I have been a long time user of the Flip Video, starting with the Flip Ultra then moving into the Flip Mino. When I heard that they had come out with the Flip Mino HD, it immediately went onto my list of items I wanted to review here on PCMech. Pure Digital was nice enough to, yet again, provide PCMech with a review unit [thanks to them].
So, we’re talking small. And we’re talking about high-definition video. But, how’s it compare with the Flip Mino?
Let’s Talk Specs
So, here are the relevant specs on the Flip Mino HD:
- 4 GB of on-board memory so you can record up to an hour of HD video
- Same exact size as the original Flip Mino
- Records 720P resolution, 1280×720 video, 16×9 aspect ratio
- 1.5” no-glare LCD display on the back
- Rechargeable lithium ion battery sealed inside the unit, just like the original Flip Mino
- Comes with FlipShare, the new version of the Flip software for working with videos taken with your Flip.
The camera looks almost identical to the Flip Mino.
There is a small different in decorative trim on the camera. The lens looks a little different, too. When using the camera, you can very clearly see that the Mino HD is filming in widescreen format.
Video Tests
As stated above, the Flip Mino HD clearly records much bigger videos than the Flip Mino – 1280×720 versus 640×480. Also, when you use the Flipshare software to get the videos off the camera, the Flip HD gives you MP4 encoded files whereas the original Flip Mino gives you AVI files.
Here is a compilation video of some test shots taken with both the Flip Mino and Flip Mino HD. Note that this is edited in widescreen, so even the video from the Flip Mino has been cropped to appear in widescreen.
[flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/FlipReview.flv 640 360]
Coming from the Internet, it may be hard to fully judge the quality differences of the raw video footage, so here are some links to download the raw footage: (right-click, choose Save Link As, and view to your own computer)
Flip Video: Panning
Flip Video: David Audio
Flip Video HD: Panning
Flip Video HD: Closeup
Flip Video HD: David Audio
On my test shots, the Flip Mino HD seems to have better lens quality as well as better zoom. Both cameras offer only 2X digital zoom (not much for a video camera), but the original Mino has a blurry look to it when you use the zoom whereas the Mino HD has much less visible blur when you use the zoom. Also, getting up close to an object produces a less blurry image with the Mino HD than with the original Mino. Neither camera excels at close-ups, however the high-def camera does outperform the other.
I am also using the Mino HD to film daily “flip tip” videos for bloggers and internet entrepreneurs over on David risley dot com, so you can check out videos there. Just keep in mind that when the videos are compressed for online use, the quality does diminish.
FlipShare Software
FlipShare is the updated software for the Flip video cameras and it is indeed much better and easier to use than the older software.
The software, like the prior version, could be used to email videos, create greeting cards, create a DVD, upload to Youtube, etc. Primarily, though, I use the software simply to get videos off the camera. I noticed that every video also saves an accompanying still shot photo from the video (from the first frame) to the hard drive. It is likely used to display thumbnails in the Flipshare software itself, however it could be used for your own purposes as well. From there, I will import into iMovie to do any editing I may want. If on Windows, just use Windows Movie Maker.
Mac users, especially, will appreciate how Flipshare works with OS X much nicer than the prior software.
Dave’s Take?
There are some noticeable quality differences in favor of the Flip Mino HD over the original Flip Mino, especially when it comes to zooming and closeups. In standard footage, the quality difference between the two cameras may be hard to notice. What is VERY noticeable, however, is the 16×9 aspect ratio and the true 720P high-def resolution.
Is the Flip Mini HD going to replace a standard camcorder? No. It doesn’t zoom very much, there is no image stabilization, and it lacks a lot of other features that the big camcorders have. However, where the Flip series excels is when it comes to online video. This is why the Flip is so popular among bloggers and Youtube’ers. It is also very handy for being able to take videos anytime, anywhere, with a camera you can literally stick in your pocket.
The trend in online video has been toward widescreen. In fact, the elephant in the room (Youtube) just recently converted to widescreen video on their site. So, the Flip Mino HD is timely.
The Flip Mino HD is the smallest high-definition video camera I’ve ever seen and it brings true convenience to the fray of doing truly high-def, widescreen videos. It retails for $229.99 (as of this review) and I do recommend it.
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David,
Good review. I just got a Flip Mino HD last week and I am planning to do a review on my blog this week after I have used it some more. So far though, I am impressed with the video and sound quality as well as the upgraded flip share software. The rechargeable battery and size help set it apart from the Kodak Zi6.
Hey David. Great review. I picked up the Mino HD. And like you I like moving the videos off the camera and then do editing on the computer. But I have windows and Windows Movie Maker doesn’t seem to have the right output for burning a DVD or even in the widescreen format that came from the camera. Any advice on other software?
I just recently started playing with TMPGEnc Authoring Works 4 which is DVD, Bluray and DivX Ultra Authoring software. You can edit out parts of the video, create chapters, menus, subtitles, etc. and then burn it to DVD (it also creates the AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders for the DVD onto your hard drive).
Not sure if it’s what you require and I can’t tell you too much about my experience with it as I only started playing with it over the last couple of days, but it seems to be a great piece of software.
Hope this helps you out a bit. Link: tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/taw4.html
I tried to install video sharing for my new Mino HD; however, it will not install on my HP Pavillion PC running Vista Home Premium. It sticks and presents an error message stating the device with documentviewer.msi cannot be accessed. It then leaves the Flip Video Sharing menu on the screen that cannot be turned off. I then must re-boot.
I searched for the document viewer application and found it but the new address does not solve the problem.
Anyone else find the same problem?
You should search the PCMech forums (http://www.pcmech.com/forum) for troubleshooting and tech support on this subject. If you can’t find a thread already dealing with the matter, create a new one in the appropriate area.
And have a read of Rich’s article on “Forum Decorum” (http://www.pcmech.com/article/5-forum-decorum-tips/) if you’re unfamiliar with forum posting. It’s spot on.
Hope this helps.
You should search the PCMech forums (www.pcmech.com/forum) for troubleshooting and tech support on this subject. If you can’t find a thread already dealing with the matter, create a new one in the appropriate area.
And have a read of Rich’s article on “Forum Decorum” (www.pcmech.com/article/5-forum-decorum-tips/) if you’re unfamiliar with forum posting. It’s spot on.
Hope this helps.
Sorry about the double post! I thought WP screwed up and didn’t like my http links. Guess it was just running slow….
Great review. I wonder if I got a defective camera or what my problem is. When I shoot a clip with the Flip Mino HD and plug the cam into my Mac Powerbook, the Flip software opens and I import the clip. When I play the .avi file it is immediately jumpy (though it plays perfectly on the camera), then I thought maybe I just needed to export it to MP4 using their ‘make movie’ selection. Still jumpy. So I dragged the file into my MPEG converter (that I use with my Sony HDD cam) and convert it a .mov file and it doesn’t jump anymore. But what an annoying bunch of steps. I bought it for my husband who is not so technically inclined thinking he’d be impressed by the simplicity but now it’s even more complicated than our other devices. Yeesh! Am I making it more complicated? Does anyone know this problem?
Go to http://forum.pcmech.com, do a couple of searches to see if anyone has similar issues. If not, create a new thread and see who on the forums can assist you.
I agree with Katey … my problem is that whenever I try to open the folder where the videos are kept, or try to start the software, it crashes and wants to send Microsoft a report. I have yet to be able to open the software or view the movies as in other programs it is jumpy and voice not at right speed as video.
The flipshare software can not find the videos on the cam (mino HD). Flipshare shows that the cam is connected, but it shows all time “camcorder [0 videos]“. If I open the video-folder from the cam with the explorer I can see all videos.
The PC is running with VISTA HOME PREMIUM, SERVICE PACK 1 installed.
I appreciate for any ideas to fix the problem.
I too am having issues with getting my Vista home premium laptop to recognize my vids off of the (mino hd). Tech support was no help, so I took it back to where I purchased it got a second cam and it does the same. Seems to work fine (sort of) on my XP machine but wont even recognize the camera on vista. Any ideas as to a fix would greatly be appreciated.
Read the posts above as this page is not a technical support section – it’s a review on the product.
Links to PCMech forums are above – please use them.
Have you solved your FlipShare (0 videos) problem, as I have the same problem, please reply methe answer.
I’ve been reading a lot of reviews about the MinoHD, and am getting some mixed reviews. Am I understanding correctly that all video clips shot with the MinoHD can be exported into iMovie or Windows Movie Maker for editing???
Thanks!
Cannot install software on my vista computer.
Welcome to windows – sucks as usual.
Thought flip was user friendly but no match for windows apparently.
Just purchased the Mino HD and I can’t download or move the MP4 file into windows movie maker??? any suggestions would be great!
Just wondering….does this allow you to burn videos onto DVDs? If so, how is the quality when projected on to a TV?
hello everyone.
I have a problem:
I baught my new HD flip mini yestersay..I uplodaed its programme onto my PC..I noticed the clips I recorded with this camera when I play them they fluctuate..meaning the clip runs smoothly for few seconds then slows to a degree of freee for one second then goes on playing smoothly for few seconds and so on!!??I dont know if this can be fixed of should I return the cam to the sellers?
pls let me know as soon as youcan..as I was planning to give it as a givt to my young brother..and I am leaving to my country in 2 days only:-((
Titus
What part of search the “PCMech forums (http://www.pcmech.com/forum) for troubleshooting and tech support” is so hard to understand?
This is a REVIEW of the Flip Mino – not a troubleshooting section
Is this the 120 min one or the 60 min one???????????????????????? (sorry i’m new at this)
I have a flip mino HD when i play the movies on my laptop they are very bad quality like they have been taken with a mobile phone, any suggestions I have windows vista