Help Grandpa buy Grandma some video gear

[bisley]

Mrs. Bisley has successfully negotiated the pay-off for my new rifle. Now I have to learn something about 'modern' video cameras and how to play them on the TV, and store them for posterity. Here is what I want to accomplish:

• Buy a video camera that she can simply turn on and start shooting standard quality video onto an SD card. Home videos of the grandkids, indoors and outdoors, of a quality that is not noticeably bad.

• Buy a device that can be left connected to the TV that she can simply transfer the SD card to and push a button to play it.

• Buy whatever is necessary to transfer them to a 'mass' storage device that will connect to the computer by USB. Optionally, it would be nice if videos could be played directly from this device to the TV.

I am not totally technologically inept, but I'm heading that way as fast as I can go. I have transferred and edited videos several years ago, when it was a major pain in the butt, but I am now almost completely burned out on anything remotely related to computers.

This new video set-up has to be something I can set up in a few minutes, show her how to use it in five minutes, and walk away from. I've done some Googling, but my foo was weak and I am now confused. Somebody please tell me exactly what I need, tell me I can't have it, or give me some key words to search with.

Yours truly,

Grandpa

[alphasigmookie]

Don't have a lot of expertise in specific video cameras, but most decent smartphones and point and shoot digital cameras can do this. If you want something simple, the "Flip" and similar styled cameras seem to be pretty easy to operate, not sure about sharing/playing, but probably pretty simple too.

As for transferring to the TV, most new DVD and Blu-Ray players have SD card slots and a lot of new HD TV's also have them. Not sure if you have an older tube TV though. Going to the computer should be as easy as downloading digital photos.

[alphasigmookie]

I might look at something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Kodak-PlaySpor...808372&sr=1-20

[Buffco]

Bisley, I have exactly what you need. It's at home. I got it from the company we sell product for and it's what I used to video my deer hunt in Kentucky with.

The picture is HD, goes right to a micro SD card, and it has a flip-out USB plug that serves two purposes: charge the camera and transfer media to your computer.

It also has a cable that will allow you to plug to your tv. I'll holler back atcha this evening with a picture and the details. Good camera.

Oh, it's also waterproof. As in, you can drop it in the glass of water you put your teeth in with no adverse affects.

[bisley]

Oh, it's also waterproof. As in, you can drop it in the glass of water you put your teeth in with no adverse affects.

That wasn't one of my specifications, but it's good to know that you've thoroughly tested it.

Have you video'ed anything yet that actually has moving objects in it?

[Buffco]

Yes I have. Got some footage of squirrels, chipmunks, and a few does in Kentuck. I bought a flexible 3 legged mount that allows you to mount the camera virtually anywhere. Gorilla something?

[Buffco]

[Buffco]

You can see the USB port. As I said this serves to download video and charge the camera.

The other slot houses the HDMI cable port and the Micro SD card.

[alphasigmookie]

GorillaPod. Have one for my point and shoot camera. Got it for less than $20 on amazon. Works well enough and pretty easy and convenient to tote around.

[tennmike]

Well, dang, Buffy! If you ain't high tech! Looks like a neat little camera package!
What's your impression of the video quality?

[bisley]

Well, that probably fits what I described fairly well, but I'm willing to spend a little more to get a wobble compensation feature, a zoom lens, and a regular sized SD card. I have a $500 budget for the whole setup (including mass storage and some kind of player that can be left hooked up to the TV).

But, I'll check it out and let her choose what she wants. She might jump all over it and take the cash difference to buy gnomes for the front yard.

[bisley]

Consider this:

If I bought this camera: http://www.overstock.com/Electronics...5/product.html

And this Media Center: http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digita...pr_product_top

Could I then have the options to shoot home video onto a SD card, remove it from the camera and easily view it on the TV (or transfer it via RCA cables), and save it to the media center permanently? I realize the media player is designed for connecting to an existing network that has an internet connection for downloads, but I probably would not utilize that for a while.

All of this is based on the idea of a technically challenged person being able to take video footage and view it without understanding (or caring) how any of it works. I would rather spend a few extra bucks for something easy to use than have to learn something I'm not really interested in, and then teach it to somebody else who is even less interested. I really just want to get this done and put it behind me so I can play with my guns.

[alphasigmookie]

In general I'd probably avoid most media centers. I rarely find them to be terribly user friendly and they tend to be best left for tinkerers and enthusiasts. If you want something like that I'd just look for a decent mid-ranged blu ray player that has built in wifi and an SD card slot. You should be able to take out your SD card, plug it into the blu ray player and be good to go.

Something like this would work fine.

http://reviews.cnet.com/blu-ray-play...-35120314.html

$99 at amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00752R4PK/...SIN=B00752R4PK

[bisley]

Bump --- come on, folks. Don't make me go to Best Buy and ask one of those pimply guys with the vacant stare ---we scare each other, and have to have a translator.

[bisley]

I was thinking about the mass storage capability. Of course I can always copy it to my back-up USB hard drive from my computer, I guess.