Creative Labs Vado HD 720p Pocket Video Camcorder

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 at 3:32 am

Creative Labs Vado HD 720p Pocket Video Camcorder with 8 GB Video Storage and 2x Digital Zoom (Black)

Technical Details:
* High definition 720P pocket video camcorder with 8 GB of video storage capacity
* Fits easily in your pocket purse or the palm of your hand
* One touch recording with a spacious 2 inch display
* Record up to two hours of HD video footage or up to four hours of video at VGA resolution
* Connect your Vado HD to any HDTV with included HDMI cable

Product Description
From the Manufacturer
Catch the perfect snowboarding stunt, your baby’s first steps or your kid’s graduation, share it online and save it for a lifetime with Creative’s Vado HD Pocket Video Cam. The thin, lightweight Vado HD is small enough to fit easily in a pocket, purse or the palm of your hand, and it captures video in 720P high-definition quality with just the touch of a button. Sharing videos online is simple with built-in software that helps you post videos to YouTube, Photobucket or Box.net. The Vado HD is the only pocket video cam to feature true HDMI connectivity and an included HDMI cable for a superior viewing experience on an HDTV. Take the Vado HD Pocket Video Cam with you everywhere you go and never miss a moment. Product specs include 720p high-definition video, wide-angle glass lens, 2x digital zoom, 8GB of video storage capacity, up to two hours of recording and playback per charge, up to eight hours of recording time at 640×480 at 30 frames per second, HDMI and RCA connections for TV, HDMI cable included, A/V cable sold separately, removable and rechargeable lithium battery, Vado Central software for simple video editing and sharing. System requirements include Windows Xp Service Pack 2 or Vista, Intel Pentium III or higher, 512MB of memory, USB port, 500MB free hard disk space, and 16MB of Video Memory or above. Product ships with soft pouch, HDMI cable, and USB cable.

Vado HD Highlights
Capture life in HD
See it, shoot it, share it – capture life’s unforgettable moments in high-definition clarity and share them online with Creative’s Vado HD Pocket Video Cam. The thin, lightweight Vado HD is small enough to fit in a pocket, purse or the palm of your hand, and easily captures video in 720p high-definition quality with just the touch of a button. The Vado HD is the only pocket video cam to feature high quality HDMI connectivity and an included HDMI cable that provides true 720p output to an HDTV.
Creative Labs Vado HD 720p Pocket Video Camcorder-pocket Capture high-definition video
Record all your fun moments at an HD video resolution of up to 1280 x 720p. With the wide-angle glass lens, you can also capture wider scenes and more action in your videos. This precision-engineered glass lens produces sharper and clearer images, giving you professional-looking videos. Vado HD also has 2x digital zoom and works great in dim environments.

2 hours of recording and playback
Simply start and stop recording with the touch of a button. Record up to 2 hours of stunning HD quality video or up to 4 hours of video at VGA resolution. The large 8 GB internal memory and four recording modes give you the freedom to choose the video quality that’s best for you.

Edit movies and snap photos
Make and edit your own short movies, or capture snapshots in still and burst mode with the built-in Vado Central software.

Playback video on your HDTV
Connect your Vado HD to any HDTV with the included HDMI cable and enjoy your videos in full 720p HD quality.

Connect and share in an instant
Simply plug in Vado HD’s flexible USB tab and post your videos directly onto popular web sites such as YouTube, Photobucket or Box.net with the built-in Vado Central software. You can even save your great quality video clips to your computer for a lifetime of memories.

High-quality video compression
The latest H.264 video compression technology provides unprecedented video quality at ultra-efficient file sizes for the best possible viewing experience. Record up to 4 times more videos, compared to MPEG-4 encoded ones.

Large 2-inch antiglare screen
Set up the perfect shot, review clips onscreen or show them off to friends. Keep the videos you like; delete the ones you don’t.

Rechargeable for hours of fun
Enjoy 2 hours of recording and playback with the Lithium-ion battery; simply recharge via USB. Need more time? The battery is even removable so you can change out for a fresh one.

Accessorize your Vado HD
Pick up an optional accessory for your Vado HD! Choose from a Waterproof Pouch, Mesh Pouch, Spare Rechargeable Battery and a Battery Charger and get the most out of your Vado HD.

Requirements
* Microsoft Windows Vista, Windows XP (Service Pack 2)
* Intel Pentium III 1 GHz, AMD Athlon, or equivalent with MMX support
* 512MB RAM
* USB 2.0 or 1.1
* 500MB free hard-disk space
* Video Memory: 16MB RAM & above
* Other Requirements: Microsoft DirectX 9.0 or higher

Package Contents
* Vado HD Pocket Video Cam
* HDMI Cable
* USB Extension Cable
* Silicon Skin
* Rechargeable Battery

Creative Labs Vado HD 720p Pocket Video Camcorder with 8 GB Video Storage and 2x Digital Zoom (Black) Customer Reviews:

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
390 of 407 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Great HD Pocket Camera, Only 1 issue for me!!!, January 22, 2009
By Tarun Chachra “Tarun Chachra” (Hillsborough, NJ)
Hi All.
I am comparing this camera to a Flip Mino HD….while it may not be fair, it is the only way I could give an accurate review to this product.

Box Includes:
Camera, removable battery, mini hdmi to hdmi cable (wow), usb extension cable, rubber/silicon skin, and documentation.

So it starts….the battery comes pretty charged and thus it was easy to install and get the unit running. The first set of options you are presented with are the setup for date, time, country. Here is where the first issue begins….the buttons (scroll arrows up, down, right, left) are WAY too sensitive and thus you are moving around even if you dont want to. So I start to set the date…without paying attention….and I quickly notice that the format for the date is dd/mm/yy which is primarily how the eastern part of the world uses the date. I finally figure out that my mind is lacking without coffee and I get the date and time set…. Lets move on.

The camera notifies you that you can hit the play/pause and trash buttons simultaneously to get back to the setup options. Works perfectly. In the setup menu you are presented with the following options:

Time/Date
Video Quality
Instant Record
Anti-Flicker
Tv System
Language

Most of these are self explanatory. The ones with options are as follows:
Video Quality: HD+, HD, VGA
Instant Record: On / Off
Anti-Flicker: 50hz/60hz
TV System: NTSC/PAL
Language: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portugese, Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Bahasa (Indonesia), Turkish, and Arabic

The main screen shows you what mode you are in (record, ready, etc), the available recording time, the mode (hd+, hd, vga), and a battery meter…these are at the top of the lcd screen. The bottom of the screen shows the date (dd/mm/year) and the current time.

When looking at the LCD the mini hdmi port is on the left hand side of the unit and the right hand side has a power button for on and off. The usb connector is at the bottom….folded into the body with a tab sticking out so you can pull the connector out. There is also a standard tripod hole.

The shooting begins….I tried taking small clips of things inside the home as well as outdoors (although with the weather up here its not worth standing outside more then 4-5 minutes ). I shot completely in HD+ mode as there are a lot of units this size that do regular vga and hd…. The image quality on the lcd screen was superb…even when outside under the sun I was able to see what I was shooting. This I like. My issue still remains that the rocker buttons are way too sensitive and it was driving me nuts for a while until I was able to mentally adjust the pressure I was applying to them.

The viewing begins… I plugged the mini hdmi to hdmi cable from the camera into our 46″ Sharp Aquos 1080p LCD Panel. The playback was indeed 720p/1080i as the unit should do. It was flawless and the quality of the video stunned me. I loved it. It was comprable to the Flip Mino HD. Of course, I need help with my stability…since I noticed that movement was apparent…but hey this is no image stabilization camera… HAHA!

All that being said, Creative has created a great HD Pocket Camcorder.

What I liked:
Removable Battery
8gb Storage
Build Quality
Included accessories (cables, silicon skin)

What I diskliked (which is why its 4/5):
The buttons (right left up down) are way too sensitive for my needs.

Computer Connectivity:
MAC OS X Leopard:
No drivers needed.
Showed up as a usb Volume immediately.
iPhoto automatically detected camera and came up with import options.
Video Played in Quicktime. Awesome!
Was also able to browse to the camera and manually open AVI file.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit operating systems tested)
Drivers installed automatically.
I did not need the Creative software on the device.
I was able to browse (windows explorer) to the Vado and open the AVI file in Windows Media Player. I love this functionality. I dont like cluttered software on my machine if I dont need it.

In case you are wondering…I am a cross platform user and thus I can review gadgets like the Vado and give accurate reviews. This unit would have earned a 5/5 but I am not quite there on the rocker buttons…

I hope that the review above is informative and helps you make the right decision in this category.

Quick Note for MAC Users: 01/26/09
You will probably need to install Perian to view AVI files on a mac using quicktime. You can get the software free at http://perian.org
See all 201 customer reviews…