The Beginner's Guide to SSD Camcorders

Today's camcorders store video footage in a variety of different ways - DVD, miniDVD, tape, SD cards, and internal memory - and until recently, the best choice for consumers looking to buy a high-capacity camcorder that can take and store many hours of video was to purchase an HDD, or hard disk drive, camcorder. In 2009, a new choice for consumers was unveiled at the Consumers Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas called SSD, or solid-state drive.

SSD isn't a new technology - as a matter of fact, this technology has been around since the '80s, and today is used frequently in laptops, tablet PCs, Ultra-Mobile PCs, among other devices. SSD memory offers an efficient way to store information, much like HDD, but with some added benefits. That's why the integration of SSD memory into camcorders is so exciting!

HDD vs. SSD: Memory Capacity

When it comes to memory capacity, HDD camcorders have the edge over SSD for the simple fact that HDD technology has been around longer than SSD has. HDD camcorders can feature memory capacities as high as 120 GB - enough memory to record up to 14 hours of high-definition video footage! The first-ever SSD camcorder is the Samsung H106, which has 64 GB of internal memory - enough memory to shoot 6-7 hours of high-definition video. Although HDD has the advantage when it comes to memory capacity, SSD will surely catch up as the technology progresses. Toshiba is releasing a 512 GB SSD - the largest capacity of its kind - to be used in notebook computers in 2009, so the potential is there for increased memory capacities in camcorders.

Advantages of an SSD Camcorder

The new SSD camcorders excel over other hard drive-based camcorders in three distinct ways:

1.SSD Memory is "Greener"

SSD differs from HDD in that it has no internal moving parts. Why does this matter you ask? Well, it helps the camcorder perform better in a couple of different ways:

With no moving parts, less power is required to run SSD - in other words, you'll get more battery life. The first-ever SSD camcorders use an eighth of the power of traditional HDD camcorders.

Since there are no moving parts inside of the SSD memory storage device, it's much more durable than HDD and even shock-proof.

2.SSD is Faster

SSDs boot up much quicker than HDDs, and they also read/write faster - Samsung claims speeds as much as 3x faster in their first SSD models. This means that the overall camcorder operation will be much faster than in HDD models.

3.SSD is More Compact

SSDs can be made to be much smaller than traditional HDDs, which means that the overall camcorder size can also be smaller. This will help lead the way for future camcorders to be more compact and portable, while still having the ability to pack hours of high quality HD footage into your camcorder.

Cost of SSD Camcorders

With the introduction of the first ever SSD camcorders in 2009, as with any new technology, you can expect the prices to be relatively high. SSD memory is already considerably more expensive to produce than traditional hard drives. So with that being said, until SSD becomes a more mainstream feature used in camcorders, expect the cost of these innovative shooters to be pretty steep (don't think hundreds of dollars - think more like thousands!).