quite a few miniDV cassettes recorded with canon 200mc, Now I am planning to upgrade to "Canon VIXIA HV30". But at the same time I would like to be able to retrieve my old video from old miniDV tapes. Will this new one play those tapes or I have to keep both the camcorders ?

Answer 1

Yes, they are backwords compatible, so to speak. You can play standard def cassettes on an HDV camcorder. Actually, the HV30 is HD/ SD switchable. On my HV20, there is an HDV 16:9, DV Wide and DV Normal mode. I'm sure it's the same on the HV30.

However, it doesn't work the other way around. You cannot play or capture HD footage on your CAnon 200mc. If you shoot SD on the HV30, then you can playback or capture on the 200mc

Answer 2

Yes You Can

HDV tape and miniDV tape are basically the same thing and work in both camcorders.  You can play your SD miniDV tapes in an HDV camcorder or deck.  The only catch is that the SD tape had to be recorded on standard DV settings and not on specialized settings such as DVCPro (Panasonic) or DVCAM (Sony).

You can save money by using your miniDV tapes to record your HD video in your new camcorder, but keep in mind that your SD tapes are already getting old.  You can even put HDV marked tapes in your older SD camcorder and use them to record SD video onto the sturdier HDV tape for longer life; however, you can not view an HD recording in your older SD camcorder regardless of what tape it is on.  That is the only limitation.

This is the advantage of HDV.  HDV was specifically designed to fit an HD video into the same space as SD video on the same tape.  HDV was also designed to be an upgraded tape for SD recording, but the world is already making its move to HD.

A tape marked with HDV is actually a miniDV tape.  The HDV marked tapes are the same tape as the consumer grade miniDV tape found in Wal-Mart; except HDV tape has twice as many recording layers (or more) to ensure the video is properly recorded and not lost during storage.  HDV tape is also thicker than standard miniDV tape to help extend the life of the tape through multiple uses and harsh environments.  Everything else between miniDV and HDV tape is the same.