Aiptek A-HD+ 1080P High Definition Camcorder (Silver) | 
| Brand: Aiptek
List Price: $179.99
Buy New: $149.59
You Save: $30.40 (17%)
New (3) from $149.59
Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 334
Color: Silver
Media: Electronics
Batteries Included: Yes
Optical Zoom: 4
Display Size: 2.4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 1.5 x 3 x 5
MPN: A-HD+
Model: A-HD+
UPC: 653886020732
EAN: 0689076400985
ASIN: B0019BPTMI
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Captures video at up to HD 1080P; records directly from TV, DVD player or VCR | | • | Accepts up to 32 GB SDHC memory cards for extended recording | | • | 2.4-inch color LCD screen with 270-degree swiveling ability | | • | Backed by one-year warranty | | • | Compact high-definition camcorder with 128MB built-in memory |
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Product Description
A-HD is your 720p HD Camcorder, Digital Camera, and Personal Media Player/Recorder. Captures true to life, vibrant colors and astonishing High Definition images like you've never seen, right in the palm of your hand. The A-HD comprises 720P (1280x720 resolution / 16:9 aspect ratio) at 30 frames per second using advanced H.264 technology. The A-HD also functions as a 5 Mega Pixel digital camera with a CMOS sensor and your Personal Media Player / Recorder, allowing you to record from your TV/VCR/DVD Player. Replaying your video and images is a snap as the A-HD offers virtually unlimited choices and compatibility. You can choose to view instantly by playing them back on the A-HD's 270-degree swivel-reversible 2.4" TFT color LCD display or connect the A-HD directly to your HDTV, HD Monitor, Standard TV or PC. Once in a lifetime moments, Family events, outings, or just goofing around can now be captured, replayed and relived in a whole new way. Aiptek makes your life in HD, possible. Charger Built-in.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
 Great for a full HD resolution, second-unit camera May 28, 2008
H. Paul Moon (Washington, DC)
47 out of 48 found this review helpful
I bought this not expecting much and not having seen any reviews on the Web or in print. The product is a couple of months old to market. There's some misinformation floating around out there -- here are a few clarifications and highlights of the product from my week's worth of testing. First, it does indeed shoot at a 16:9 aspect ratio even as the video resolution is 1440x1080p -- you just need to be sure and apply an "anamorphic" pixel ratio (i.e., not square/1:1). Also, it is a fixed focus camera: The benefit is that there's no noisy/slow auto-focusing mechanism, but the con (as with all fixed focus camcorders) is that low light performance suffers somewhat, while close-in subjects go out of focus (though there is a manual macro switch on this product). Big pluses include the fact that it's charged via a super-standard mini-USB connector, and accepts up to a 32gb SDHC card. There is a tripod mounting hole but no electronic or mechanical image stabilization, no optical zoom, and no external microphone/audio in port.
In short, this makes for a great "second-unit" camcorder in cases where you don't want to rough around with your primary HD camcorder, or where you want to strap this onto a skateboard and the like without worrying about lost investment. It's wise to take the native H.264 files that are wrapped in .mov format and convert them to .avi or MPEG-2 .mpg files for further processing/editing/burning, as most systems will stutter trying to decode the native video files at 1080p/30 fps on-the-fly (i.e., even high-end video cards do not necessarily include hardware acceleration for files in this specific format). Although users appear to be especially enamored of the product's 1440x720p/60 fps non-interlaced mode, I'm not convinced that their bias is based on the benefit of double the frames-per-second, instead of the mere shortcomings of their system's hardware playback at 1080p/30 fps.
UPDATE: The following wide-angle lens attachment works perfectly with this camcorder, and I'm tempted to use it full-time as it not only widens your field of view, but in the process mildly reduces the inherent shake of your footage by "pulling back" a little farther.
Sunpak CAM-2110 MagMount 0.5x Wide-Angle Conversion Lens (Large)
 AIPTEK A-HD+1080p Review - HD for the Masses June 30, 2008
Angel_Pen
36 out of 39 found this review helpful
UPDATED AUGUST 13TH. I am a pro-editor and I do not work for Aiptek so you will get an accurate review from me. Keep in mind that it is a well know fact that Aiptek has earned a questionable reputation for false advertising some features, also Aiptek has produced a plethora of models with similar names...some have been plagued with defects (loose batteries, distorted sound), so avoid those older models altogether. This review applies only to the new AIPTEK A-HD+1080p which, so far, appears to be their best model. My camera did not come with a battery charger contrary to what is indicated by the description, the battery included did not last more than one hour. This is what I know based on my brief experience:
Pros: Small and portable fits on your shirt pocket; uses memory cards (not tapes); movies are fully compatible with Macintosh computers (.MOV) excelent playback on a Mac however they still need to be transcoded for iMovie and Final Cut Pro editing. The camera lens has a macro mode. The so called 1080p resolution is surprisingly sharp and not available in any other camera in this price range (so far). It is possible to flip the camera LCD to record yourself. It takes nice stills (see the Cons). And finally, it makes for an unusual recording device (you can record from DVD or TV to the camera Memory Card and later transfer and play the files on your computer (they will not play on your PSP or iPod unless you convert to their respective codecs. You can also record voice memos.
There are certain advantages to owning such a small camera: you are more likely to carry it everywhere and record HD of something unexpected. Also, you can insert the device in unusual places and obtain otherwise impossible footage in HD.
Cons:
Be warned that video footage files created by this camera are not friendly to Windows users. (Mac users are okay). The files are H.264 Quicktime Movies which is a video format popularized by Apple. If you want to edit in true High Definition it is best to use iMovie or FCP on an Intel Mac. The sound is typical of built-in mikes, it records typical omnidirectional audio. There is no volume control except for playback audio. Not surprisingly it has no microphone input for an external mike. This camera is useless for productions which require a lavaliere or a shotgun, such as interviews in crowded or noisy environments (i.e. Conventions)
Beware of the deceptive advertising: the 8 megapixel photos are interpolated and a waste of memory space. What Aiptek calls a "zoom" is actually an "electronic" effect, you shouldn't videotape while zooming in and out using this electronic effect. The zoom button is positioned in such an awkward place that you can not hold the camera steady while zooming anyway. However, you can pause, then zoom, then record. Which brings me to the most important issue, the lack of an image stabilizer, this is hardly a feature I expected to find on this type of camera, nevertheless, it will drive the "pros" insane. An Aiptek will only produce a decent stable image while mounted on a tripod (it has a tripod hole on the bottom).
AIPTEK video files are no more YouTube compatible than any other video, you still have to convert the codec during the uploading process like everyone else.
Conclusion:
This is not the camera to take on your vacation to Hawaii, nor a concert or to video a wedding, for that, you need to get yourself a real camera, else you may run into some serious problems. You may:
1) Run out of memory (AIPTEK claims you can use a maximum memory card of 32GB but most people will probably use 2-8gb)
2) You may accidentally deplete the battery which in turn can not be recharged without a laptop because it works like an iPod (or you can expend more money on an extra battery or a charger).
3) You may discover your sound is not good after your vacation/wedding is over.
4) Poor quality in dim light , like the interior of a Museum or at dusk.
5) You may discover your footage is too shaky because you didn't have a tripod. It looks worse on your HD TV than it does on the camera while recording.
6) You may set the camera accidentally on Macro and everything is out of focus. (Very easy to do)
7) And here comes the deal braker guys: From time to time you may get a "Card Protect" error when you press record, this is a manufacturing error , the camera "thinks" the card' is locked but IT IS NOT LOCKED, hence camera becomes unable to record and if you are on vacation and have only one card, you are sheer out of luck. You can try wiggling the card in and out until it works. This happens at random!
Before you take this camera on vacation remember, Aiptek cameras are known for failing to write to a perfectly good SD memory card and even if they did, the cards themselves are nototoriously prone to data corruption, and there is no way you can recover the footage from a corrupt card. This does not happen with videotape because the camcorder will warn you if something goes wrong with the tape mechanism.
I attribute most positive reviews here to the rookies who are justifiably excited to see High Definition for the first time and at a price they can afford. So, if you are an HD rookie, this is a nice buy for you. One could say the AIPTEK HD is HiDef for the masses.
Update: After some testing it seems that the Aiptek chip records HiDef video at less than 30fps. The resulting HD video play back like an old Charlie Chaplin movie. This does not seem to happen at lower resolutions. Further test is required to confirm this hypothesis.
Wow this can't be this good! June 1, 2008
Danny K (Middletown, New Jersey)
25 out of 28 found this review helpful
Just got this camera today and after charging the battery, I have been in the back yard taking HD movies! I can tell you that this camera is better than my Hitachi DVD camcorder that cost me $475 dollars a few years ago. The Aiptek video quality is excellent. I can't believe this sells for $150. I hook the camera to my Windows XP computer using the included USB cable and drag the files to my desk top and put them in a program called ConvertXtoDVD. Convert X takes the .mov files from my computer and converts them to .vob files and automatically burns them to DVD! I like the 720@60 frames per second setting on the Aiptek A-HD+ Camcorder. The picture on my pioneer plasma is the best I have had to date in home movies, totally 16:9 wide screen and fills the screen. Still much experiementing with this camera. I did much research before I bought, Amazon feedback is always a great way to research and the $130 dollar model (HD-720) has audio problems. I have detected no audio problems with this model. I'm selling my hitachi DVD camcorder on Ebay! Burning the movie files to DVD is a snap using ConvertX to DVD. I just have to find a program that will cleaning play the files on my computer. The Nero 7 I am using to play the movies on my computer is a bit shakey. NO problem, I'm sure since they are recorded as .mov files, Quicktime player should work fine. I will also experiement with VLC player. By the way, Aiptek recommends a Pentium 4 to work the movie files. I'm using a 1.5mhz laptop and burning them to DVD with no problems, I also can convert them to .VOB files and edit them with all sorts of programs. I'm using a 1 GB SD card , which fits neatly in the camera handle and I'm getting 22 minutes of video at 720/60fps. So I will upgrade to a 2gb and almost get a hour of video, which is plenty for me. Another thought, the battery is slightly loose in the handle, not serious, but I read on youtube that you should place a thin piece of velcro or tape at the bottom of the battery to push it closer to the battery contacts. Speaking of youtube, I would suggest you go there and search the Aiptek A-HD+ to see all the great videos this great camera can take. Since the camera doesn't have video stablization and its so light, you must take caution to hold it steady. No big deal for me.. And one last comment, the pictures that this camcorder takes are not bad! I'm stil testing but compared to my old Hitachi DVD camcorder the still pics are much better. You have a selection of a 3meg, 5meg or 8meg still picture. Still experiementing and loving it. I will add more on this review as I learn more tricks...sorry to ramble on...love this camcorder!
Expected disappointment - but was very impressed...how is this so cheap? August 3, 2008
J Rad (TX)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
This camera has great image quality, and was a great buy. But one thing that frustrated me (before buying) was that I couldn't find much info about the more advanced specs.
But luckily, I have done the homework for you ;)
Here are some things you might want to know:
-The CMOS is 5MP native (resolution: 2592 x 1944)
don't bother with the 8MP it just 'blows up' the image (interpolation)
-The lens, even though the image quality is excellent, is the weak point of this camera. Its a fixed focus without any optical zoom. Theres only digital zoom which decreases the quality the farther its zoomed in, but not too badly.
The 2 focus modes,
Normal: Autofocuses from 30cm to infinity. Best for general purpose video recording. Nothing is really out of focus unless its too close to the camera. Though it can be slow at times.
Macro: For close-ups. Objects/people look alot clearer/better when focused on than with the normal focus mode, and everything in the background is blurred. But theres no focusing with this setting so you have to be sure the camera is the perfect distance away from the object so that its in focus.
On the camera, the top setting with the mountain/stick figure is normal focus mode and the lower setting with the flower shape is macro. There are also wide angle lenses available that fit this camera.
-The battery
Battery life for me is very good, but depends on your recording mode, screen brightness etc. Make sure to charge it for awhile when you first get it. Also sometimes the light seems to change randomly to show that its charged when its still charging. Theres a defect where the battery is loose inside and rattles around/loses contact with the terminals that make it turn off. Just improvise and put a piece of paper/cardboard below the battery to keep it from being loose.
-The screen is good quality, a little hard to see in bright daylight. No dead pixels.
-The mic is okay for me, but it tends to record the person behind the camera rather than whats in front.
-Records from AV-IN at 720 x 480 NTSC 29.97FPS
the quality is decent when I record from a satellite receiver [I always record pay-per-view ;)]. When played back on SDTV it looks nearly exactly as the original broadcast besides for some static at the very top of the screen. Audio quality is 5/5 with no hissing. Format: H264 @ 2.12mbits/sec Audio: AAC stereo 48.000khz BTW you can't do composite-in.
-has TV-OUT with AV-out and Composite-out
You can do everything with TV-out activated that you can do normally, even record vids/take pics/change settings. Video and picture quality is terrific, and they load instantly too. You can also zoom in pan around on photos, and of course fast forward/rewind/pause with videos. You can also zoom in on a paused video.
-works with my sandisk 4gb Ultra II SDHC memory card
make sure your memory card is 'high speed' or else it probably can't write data fast enough to keep up with the higher quality recording modes. I believe the memory limit is 32gb.
-recording modes:
1080p: 29.97FPS Data rate: 7.58mbits/sec at 1920x1080
720p 60f: 59.94FPS Data rate: 6.04mbits/sec at 1280x720
720p 30f: 29.97FPS Data rate: 4.10mbits/sec at 1280x720
'DVD quality': 59.94FPS Data rate: 3.57mbits/sec at 854x480
'CIF': 29.97FPS Data rate: 750.86kbits/sec at 320x240
All except 'CIF' are 16:9 aspect ratio (widescreen)
Image quality is a bit grainy if the room is dark, though you can adjust white balance/exposure settings to fix this. I would say the best overall setting is 720p 60FPS. Theres no stabilization but its really stupid to complain that the footage is 'shaky' when all you have to do is hold your arm more steady/hold it with 2 hands. After all the camera captures exactly what it sees. You can also use a tripod.
-tips for playback
The version of quicktime included on the CD is an old version that plays choppy on even the fastest computer. The best way to play back your vids in my opinion is to first:
1. Rename the file from .MOV to .HDMOV
2. Play the file with Windows Media Player
doing it this way uses the graphics card (GPU) to help play the video, instead of just the CPU which isn't very good at it. Doing it this way with my E2140 core2duo and 256mb graphics card, a 1080p video used just around 40-55% CPU. If you get an error about codecs, look up on google 'k-lite codec pack'.
Now the biggest problem everyone has is that the format of the videos (.MOV) is incompatible/doesn't work right with alot of editing software. Most people convert the video to another format which decreases the quality and takes forever. Are you ready for a simple solution that will prevent you hours of frustration?
The actual video captured is encoded to H.264 codec with AAC audio, the .MOV is just a container file. AVI, MP4, MKV and lots of others can hold H.264 video. So all you have to do is...
Rename FILE.MOV to FILE.MP4
easy as that...now the file should work in sony vegas and any other editing software that supports H264, and also play back fine with supporting media players.
Excellent Device For The Price June 21, 2008
tomwiles (West Fork, AR USA)
11 out of 14 found this review helpful
I purchased the A-HD+1080p camcorder at Best Buy when I was passing through Lincoln, Nebraska about a week ago for $169 dollars plus tax. To be honest, I purchased it with relatively low expectations. I already have a Sony HC3 HDV camcorder I've had for about a year that produces excellent video so I figured there was no way this Aiptek product could even come close.
To my surprise the video quality is actually quite amazing. It's possible to get great video out of this unit, provided you know the device's main limitation, i.e. the fixed-focus plastic lens. Cell phone cameras can have multiple megapixels but the optics are almost always limited to a cheesy plastic lens, yet if you know the device's limitations it's possible to take good and sometimes even great pictures with them.
To get great video out of the Aiptek, follow a few rules. (1) NEVER use the digital zoom function -- always keep it zoomed out. Move closer to your subject if you want it to fill more of the frame. (2) Remember to use the manual focus switch -- macro for around 20 inch away close-ups, the medium postion for a bit farther away, and the full infinity position for anything more than about 6 to 8 feet or so away from the lens. (3) Hold the camera as steady as possible if it's a hand-held shot, and if possible use a tripod. (4) Use the white balance feature as necessary depending on your light source. (5) Pay attention to the basic prinicples of good photography, i.e. the "rule of thirds" -- if you don't know what that means, look it up on Wikipedia.
I've posted a video I put together entirely with the Aiptek from Riverside Park in West Fork, Arkansas. The HD 720p Apple TV format file is located at http://m.podshow.com/media/131/episodes/116107/truckertom-116107-06-19-2008.mp4.
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