Is it pointless to get a HD camcorder when owning a Mac?

Question

There are a lot of compatibility issues when attempting to put HD video onto a Mac to edit. I know there are ways around it but from what I understand, when burning to a DVD it converts it to SD format anyway. (Unless I went the blue ray route. Which I don't want to do) So, is it pointless to get a HD camcorder if i'll never end up seeing the video in HD. Or is it a better quality because it was shot in HD regardless of the fact that it was converted to SD?

Answer 1

The manufacturers are getting rid of HD Discs anyways...kind of like the way VHS went out the door.

It wont be long before you dont see another HD disc anyways...

Everyones sticking to Blu-Ray

Answer 2

It's VERY useful to edit HD on a Mac. Here's the deal.

1.) Yes, when you burn it to a DVD, it will convert it to SD. But HD downconverted to SD still looks better than things shot on SD. Look at any Hollywood DVD. They look better than your home movies, yes? ;) Even though they're the same resolution!

2.) I'm sure someday you'll buy a Blu-Ray burner, and if you do, you'll then be able to burn all your stuff, and you'll be happy you had all the HD files.

3.) DVD isn't the only distribution method. On the internet, there's a lot of services letting you stream HD video. Vimeo is one, and YouTube has that service in the works, and this is only going to get more and more common.

4.) If you're any kind of a serious filmmaker looking for distribution or something, HD is not an option, it's a must.

It's just a good idea for archiving purposes to have an HD copy on your computer or backed up, even if you can't burn it now, because someday you will be able to.