Good Afternoon, and
Greetings from a new member in Mpls Mn.

I have a new/old last years Canon HV10 mini HDV.
This being now my 3rd video camera using mini dv tapes.
Tape is not my favorite as far as using the camera to reply footage before
loading to computer.

I do understand that tape is still the best median to use.
I looked at the Sony HC7 memory card only unit.
It makes good sense even more so that a hard drive, but then there are other issues that I won't deal with right now.

Even though by accident I did record video to the SD card on the Optura, and it wasn't bad, just small format.

So, in my last tour of searching, I now see this guy -JVC SR DVM700US.
These were not available say 4 -5 years ago.

Here is the write up I saved to file just the other day.

JVC SR DVM700US - DVD recorder / HDD recorder / VCR combo
$1,325.00 - $1,845.99
JVC SR-DVM700US 3-in-1 Video Recorder JVC S RD V M 700 U S 3in1 Video Recorder *IN-STOCK* The JVC SR-DVM700 is a 3-in-1 video recorder with tape, DVD and hard disk formats in a single box. The unit accepts Mini DV cassettes, DVD disks and it integrates a 250GB hard disk recorder. The compact package has analog to digital encoding as well as various editing and dubbing capabilities. The unit makes media duplication and professional archiving easier than ever. JVC SR-DVM700US 3-in-1 Professional Series Video Recorder with Mini DV, DVD and 250GB Hard Disk Play and Record JVC SRDVM700US - bhphotovideo

This should in my opinion make the job of the camera having to only record only, saving the deadly wear and tear on the camera.

Any Pro Advice either way on this theory? To use this recorder to make the editing process less pain on the camera.

I haven't had much luck on mini tape Canons going beyond 2 years and low milage. 10 - 14 tapes maybe. Too much viewing time in the camera might
be the death process. The Optura 60 is back to Canon as we speak for a no power.
The one prior to that was sent in for repair for the motor I believe, and it came back even more, dead.

Later, I'll go look to see what model that one is,
and make it available for parts.

Thanks'
I'm really glad I found this place.
The last 2-3 hours going over the threads on the Canon HV20 were great.
Seeing the talent here bling a HV20 like a Street Rod with Supercharger
was amazing. Radical on Rails.

Prior to posting, I did search for any mention of this product. Came up (0).
But if this posting fits better elsewhere, feel free to move it.

Perhaps I did post this in the wrong area

Personally, I feel that mini-DV tape is still the best, too.

That JVC unit looks really nice, albeit very expensive. I'd imagine that you can do all sorts of intricate, precise editing on it - at least I'd hope so for that price.

You might consider something like the Magnavox 80GB HDD/DVD recorder for $200.00, or the Philips 160GB HDD/DVD model for $290.00-$330.00.

Then all you have to do is record the tape to the recorder's hard drive, edit it on there, and transfer it directly to DVD. (I've actually been doing quite a bit of that myself lately with Hi-8 and my Panasonic EH75V, with some material a buddy and I are shooting for an amateur filmaker out in California.)

That would be a much cheaper solution and would save a lot of the wear and tear on the camera's mechanisms. Probably be more precise edits using an external recorder, I would think.

Both units mentioned are available at Walmart, and the Philips can also be found on Circuit City's website, and some Fry's Electronics stores.

But if you don't mind spending the money on the JVC unit, and you think you'll get your money's worth, I'm sure it will be a great piece of gear and more of a professional solution, if you really want or need it to that extent.

I have two Sony DV cameras and I save the DV to a hard drive by way of the firewire connection. It's pretty easy and I can replay it from the drive. I use Buffalo NAS drives and am up to 3 TB. I hate to see you spend so much on a machine like this when it seems like maybe a computer might work for you. I have a Phillips DVD Recorder with a hard drive and I hate it. I end up doing everything on my laptop because it's just easier.

On another note. I wanted to purchase a JVC camcorder with a hard drive and it sounded great because it has a line in for recording. My Sony DCR-PC100 had this and I loved it. Guess what? The JVC unit save the video into a propietary file type and so you can't just download it and use pricey software to edit you have to first use theirs and convert into a Mpeg.

The PC option just seems to give many more options.

john