Is there any way to tell when existing Camcorder prices will go down?

Q. Panasonic releases a lot of their 2011 line of camcorders in March, will this make the price of their existing models go down? Is there any way to tell when existing Camcorder prices will go down (for any models).

A. right. top of line cameras always sell at a premium price. once a better model is available, that premium drops to a more commonplace price. however retailers do not drop prices until they have the new wonder model in stock, to do otherwise would reduce sales volume. some announced products never make it to the store (vaporware) or produced in such small quantity as to not change retail pricing structure. not all retailers drop prices, they may have a distribution deal with the manufacture to return older models from inventory. so bargain models are never on the shelf for you to buy. they become "factory refurbished" items for eventual sale as obsolete models.

Original Question

How good is the video quality on modern HD camcorders?

Q. I am hoping to get a general idea on how good a HD camcorder (price within 800$) would look on a 52" 1080p TV? Would it look flawless to the normal eye? How does it compare to blu-ray movies out today? Is it like watching DVD quality? Any information will be helpful. (I am thinking of getting the HF R10 Canon camcorder it will record in 1080p)
Thanks

A. flawless is not likely. all consumer HD camcorders have difficulty with action and moving camera shots. this is due to high compression. most any camera will take a great picture of a still subject in bright daylight.

the HR R10 records on flashcards, so its maximum datarate is substantially less than Blu-ray. at the highest setting, it is only 17 mbps. Blu-ray is 24-30 mbps, which can be reached by HDD class cameras. it is better than DVD but then DVD does not pretend to be an HD format.

Original Question

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