Video Download onboard ship

[Rocket4Oh]

I was inspired by the fantastic videos that Don (Hondorner) took at the Marina Float-out. In the 'self-portrait' taken in the bathroom (sorry, I'm a retired sailor - it's a head!:rolleyes:) I saw that Don uses a Flip Video recorder. I’m now thinking about getting one. It could be literally carried in my pocket while in the Greece towns and cities this September on our Oceania cruise. One concern that I have, however, is born from my experience with how I shoot film by the bucket load (7 hours worth on a recent 2-week trip to Germany!).

I will most likely need to download the video files onto some sort of carrier because of the Flip Camera’s 8 gig limit (120 minutes). The best option may be a DVD.

My questions: Does Oceania’s computer room have blank DVDs to purchase? How much are they and how much would it be to download using the ship’s computers (via USB port)?

Thank you

[Paulchili]

I was inspired by the fantastic videos that Don (Hondorner) took at the Marina Float-out. In the 'self-portrait' taken in the bathroom (sorry, I'm a retired sailor - it's a head!:rolleyes:) I saw that Don uses a Flip Video recorder. I’m now thinking about getting one. It could be literally carried in my pocket while in the Greece towns and cities this September on our Oceania cruise. One concern that I have, however, is born from my experience with how I shoot film by the bucket load (7 hours worth on a recent 2-week trip to Germany!).

I will most likely need to download the video files onto some sort of carrier because of the Flip Camera’s 8 gig limit (120 minutes). The best option may be a DVD.

My questions: Does Oceania’s computer room have blank DVDs to purchase? How much are they and how much would it be to download using the ship’s computers (via USB port)?

Thank you

 

I can certainly address part of your question.

Why don't you bring your own DVDs with you - They do not have them for sale (I tried recently).

I am not sure if they will charge you for downloads - they shouldn't.

If you have a laptop, that would solve that issue.

[hondorner]

I borrowed the Flip Ultra from my daughter for the occasion, and now I'm going to buy one. They work very well, with some limitations. Because it is so easy to casually hold it, it is sometimes difficult to hold still. I got better at it with practice.

 

The resolution on the Ultra is limited, 640 x 480. This is adequate for it's intended use, which is posting on the internet, but I don't know how well it would show up on a large-screen TV. There is a newer model with HDMI capabilities and about double the resolution, not much more expensive than the one I used.

 

The zoom is very limited, a digital zoom of 2:1, which is not close to the 12:1 optical zoom of my Lumix ZS3, or the typical 25:1 zoom of most small camcorders.

 

On the other hand, it is definitely easy to carry, fitting in most pockets, and is extremely easy to download to a computer and to post to social networks like YouTube and FaceBook -- the software for such transfers comes with the camera.

 

Battery life is very good -- I started with fresh AA batteries, and had total running time of over 4 hours with no signs of battery weakness. I can attest that it will record more than 2 hours if there is no image to record; I recorded 2 hours and 35 minutes of blackness when I put it in my pocket while it was still recording...:rolleyes:

 

All of the video I shot of the ship was about 1 hour and 40 minutes before I edited some of it. I ended up with 33 separate videos of an average of about 2 minutes each. It told the entire story of a day's activities, but yes, you would want to download it. I carry a small (12.1" screen) HP laptop that is fairly light in weight; the only disadvantage is the keyboard is very slightly smaller than normal, which leads o more typos than I typically catch.

 

To answer your specific question, I have never used the computers on board. I have read, however, that the computer lab will let you make DVDs of your photos for $20 each. I think you could load all of your videos into your account on board, transferring some each day, and then create a single DVD near the end of the voyage, but you would have to confirm that with the computer lab person.

 

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Scratch all that -- I was looking around for a possible external storage device for a Flip without using a computer -- and discovered the Sony Bloggie. It looks like it has more features at a lower price, and it uses removable digital memory cards like like SD. Change cards and keep shooting!

 

See it here.

[Rocket4Oh]

Don,

Once again you've outdone yourself with a response. Thanks.

I too have a digital camcorder that I use to shoot video of good quality that I edit into movies (Pinnacle Studio software). But of course it's comparatively large and when travelling into areas where I don't want to take the chance to have it stolen, I thought the Flip would fit the bill. I do like the looks of the Sony Bloggie and the opportunity to use removable data cards and I am a huge fan of Sony's quality. I think I will also take DVDs with me on the trip, JIC.

LOL about 'pocket video'. On our Germany trip the 10 hours of video had about 1 hour of blackness or video that was upside down from either being in the case or still on while it was dangling around my neck!

Thanks again.

[hondorner]

Unfortunately, Sony is back ordered or out of stock on all the Bloggie stuff. I haven't looked at third party suppliers, yet -- I assume Amazon will have some if they are available anywhere.

 

But, once they become available, and if one is willing to spend and extra $150, they also have a DVD recorder that can record video directly from the camera without a PC. I have to assume the DVD recorder is lighter than a laptop for packing purposes. But, of course, it will be bigger and heavier than a few SDHC cards. :rolleyes:

[Rocket4Oh]

Unfortunately, Sony is back ordered or out of stock on all the Bloggie stuff. I haven't looked at third party suppliers, yet -- I assume Amazon will have some if they are available anywhere.

 

But, once they become available, and if one is willing to spend and extra $150, they also have a DVD recorder that can record video directly from the camera without a PC. I have to assume the DVD recorder is lighter than a laptop for packing purposes. But, of course, it will be bigger and heavier than a few SDHC cards. :rolleyes:

I read a few reviews of the Bloggie and the Flip and the Flip seems like it has much better video quality than the sony. I'm leaning towards the Flip and the obvious need to off-load files. Also, on Amazon the cost is about $50 less than retail.