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Fantastic Canon TX1 720p MJPEG Camera Review By Jeff Keller

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  • Fantastic Canon TX1 720p MJPEG Camera Review By Jeff Keller

    Jeff Keller lives in the San Francisco area.

    Check out the 720p sample video he recorded in good daylight.

    It's an HD video of a trolley car.

    The raw .avi (MJPEG) is here:



    Looks fine to me.

    He also converted the .avi to an .MP4 file, which downloads faster:



    Obviously, one could also convert the MJPEG source files to Windows Media HD for sharing with others.

    The review is here:



    I like this camera in spite of the difficulties in low light situations.

    I like the ability to record the video to a card instead of tape.

    Moreover, the Canon HV10, which is also dropping in price, may record a much higher resolution picture, but it also tends to falter in low light.

    And -- with the Canon HV10 -- one is back to tape with all of the time required to "capture" via Firewire to one's hard disk.

    The TX1 is cheaper, easier to use, and the 720p HD video *might* be good enough for some people.

    Remember... even a high quality HDV MPEG-2 file would probably have to be converted to Windows Media HD for sharing as the high definition DVD format war makes it unlikely that any target recipient of your video would actually own a Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD player.

    So we're probably talking about sharing HD video via traditional discs using compressed (Windows Media HD or H.264) video formats that can be played by computers on a flat panel screen.

    I could see sharing a standard definition DV > MPEG-2 DVD and then include a DVD with compressed high definition content (Windows Media HD).

    That's the reality today.

    So this Canon TX1 does appeal to me.

    And the price is actually going to be pretty affordable as time passes... under $500.

    For sound acquisition, I'd use Sony MiniDisc recorders.

    I have the latest model that can do high-speed uploads from MiniDiscs to my laptop computer via USB 2.0 to .WAV file formats that can be matched to the track recorded by the TX1's built-in microphone.

    In addition, the TX1's MJPEG format can be easily edited -- WITH SMART RENDER -- using either Ulead VideoStudio 10 Plus or Ulead MediaStudio Pro 8.

    There's a lot to like about this model.

    And no need to "capture" the video via Firewire.

    I could just insert the SD memory card into the slot that is built-in on my Gateway laptop.

    Jerry Jones
    I found a great domain name for sale on Dan.com. Check it out!

  • #2
    By the way, my primary goal in using a camera such as this would be Web distribution.

    For that purpose, the image quality would seem to be good enough.

    Jerry Jones
    I found a great domain name for sale on Dan.com. Check it out!

    Comment


    • #3
      For distribution on a high definition DVD disc, I would definitely choose the HV10, however, over this little TX1 model.

      The 1080i video from the HV10 is much, much better.

      The HV10's price has dropped below $800 on PriceGrabber.com:

      Comparison shop for in . See store ratings and reviews and find the best prices on with PriceGrabber's shopping search engine.


      Jerry Jones
      I found a great domain name for sale on Dan.com. Check it out!

      Comment


      • #4
        Unfortunately its pretty rare for me to shoot video in "good light", but I'm in the market for a new point and shoot and if this TX1 lets me play around and go up the HD learing curve it'd seem to be the one to get now.

        --wally.

        Comment


        • #5
          The advantage of the MJPEG files is that they are highly editable.

          I've downloaded the clips and they work in MediaStudio Pro and VideoStudio... in virtually the same way as DV .avi clips.

          You just have to adjust the project settings to match the parameters of the MJPEG files and you're good to go.

          The disadvantage of MJPEG is that the file size quickly fills up the SD memory card in the camera.

          But the big question I have is whether this camera will accept the new 8gb SD cards.

          If so, then the HD video shoot time goes up to almost a half hour.

          So a person could buy two of those cards and get almost an hour's worth of shooting.

          That wouldn't be too bad.

          On the other hand, this camera may only be able to accept a 4gb card maximum.

          That point isn't clear.

          Jerry Jones
          I found a great domain name for sale on Dan.com. Check it out!

          Comment


          • #6
            I also wish the Canon engineers could have increased the frame rate to 60 frames per second.

            The 60 frames per second is what's needed for true 720p video with fluid motion.

            Jerry Jones
            I found a great domain name for sale on Dan.com. Check it out!

            Comment

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