I just ordered a Canon Vixia HF100 camcorder. Even though it is HD, will I be able to connect it to any TV?

Question

I just ordered a Canon Vixia HF100 camcorder. Even though it is HD, will I be able to connect it to any TV?

Answer 1

Yes, you can, but since it is in HD, you will have a black area on the top and bottom of the screen. How thick these are depends on how it is set up.

Answer 2

Good choice! That's probably the best flash-memory AVCHD camcorder on the consumer market right now. I have a Canon HV10, and its output rivals that of my pro-series Sony HDV camcorder, so I think you'll be pretty happy with this one.

Like most camcorders, there are a bunch of ways to see the video. The HF100 does downscale the video, so you can get CVBS (composite) video and stereo audio out, via a 3.5mm mini-plug. The cable for this, which has the usual three RCA plugs at the other end, is included (pretty standard for Canons).

Of course, that works on any TV with a video input. For HD TVs, you'll need a different cable for HD viewing. The camera comes with a component cable, which lets you hook in via the 3-RCA jack YPrPb video standard. This camera also offers a compact type-C HDMI digital output, but the cable is extra. Canon's part number is HTC-100, MSRP $70, but you can get it much cheaper elsewhere:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/produc...

This camera doesn't support Firewire connections to HD displays, since that pretty much requires an MPEG-2 camcorder. However, a number of Blu-Ray players, including the Playstation 3 and some of the new Panasonics, can play AVCHD files directly from an SD card, which is actually going to be easier than cabling in, if you have the BD deck there already.

Answer 3

Yes.  You can connect the camcorder and view the video on almost any TV made since the 1980s as long as it matches the format and region of the camcorder.  The label on the camcorder and on the TV will tell you what format or region the device was made for.  In other words, if your camcorder is for use in the US, then you are limited to connecting to NTSC based TVs in the US, Japan, and a few other countries.

If the TV is SD (not HD capable) then you will probably need to use the composite video cable.  It normally comes with your camcorder and has one end with 3 RCA plugs (yellow, red, and white) that connect to the TV, DVD player, VCR, or other home theater device.  The other end connects to a certain port on the camcorder (consult your owner's manual).  You will also need to go into the menu in the Play mode to change the video output to SD (again, consult your owner's manual since there will be at least 3 different options).

If the TV is HD capable and you want to watch the video in HD, the process is much easier.  Simply connect the camcorder to the TV via an HDMI cable.  In most cases, it won't matter which end of the cable you put where.  Most current HD Camcorders and HD TVs use the same original large HDMI connections.

* Some newer camcorders and TVs have a mini HDMI connection requiring the use of an adapter or the mini HDMI cable.