A guide to HD video clips

High definition, or HD as it is more commonly known, is becoming increasingly popular as personal computing power increases and there is a greater range of devices capable of capturing this quality. In this guide, have a look at where you can view HD clips for free and how to go about capturing and sharing your own videos in HD.

Watching online

Vimeo.com Only a few months ago, HD video sites were a speciality service and you could only find them in a few web locations. Vimeo.com was one of the first sites for HD clips and has established itself as the home of prosumer and art house amateur videos. Here you can find short films, art projects and thousands of camera tests, all in HD. YouTube However, recently, there has been an explosion in HD video online. YouTube offers 1080p quality HD video on many videos and as the number of HD camcorders increases, this figure will only grow. The number of true HD films that can be found online is relatively small, but services like I love film and Netflix are constantly improving their services to a state where on-demand streaming of the latest HD movie rentals will be a possibility. BBC iPlayer
Even online catchup services like BBC iPlayer are now offering BBC videos in near HD. This is not only great for desktop users, but also for tablet devices like the iPad, which has the potential to become a hand-held high definition TV.

Capturing HD video

Substantial camcorder Currently, most smartphones that are available will capture 720p footage. However, for true 1080p resolution, it is likely that you will need a more substantial camcorder. It is important not to sacrifice the quality of the camera optics for simply the biggest theoretical resolution that you can buy. Many cheap Chinese camcorders offer 1080p resolution, but all that this means is that users capture more pixels of noise and blur. DSLR HD video camera If you are serious about recording in high definition, then the best option is to choose a DSLR HD video camera. These look like traditional SLR cameras, but the mirror can be locked open and video-recorded. A good entry point into this market is the Canon 550D. It allows manual control of focus so that you can set up artistic depths of field and track moving objects much more professionally than a cheap camcorder or camera phone.