Reader Questions Answered
You've got camcorder and video questions; we've got answers.Richard Baguley, special to PC World
Life is full of questions, and freelance writer Richard Baguley has the answers--to at least some of them, anyway. Contact him by e-mail. Richard blogs about camcorders and video at CamcorderInfo.com.
It's been almost a year since I last answered reader questions about video and camcorders, so I guess it's time to open the virtual mailbag again. To make this Q&A a little more useful, I've paraphrased a few of the most common queries.
Kid-Friendly Videocams
Q: My kids are saying that they want to make movies, but I don't know what type of video camera to get them. Can you suggest a few?
A: For preteens, you could look at something like the $80 Mattel Vidster, which PC World editor Alan Stafford recently wrote about. Alan also previewed Hasbro's similar VCam Now (also $80), due out this fall. Both of these devices record video to Secure Digital memory cards at a lower resolution than a tape camcorder would, and they come with software to import the video into a PC and edit it.
If those look a bit too simple for your kids, the $159 Aiptek IS-DV might do the job: It captures higher-resolution video than the Mattel and Hasbro products (also recording to Secure Digital cards) and comes with basic video editing software.
If your kids are really serious about making movies, then look at a cheap MiniDV camcorder. You can pick up one for under $350 if you look around; the Sony DCR-HC21 would be a good choice, for instance.
If the kids just want to edit a video, Microsoft's free Movie Maker 2 should get them started, although you need Windows XP to use it.
File Formats for DVD Players
Q: I have a Windows Media video file on my PC that I want to play on a DVD player. I copied it onto a DVD-RW, but when I put the disc in my DVD player, it wouldn't play. Why not?
A: Some DVD players can handle Windows Media files: If yours can, it'll have a Windows Media logo somewhere on it (or its packaging). For most players, though, you need to convert media files to the same MPEG-2 format that DVD movies use, then burn the files onto a DVD-Video disc. To do this, you'll need to get hold of a DVD authoring program, such as Roxio Easy Media Creator or ULead DVD MovieFactory. As long as the file isn't copy protected, either of these programs should be able to convert it to MPEG-2 format and then burn it to disc as a DVD-Video disc that your player can understand. Both programs are pretty easy to use.
Can Old PCs Learn Video Tricks?
Q: I have a PC that's about three years old and doesn't have a rewritable DVD drive. It's got a Pentium III 600-MHz CPU. Should I add a DVD drive to this computer, or buy a new one?
A: I'd look at buying a new one. Your system may be capable of editing video and writing it out to DVD if you install a rewritable DVD drive, but it will be a slow and frustrating business. A new PC will do the job much faster and will probably come with all of the software you need to edit video and write it out to DVD preinstalled.
Visit PC World's Info Center for Desktop Computers for reviews and pricing information.
Copy-Protecting Your Work
Q: I am making my own videos and I would like to know if there is some way I can prevent them from being copied.
A: Makers of commercial videos and DVD movies use systems like Macrovision ACP to try to keep people from copying them, but these aren't readily available to the consumer.
Home video recorders can't write copy-protected videotapes, and most consumer rewritable DVD drives can't write copy-protected DVDs. If you are having your video commercially duplicated, you may be able to add copy protection; talk to your duplicator.
But I have to ask, why are you worried about this? Unless you are selling the video for a significant fee, I simply wouldn't bother with copy protection. Copy protection schemes can usually be removed by a determined user.
E-Mailing Precious Moments
Q: My child/dog/cat did the cutest thing yesterday, and I caught it on video. How can I e-mail the clip to my family?
A: Windows Movie Maker 2 can help. Start by importing the video onto your PC. Import only the bit you want to e-mail, and keep it short. You don't want to clog up people's inboxes; every minute of video takes up around 350KB. Now select Finish Movie, then Send In E-Mail. Movie Maker compresses the file into a format that's suitable for e-mailing and attaches it a new message, ready for you to address.
Other video editors can do the same thing: Look for a setting that compresses the video down to as small a size as possible.