On 27 Jun 2001 23:45:30 GMT, rickron51@aol.com (Rickron51) wrote:

>When i bought my Sony DCR-PC100 DV camcorder it is advertised to have 520.
>this is close to the 480 of a DVD yet on my Elite TV or my 36" XBR the DVD
>appears to be much sharper than a DV tape recorded on my camcorder. Can anyone
>tell me why?

Ooooo-o-o-o-oh......! ;-)
Confusing, that's what video resolutions are...
There are a minimum of three different resolutions
relevant for camcorders: still image max resolution
(X x Y pixels...); format video resolution (NTSC,
720x480 pixels, or about 540 lines TV in the
horizontal direction [vertical TV lines...] for
Mini-DV); actual on-tape video resolution (no
greater than about 540 lines, generally less
[possibly a LOT less] due to optics, f-stop used,
CCD-characteristics, stabilization type, etc.).
The PC100 is one of the sharper Mini-DV camcorders,
though...
As for DVDs, as with commercial VHS movie tapes
that look MUCH better than any VHS tape we mere
mortals can produce (due to starting with a
REALLY sharp, REALLY big format, like movie
film, running this through optimizations for
transfers, and being able to make REALLY GOOD
copies), commercial DVDs start with more, and
optimize better, than we can, and they may only
use part of that big TV's screen (letterboxing),
so all the available resolution is thrown into
a smaller screen area than is used for 3:4
(full-screen) Mini-DV...
Or......;-)