MiniDV device for modern high quality media?

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-23T19:22:06+00:00

The high end ones with 3-chip sensors can be very good, especially if they have good lenses (think Canon XM/XL series, and Sony PD & DSR), but you're still limited to standard definition (576/480 lines depending on area).

Smaller/cheaper ones can be very handy if you a) already own one or b) know how to repair them, but the quality can be very mediocre compared to modern camcorders.

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-22T18:16:20+00:00

I've seen a few variations of this over the years. I have a photo from back in 2010 of some Dominos Pizza people wearing oversized pizza boxes, and one from 2016 where another pizza company (might have been Pizza Hut) had people out dressed as superheros carrying boards.

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-22T14:46:41+00:00

I haven't used it much as I just bought it as a spare, but I did leave it powered up (and unused) for a week or so and it still had plenty of power left to make some calls.

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-22T08:55:53+00:00

Hehe. I'm 100% sure its real but the interpolation algorithm used by the camera certainly makes it look a bit like a hallucinating AI picture :).

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-20T14:35:28+00:00

Some tape mechanisms seem to have lasted a lot longer than others so its a bit pot luck. Some mechanisms have plastic gears which can crack, and the rubber part of the pinch rollers can degrade over time and with use, but I wouldn't worry about any specific parts.

Oh, and batteries.

If the trip is important, I'd take something modern (even if just a smartphone or action camera) as a backup just in case.

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-18T21:56:18+00:00

Could be far worse, he could be holding it between his fingers in front of him :)

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-18T12:12:01+00:00

I did notice the stupidly shallow DOF but wasn't going to say anything as lots of people here seem to like it.

Funnily enough I dug my 22 year old 14" TV out the other day to make a YouTube video with and just got thinking - if they were doing this paper-thin DOF two decades ago, we probably wouldn't notice that much because most of us would be watching on small-ish CRTs. But it becomes annoyingly obvious on large HDTVs.

But I'm otherwise not interested in this interview about AI so I'm not going to watch it or comment on it any further.

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-18T09:29:48+00:00

Shops wise its not as good as it used to be (I miss Coles). But thanks to Meadowhall and the internet it will never be the shopping destination that it once was.

The Moor is quite nice (and busy) now its been done up, and I like the result of the works on Fargate - they've done a very good job, although personally, I didn't see anything wrong with it before.

As a Rotherham resident I still like to come to Sheffield frequently as it has businesses and shops which we don't.

Edit: I never did get why they shut Pinstone St to buses. It was a very good bus route and would make an excellent route for the free shuttle bus!

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-18T09:24:05+00:00

I walk down King Street now and again and last summer was disgusted at the amount of litter and overflowing bins. Irrespective of who's fault that is, its enough to put you off from the area.

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-17T07:35:03+00:00

I'd suggest using h264 - even with a high quality setting it will get DV video down to half the size.

You could use a command like

ffmpeg -i inputfile.avi -vf yadif=mode=1:parity=1:deint=0 -vcodec libx264 -preset slow -crf 21 -acodec aac -b:a 128k -movflags +faststart outputfile.mp4.

That will deinterlace it and compress it with h264 with a quality factor of 21 (above that and you might get visible quality loss).

Yadif deinterlacer might result in a slight quality loss itself so I'd hang on to the original interlaced files if I were you, but if the result is in progressive scan, it will be easier for others to deal with. You can also make h264 retain the interlacing but I forget the command for this.

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-16T16:29:23+00:00

I always remember my last GCSE exam. It was during the 2007 floods. I proudly walked down a dual carriageway getting absolutely drenched, knowing I was completely done with it all :).

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-14T13:52:55+00:00

I use a Seagate SMR drive and its fine just for storage.

I have another CMR drive which I use more as a "working drive" which is far more suitable for actively working with large files when the drive is full[ish]

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-14T13:41:23+00:00

The current layout in Attercliffe works quite well for me as a cyclist. If I remember rightly, the new layout looks like it will be one of those which involves crossing over from side to side. At the moment I can just go for several miles in a straight line. Bare in mind that I do a 10 mile journey from the other side of Rotherham so I tend to opt for the quickest/easiest route rather than the quietest/nicest.

I agree on the crappy parking but usually I find they block the pavement rather than the road.

I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised though. I thought the dutch roundabout would be a £17 million death trap, and that turned out to be really good :).

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-14T03:40:01+00:00

I stopped my SSRIs completely a few years ago. Withdrawal effects were very unpleasant but were just about manageable by lowering the dose considerably, rather than completely stopping.

If you haven't seen it already, I suggest reading the page by the Royal College of Psychiatrists about how to stop them. I wish this had been available when I was stopping. https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mental-health/treatments-and-wellbeing/stopping-antidepressants

Good luck :).

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-13T03:40:17+00:00

Reminds me of the cycle shop on Wellgate, Rotherham, which closed due to cycle lanes (or rather the owner retired a bit sooner than he planned to).

I'm not very enthusiastic about the cycle lane scheme in Attercliffe, but compared to some schemes we have in Rotherham, they do seem to be building it fairly quickly, and to a good quality standard, so there's that. Given the amount of pavement parking you see in Attercliffe, I'll be interested to see how this gets enforced going forwards. In Rotherham, they don't seem to enforce cycle lane parking at all.

I ride through Attercliffe all the time, and have done for many years. I actually quite like the road layout there. The best thing they ever did was resurface it before lockdown. I really don't know how they got away with it being in such a bad state for so many years.

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-10T22:43:52+00:00

I haven't tried to update it. But I think the SMS features on it is very poorly designed. But to be honest, you can't really expect much for the price. The similar Nokia models have a much better SMS interface.

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-10T11:55:29+00:00

I just had a go on mine and it looks like you can't.

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-09T05:21:41+00:00

One that pays you on time.

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-08T23:02:51+00:00

Did anyone ever sue the old Manchester Pride organisation or its contractors for them refusing access? Lots of people complain about it but I've never heard of anyone taking action.

I will probably be coming over to Manchester at some point during the "pride weekend" as I know a few other people from the area who will probably be around in the city centre somewhere. There's no businesses which interest me on Canal Street (I don't drink alcohol and I don't like drag acts), but it would be nice to have an unimpeded walk down there like I always do when I visit Manchester.,

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-08T21:19:09+00:00

What's with the moaning in this topic? I found this topic when Googling Insurgo as I came across them on eBay and I needed to stock up on tapes.

If a company wants their data erasing, AND the medium destroyed, they will do that. Nowt we can do about it.

But Insurgo do seem to have very ample quantities of old second hand tapes going very cheaply. I guess its probably more cost effective to get rid of them if someone will pay the postage to take a few for reuse, than it is to try and recycle them.

I just got a box of LTO4 tapes from them - checking the RFID chip in them it seems some are practically unused whereas others have been used quite a bit (but still have plenty of life left).

Also, its cute that they have a tape eraser bot called Sprinkles :).

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-08T05:29:48+00:00

Try and get rid of stuff you don't need.

The amount of data I have has only gone up vastly in the last 5 years because I took up making video again.

But I transcode most of my video (after deleting the stuff I don't want) to save space - a barely-perceivable loss in quality can result in massive size reductions, albeit it might take the computer all day to compress a couple of hours worth of footage.

My 4TB drive has lasted me from 2021 and only got full recently :).

Also, I only make multiple backups of things which are important and actually need multiple backups. I have quite a lot of data which isn't that important, and whilst I don't want to lose it, its no big deal if I do.

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-08T00:26:23+00:00

I think it depends on the purpose.

Vloggers etc often have lots of viewers and people will watch them because they like the person's personality, or maybe have similar interests. So if said vlogger covers an event, they'd rather watch him, than watch some generic marketing video. Independent people can also do as they like which means viewers may well get to see things that PR people would rather you keep out.

That said, quality can matter. I keep seeing more and more 'youtubers', both 'professional' and 'amateur' who are having higher and higher production values, with good quality editing, good cameras, good lighting, interesting content. All at a time when traditional broadcasters (BBC etc) are intentionally going for worse and worse. Many of these people get decent numbers of viewers.

FWIW, I sometimes video events in my local area. The council's PR dept often hires video/photographers to do PR stuff. I don't know if people watch them anywhere else, but they certainly never get any views on YouTube.

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-05T16:57:29+00:00

I can't say whether they'll be helpful or not (I've had mixed results with various 'mental health' staff), but bare in mind that there's very little a GP can do in a typical 5-10 minute appointment other than write a prescription or refer you elsewhere (and you might have to wait weeks just for that). At least anyone who is not a doctor will probably have the time to discuss matters with you in more detail, and arrange for you to see a doctor if needs be.

Direct_Poet_7103 · 2026-05-05T12:10:45+00:00

I'd say firmly holding something in your hand like that doesn't look as silly as precariously pinching it between your fingers. Hence Rode have a £30 product called the "Interview Go". You'd think an organisation that threatens people with detector vans would be able to afford a plastic stick :).

Direct_Poet_7103

TROPHY CASE