Panasonic SVAV100 D-Snap MPEG4 Digital Video Recorder w/10x Optical Zoom

I found no flaws with the d-spap av100, except for the fact that whenever I plug it into the TV, there is no audio. Maybe it is just me, but if anyone knows what my problem is please let me know.

rskurban@comcast.net

The fact that this records files with an .mod suffix is irrelevant. When you rename them as .mpg files they are fine. Actually, Premiere Elements 2.0 doesn't even require you to rename them, it deals with .mod files just fine.
The video is very good, with just a bit of jagged lines when there's fast motion.
The point is, this camera is meant to be an easy thing to put in your pocket so you are always ready to grab some video and it does this superbly.
It's not quite as good video as a higher end DV camera, but it's not meant for that. It's a great addition to your camera collection.

I own this this camera since February 2004. It is very well built, light and handy, fits in any pocket.

Video quality with light is very good. In low light conditions is very bad or no video at all.

It is complicated to manage the files. Panasonic uses a trick to edit the video files. Files extenssion is .MOD, it is not .MPG. The change of extenssion was done to allow the edition of the recorded files with included Panasonic software and you will not find another compatibility for edition.

If you backup the files in CD's or DVD's you will need to replace the extension of the files to play it in your DVD Player except for Panasonic DVD players.
Example: File name MOV01.MOD must be changed to MOV01.MPG.

You may want to use VLC software in your computer instead of Panasonic software included.

From my point of view this product is not completely developed yet.

The comment from reviewer "Xdeth" about using Ulead editing software is completely wrong. I've been using Ulead VideoStudio 8 to edit SV100 videos for over a year. Yes, as many others have stated, the ".mod" files need to be renamed to ".mpg" to use Ulead and much other software.

As for the camera itself, what other memory card based MPEG-2 (DVD quality) camcorder can you toss in your pocket like a wallet? I take it everywhere. I have also dropped it a few times and have a few dents to prove it. I am very pleased with it's ability to withstand physical abuse.

While it only records 12 minutes in MPEG-2 on 512MB card, it's not much of an issue. I keep an extra card in my wallet. I also have a 40 GiG portable rechargeable X-drive Pro hard drive with built in media card ports. I can off-load files with the press of a single button without a PC.

Furthermore, how often does anyone ever take more than 12 minutes (MPEG-2) of continuous video? For those who do need the extra recording time, do as I did. Buy an extra SD card or an X-drive Pro.

I bought this camcorder specifically for the MPEG-2 file quality. I only shoot the higher compressed MPEG-4 video when I know I'm going to email the clip.

Another plus is it's 10X optical zoom.

The only downside is the inability to shoot in low light and only 640 by 480 still photos. Since there is no other tapeless MPEG-2 pocket camcorder out there, the AV100 stands alone in it's catagory.

My recomendation: Do buy this AV100.

The camera would be as advertised if it was not for the MPEG2 file fomat and they use and lack of software control over your files. Sure you can copy and rename the files off the SD card, but don't save them to your computer first using the supplied software, it uses some compression method to create one huge file from all your little ones. And they will be little, 10 minutes record time in high quality for $900.00 + cost of 512 MB SD card, please.

Lastly you cannot edit the panasonic MPEG2 formats like others using Adobe or Ulead, you can burn them straight to DVD but splitting tracks, adding effects, and doing the things that make a video look slick don't work well if at all. Many players don't have the codec available to play back the files either!

Check the net for more info, plenty of angry folks on the camcorder forums discussing the workarounds for panasonics mistakes and misleading product info.