The MiniDV-to-DVD workflow can be a major pain in the ass, especially for someone who doesn't know a thing about doing it.
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For quick and dirty transfers to DVDs that I am sending out to relatives,
I just use a consumer DVD recorder with firewire input.
I have a Philips.
The DVD recorders are cheap nowadays, you can get a Lite On at Costco for $130.00
I know the quality is not as good as capturing on your computer, as you are depending on the encoding of the DVD recorder,
but for those of us who are short on time, I think it's a good solution.
I also use the DVD recorder to transfer old VHS tapes, and the resolution is fine for that.
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Not a bad solution, but let's be clear on what you're saying... The end result is it is still preferrable to own a MiniDV camera to start with, but then, you offer up a really simple and easy solution to get the MiniDV tape converted to DVD: use a dedicated consumer DVD recorder -- just plug in your camera to the recorder via firewire (or analog for that matter), and burn on-the-fly. That gives you an easy way to make a DVD while retaining the original MiniDV tapes in all of their full-res glory for use in editing or using at a later date. Nice suggestion!