The latest attempt to cash in on YouTube is the Flip Video, an easy-to-use, dirt-cheap camcorder ($150 for the 1-hour model). A modified version of Pure Digital’s previous point-and-shoot camcorders, it captures 640 x 480-resolution footage – low-res, but good enough for YouTube. We tested the Flip Video against a similarly priced but more full-featured camcorder, the DXG-506V. The clips we took were at the same muddy resolution, but the difference was clear (see video below). If the Flip Video’s clips were painful, then the DXG’s were lethal, with anemic colors and tons of image noise, especially during camera movement. And the DXG’s nonvideo features were a liability – its fuzzy still photos looked like they were taken by a cellphone. For Web-ready clips, the Flip Video is the best in the bargain bin (we just sent it to war with our new Iraq blogger; check back soon for footage!).http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1079053459http://www.brightcove.com/channel.jsp?channel=212469179DXG USADXG-506VPure Digital Flip VideoPrice: $129 (plus around $20 for a 1GB SD card)Size: 3.5 x 2.8 x 1.5 in.Weight: 4.5 ouncesStorage: 1 hour of 640 x 480 video with a 1GB SD carddxgusa.comPrice: $150Size: 4.1 x 2.3 x 1.3 in.Weight: 4.9 ouncesStorage: 1 hour of 640 x 480 video using internal memorytheflip.com
