Need Help -- DVDR Camcorder suitable for recording class/conference?

[fbrdphreak]

So my gf's Mom is a licensed therapist/counselor type person and is getting into setting up a program for companies, something that has to do with employee mental health & happiness, etc. Long story short, she's thinking about setting up CD or DVD training videos that she would record herself for companies that could not participate in her training videoconferences. She has the option to have a recording company create these videos, but of course that would raise her startup-costs for this little endeavour.
Of course, since I'm the technology guy in her immediate reach, she e-mailed me about this. However, I know zilch about DVD camcorders and video editing. She is about 90% computer illiterate, so relying heavily on computer video editiing is not a good option. That and she will ask me about it constantly , so we don't want to go that route.
If anyone has ANY insight, please chime in here. Thanks in advance

 

[fbrdphreak]

bump for help!

 

[fbrdphreak]

anotha bump for help!

 

[Ranger]

I made a couple of training videos for work a few years ago. Got a nice computer, Canon GL1, tons of Adobe software and a DVD burner. The GL1 was way better than i needed and i learned the software easy enough thanks to online tutorials. Sound was the weak point, the built in mic just didnt cut it....Subject lvl's were low and I got lots of echo's.

The projects are big, unless you make then on an external hard drive you are stuck with them.. 4 gig for 15 min of DV vidio if i remember right.

People that are good at things aren't always good on tape, if they aren't the center of attenetion in a room they wont be much better on tape.

Anyway

My boss spent a lot of $$, I learned lots and the projects didnt help at work much.

Not sure if that was any help but feel free to pm if you have any questions

Andy

 

[fbrdphreak]

thanks a lot andy, i will PM you in a day or two (kinda busy right now :roll

anyone else?

 

[fbrdphreak]

more bump for help!

 

[woowoo]

If you don't know what your doing then farm it out.
Find a small (one man band)production company to do it.

 

[GoSharks]

ddont get a dvd camcorder. if you are planning on editing or even transfering video from one format to another, get a miniDV camera. DVD camcorders compress data into mpeg2 so that it can play on a regular dvd player. bottom line, mpeg2 is lossy, and the format used by minidv is not.