Some people can become confused about the difference between standard definition and HD video. The biggest most noticeable difference is the video resolution of the HD technology. The picture that you view on a television or computer screen is created by hundreds of different lines that are projected on the screen. In the case of a standard definition video there are only 480 lines of resolution. In contrast a high-definition video can have up to 1,080 lines of resolution. The result is a clearer and sharper picture. Currently there are three main resolutions of HD video: 1080i, 1080p, and 720p.

There may be some questions about the differences between 1080i, 1080p, and 720p resolution, because to the human eye all three resolutions look the same. The difference between these resolutions is how the unit records a video. The "p" in the 1080p and 720P means progressive scan. The "I" in the 1080i means interlaced video.

The more typical type of recorder is that interlaced video such as the 1080i. This type of recorder records every other line of resolution. So it shows the video by starting with lines 1,3,5 and so on. This is then followed by the other lines such as 2,4, and 6.

The Progressive video does not skip any lines and records every line of video. When it plays it starts with line 1 and progresses to line 1080. You can see the difference when watching fast paced video such as a sports program. You may see some delays in the 1080i whereas in the 1080 P there is no delay or breaking of the picture.

The other difference between HD camcorders and standard video camcorders are the type of medium that is used to record the video and how they can be played back. The older types of standard video were recorded on magnetic tapes disks that could only be played in a VCR. HD is only recorded on mediums that can be read in a digital format.

There are few different types of HD video camcorders that are available to buy. There are different types of mediums in which they record on and different sizes. Some of the different types of mediums available are MiniDV tapes, mini-DVDs, hard disks, and flash drives. Each of these mediums can hold different amounts of data. The larger the data capacity a disk has, the longer that you can record.