Flip UltraHD (black)
Manufacturer: Pure Digital Technologies, Inc. Part number: U2120B
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Flip Video UltraHD may not be the sexiest mini camcorder out there, but it offers a respectable feature set and some of the best video we've seen from this type of cheap, YouTube-friendly camcorder.
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CNET editors' review
Flip UltraHD (black) price range: $3.00 - $199.99
- Reviewed by: David Carnoy
- Edited by: Lori Grunin
- Reviewed on: 04/29/2009
The good: Shoots 720p HD video; high-quality video for its class; easy to use; uses rechargeable AA batteries; FlipShare software compatible with both Mac and Windows machines.
The bad: Somewhat pricey; no memory card slot; no cable included for HD output to HDTVs.
The bottom line: The Flip Video UltraHD may not be the sexiest mini camcorder out there, but it offers a respectable feature set and some of the best video we've seen from this type of cheap, YouTube-friendly camcorder.
Every six months or so, Flip Video--slated to be absorbed by Cisco by the end of the year--puts out a new model or two of its popular YouTube-friendly point-and-shoot mini camcorders. Late last year it was the MinoHD. Now, for spring 2009, the company brings us two updated versions of the Ultra: a higher-end model, the UltraHD, which shoots 720p (1,280x720) high-definition video, and a less expensive Ultra, which shoots 640x480 VGA video.
On the outside at least, not much has changed from Flip's first-generation Ultra. But there are a couple of notable differences. For starters, the transflective LCD on the back is bigger, measuring 2 inches, compared with 1.5 inches. The buttons are also bigger and the UltraHD, which comes in black or white, has a sort of rubberized, matte finish that allows you to grip the device a bit more easily.
Most importantly, this model comes with a set of AA-size NiMH rechargeable batteries you can charge in the unit by simply connecting the camcorder (via its trademark flip-out USB connector) to the USB port on your computer. Alternatively, you can swap in a pair of standard AA alkaline batteries if you don't have time to charge. That standard battery backup option is a nice convenience, but there's a drawback: the batteries are bulkier and heavier than the slim lithium ion type built into the MinoHD. So by default you're getting a bigger, heavier camcorder--the UltraHD weighs 6.1 ounces versus 3.3 ounces for the MinoHD. That said, the UltraHD is still pocket-friendly, just not as pocket-friendly as the MinoHD.
One thing we don't like about the new design is the chrome plastic trim on the sides of the unit. It looks good but you'll find your self continually wiping off fingerprint smudges with the soft, velvety pouch that ships with the product. We would have preferred some sort of brushed metal, or a brushed-metal look. Another minor ding: there's an HDMI output on the side for HDTV connections, but no bundled cable. That's not a huge deal, but Kodak, for instance, includes an HDMI cable with the Zx1, which retails for about $50 less.
Like the MinoHD, the UltraHD shoots 720p video at 30fps, H.264 compressed, and encoded as MPEG-4. The unit lacks a memory card slot, which is too bad, but its 8GB of internal memory allows you to record 2 hours of video. That should be ample recording capacity for most folks, but if you're on a vacation and shoot a lot of video, it would help to have a laptop along for the ride to offload your video as you run out of memory.
The process of shooting and transferring videos to your computer or uploading them to YouTube and other video-file-sharing sites remains a breeze. Flip has generally nailed the whole simplicity thing. You hit the big red button to record and the play button to play back videos. There is a 2x digital zoom onboard (you don't want to use it), but nothing in the way of manual or advanced settings, or even a still-capture mode. However, you can pull stills from your video using the software package that's built into the unit.
For the type of audience these budget camcorders are targeted at, having few choices and menus to toggle through is a good thing. It's also good that Flip's software supports both Windows and Mac. It offers basic editing features, but you can always import your video into another video-editing package, including Apple's iMovie.
As for video, the Ultra has some of the best we've seen to date from one of these cheap, Web-friendly camcorders; that is, it's relatively sharp and saturated in outdoor shots and adequately bright without being overly noisy or blurry in low light, and the audio is clear and loud. It still can't compare with the video produced by a real HD camcorder that costs a few hundred more--and you do have to keep the device absolutely motionless while shooting for the best results--but the video's been incrementally improved over that of Flip's more compact MinoHD. Overall, the video just seemed a bit sharper and smoother, the colors slightly more accurate, and the lowlight performance appeared a tad improved with a shade less noise in dimly lit shots. To be clear, we're talking about very small improvements, but they are noticeable.
We should note that this model has the same optics and image sensor as the MinoHD, but Flip has managed to refine the video processing to improve the image quality. It's still not great--and your video can appear jittery if you don't hold the camcorder very steady--but comparatively speaking, it's quite decent, especially for a camcorder this small. (For a comparison of the various Flip models, the company provides a comparison chart.)
The UltraHD may not be the sexiest-looking HD mini camcorder out there. Or the cheapest, at around $200. But it does offer relatively good video quality and Flip camcorders are probably at the top of the class in terms of ease of use. If you've got it, the extra $50 or so the UltraHD costs over the Ultra is certainly worth it--you'll probably make it up in batteries over the course of a year, anyway. And we like the new battery setup, even though it adds some weight to the camcorder over the original MinoHD. So it's your best bet unless you're really after the smallest, lightweight mini camcorder, in which case the MinoHD and Creative's Vado HD remain better choices--for now, anyway.
User reviews
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It's good but not the best...
by techfan131 on April 30, 2009
Pros: Good picture quality , both standard and rechargable battery and good audio. Has an easy grip feel to it...
Cons: No hd cable , bulky , price a bit to high.
Summary: A friend of mine has the flip hd and i have the creative vado. I compared the 2 and the flip hd has a bit better audio sound than the ...
Summary: A friend of mine has the flip hd and i have the creative vado. I compared the 2 and the flip hd has a bit better audio sound than the vado but the reason i bought the vado is that it has a wider angle than the flip and also comes w/ mini hd cable. For me the creative vado hd has more bang for the money....
8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent for price range.
by jazzy79 on June 3, 2009
Pros: Very easy to use. Excellent picture quality (hey, its only $200 -- you want high end, expect to pay more). Exceeded my expectations. I like that it's built to do one thing -- take quick video in HD, and it does it well.
Cons: Still photo not an option, but then I didn't buy it for that purpose and the software provides this. No HD mini cable comes with it, have to spend xtra $30-40 for a 5 ft cable, but it's great that it has an HDMI output for direct connection to HDTV.
Summary: Love it. When held still, records crisp video. Even when moving, the pic quality is not bad. One not so great point -- charge time is 7 hrs via USB ...
Summary: Love it. When held still, records crisp video. Even when moving, the pic quality is not bad. One not so great point -- charge time is 7 hrs via USB to PC, or 3.5 hours using optional charger. I used for 2 hrs on and off without having to recharge and had spare batteries as back-up. Easily recorded the highlights of an entire day's events and upload to PC is quick and easy. It's great improvement over non-HD!
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Very functional, but what is it with he lens glass?
by odovaker on July 25, 2009
Pros: * Starts in 2 secs
* Good sound on recordings
* Can use regular AA batteries. (Good for hiking trips where power is not abundent)
* Extremely easy to use
* Connects directly to the TV through a mini-HDMI portCons: * Fragile non replaceable lens glass
* Optics is of course not top notch
* Video quality is OK/good but image stabilization is non existent. (of course is'nt)
* Memory not expandable, but easy to transfer to pc via usb 2.
* Not Hollywood material.Summary: This is a good unit to capture those short precious moments without carrying a large bulky videorecorder. Optics are of course not top of the line (look at the size ...
Summary: This is a good unit to capture those short precious moments without carrying a large bulky videorecorder. Optics are of course not top of the line (look at the size of the thing) ; night vision and image stabilization are non existent. Dispite it's shortcomings; I love it!
It takes about 2 secs to start, sound is great. Picture is good/acceptable for this type of use, but don't shoot sceenes for a hollywood movie with this one.
I take it on hiking trips, far away from a power supply and the fact that the unit can operate on ordinary AA batteries is good.
I've seen that someone has commented on lack of expandable memory. this unit can store 2 hours of video and come on you don't store 2 hours of video on this thing; it'
s not a storage device. you will have transferred the video to a pc long before that. It is easy to transfer video via the usb2 interface. It mounts as a harddrive in windows. use file explorer or the flip software
But what is it with the lens glass? It breakes quite easily. I had the flip i my pocket with together with some other stuff (it was protected by the pouch), and the glass brakes. It's very fragile and non-replaceable. No I have to pick out the pieces, find some glass to cut and glue it back in there..3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good picture, ease-of-use but bad support, pricey
by iceagle81 on May 31, 2009
Pros: * High Resolution picture quality
* Easy to use built-in software
* Fast boot-up timeCons: * Bad image stabilization.
* Too much cutting in the video
* USB interface is not easy to use
* Mini HDMI cable is not included
* FlipShare software only uploads HQ
* Battery life
* Playback interface is not user friendly
* Bad customer supportSummary: Overall, I am not completely happy with the product. 200 is a lot of money and what you get is not giving you the feeling of a durable material. Looks ...
Summary: Overall, I am not completely happy with the product. 200 is a lot of money and what you get is not giving you the feeling of a durable material. Looks like the cheapest materials used and glued together. I would say their encoder needs a little more work in terms of picture quality. Their firmware is good enough except it needs some enhancements such as easier navigating and faster fast forwards and rewinds. I was trying to playback a video I have recorded and show a certain time to my friends but the fast forward is not really fast. Also you have to hold the right button to fast forward and if your finger just slips a little it will skip to the next video and you have to come back and start fast forwarding from the beginning. Bad firmware design in that sense. It took me 5mins to show it. I could have just played back without fast forwarding.
The lens glass is very fragile. Mine broke in the first day of usage. It was inside its soft fabric case, and accidentally it touch my pocket where I had my cell phone in. Voila, it is broken. These little glasses are not replaceable which I am having a hard time understanding because it is just a simple glass glued in front of the lens. The customer support is not helpful and not understanding. Bad attitude. If I had a chance I would have returned it and not buy this again.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Easy to use - fun for everyone - support is an issue.
by gone2me on May 23, 2009
Pros: Very portable
My wife and the kids can use it
Video quality is surprisingly goodCons: Picture is a little jittery - no matter how still you try to be
Microphones pick up background noise.
Customer support is weak.Summary: It is what it is - a brainless expression that fits.
I picked up the Flip Ultra HD last week after spending time looking into all the options available. The ...Summary: It is what it is - a brainless expression that fits.
I picked up the Flip Ultra HD last week after spending time looking into all the options available. The Vado was not sold near us ? and the feedback was mixed.
The Flip was meant to be remarkably simple to use ? so I got one from the local Wal Mart.
I brought along on an overnight field trip with my son's 3rd grade class. Big fun.
It is incredibly easy and fun to record the spontaneous moments of life on the Flip.
The kids were interviewing each other and making their own movie without any help from me.
BUT - now we want to watch the video. Andt is basically DIY at this point.
[Keep in mind that this is happening over Memorial Day weekend and it is definitely unfair for me to base my grade for support during a holiday - but I am annoyed because I have grandparents here that want to watch the new fangled HD camcorder footage. So customer support is getting thrown under the bus along with me. I am not going alone.]
The site says the minimum requirements to run the software is an Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz and at least 512 MB of RAM.
Our home PC has an AMD 64 3200+ and 512 MB of RAM. It cannot support the software. I wanted to know if it would be worthwhile to add RAM, or if the processor was too slow (even though the Athlon is closer to 3.2 GHz). Not a question that could be answered. I was read and then emailed the requirements as posted on the website.
So rather than editing a movie - I figured we can watch the raw footage on the HDTV. I have an HDMI cable so I read the minimal advice offered on the website - connected it to our HDTV ? nothing.
I have tried every setting on the TV ? just not getting any sound or picture.
I spoke with tech support ? they read from the website's HELP section.
Word for word. Basically said they couldn?t help. Tried to say maybe it was the cable that was the issue.
Couple of problems with that explanation ? the cable works fine with other electronics and Flip does not have any of their over priced HDMI cables in stock. And haven?t for a while.
They sent an email saying just that..
?Thank you for contacting us.
While many accessories may be compatible with the Flip, we do not currently recommend any one product specifically mainly due to our inability to test and certify the breadth of products on the market.
We apologize for being unable to provide you with a more definite answer, and we hope you won?t hesitate to contact us further.?
Not sure what I would contac them further about.
I am sure as soon as I figure out the HDTV problem and the system requirements, I will love this thing. But right now everyone is wondering why Dad buys technology that he cannot operate.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Best price camcorder.
by Cadssdac on May 21, 2009
Pros: # Easy-to-use, pocket-sized HD camcorder featuring.
# one-touch recording and digital zoom
# Simple user interface lets you start capturing HD video just seconds after powering onCons: I think don't have
Summary: Overall, I feel this is greatly worth the $199 I paid. You have to remember that this is a dinky little device with a tiny sensor in it, so the ...
Summary: Overall, I feel this is greatly worth the $199 I paid. You have to remember that this is a dinky little device with a tiny sensor in it, so the quality won't be as good as a larger dedicated video camera, or one of the newer DSLR's with the built in high-def. Apples to Oranges.
Credit
With a little extra cash and some super-glue, you can get more reach and wide angle out of the unit.
Updated on May 21, 2009
http://flip-video-ultrahd.blogspot.com/1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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amazing cheap cam
by theoneimwaitin4 on May 4, 2009
Pros: great picture, wider lens than the Flip Mino HD, FlipShare is extremely easy to use, "sexier" than past models, alot more record time, rechargeable and AA battery options... great for travelling
Cons: miss the colors or customization, a bit bulky but worth it for the great battery option and 120 minutes of video
Summary: This camera may be bigger than some, but for the HD, battery options, and more memory for 120 minutes of video storage, this camera is completely worth it. Other than ...
Summary: This camera may be bigger than some, but for the HD, battery options, and more memory for 120 minutes of video storage, this camera is completely worth it. Other than size, it fixes all the problems that the mino and past models had.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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DO NOT BUY!!!! Stopped Working
by balz88 on November 23, 2009
Pros: This product was great for the 4 months that it worked. Then one day I left it plugged into my computer to charge, packed it in my carryon for my 1-week vacation and when I took it out to use it was dead.
Cons: Everything - after it stops working!. I tried charging in my computer and in the wall plug adapter (sold separately). Nothing. Totally dead. Apparently this is a very common problem.
Summary: I wish I had read the reviews before purchasing. Seems like this product works for 90 days (coincidentally with the 90-day warranty) and then stops. Lots of people have this ...
Summary: I wish I had read the reviews before purchasing. Seems like this product works for 90 days (coincidentally with the 90-day warranty) and then stops. Lots of people have this problem and there is no customer support. I would absolutely not recommend this.
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Easy Fun good video camera
by jbruno3 on November 19, 2009
Pros: Simple interface. compact. interchangeable batteries. good inage quality. Good customer service
Cons: no expansion slot, no WiFi upload
Summary: This is a great ease of use camcorder. Picture is good and it can betaken anywhere.
Prices have dropped (got mine for $149) so it is a good value for ...Summary: This is a great ease of use camcorder. Picture is good and it can betaken anywhere.
Prices have dropped (got mine for $149) so it is a good value for the money and it is MAC compatible! -
No optical zoom, only 2X digital zoom, only 30 FPS
by thomasjude on November 10, 2009
Pros: Easy to use, Handy, good sound quality, can use ordinary AA battery
Cons: No optical zoom. Digital zoom only 2X. No auto/manual focus. Fixed 30 Frame Per Sec (FPS) which cause flicker while shooting fast moving objects. Usually shows 'excess heat' message during battery charging. Flip type USB connector not convenient.
Summary: No optical zoom. Digital zoom only 2X: This results lot of limitations. We can not shoot close objects. Distant objects can not be zoomed.
No auto/manual focus: This is ...Summary: No optical zoom. Digital zoom only 2X: This results lot of limitations. We can not shoot close objects. Distant objects can not be zoomed.
No auto/manual focus: This is a side effect of 'no optical zoom'
Fixed 30 Frame Per Sec (FPS) which case flicker while shooting fast moving objects. There is no facility to change resolution or FPS. We have to use some software after downloading the video.
Usually shows 'excess heat' message during battery charging.
Flip type USB connector not convenient. We can not directly connect the camera to a PC as the camera will hang on the USB connector.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Pure Digital Technologies, Inc.
- Part number: U2120B
- Description: The Flip UltraHD camcorder combines Flip Video's signature shoot-and-share simplicity with the power of vivid, vibrant HD video. With 120 minutes of record time, you'll never miss another minute again. And because of UltraHD's pocket-sized portability, you'll truly be able to capture HD video anytime, anywhere.
General
- Product Type Camcorder - 720p
- Enclosure Color Black
- Digital Zoom 2 x
- Optical Sensor Size 1/4.5"
- Optical Sensor Type CMOS
- Digital Video Format H.264
- White Balance Automatic
- Exposure Modes Automatic
- Widescreen Video Capture Yes
Main Features
- Camcorder Sensor Resolution 0.92 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- TV Tuner None
Memory / Storage
- Flash Memory 8 GB Flash - Integrated (soldered memory - 8 GB )
- Floppy Drive None
- Media Type Flash card
Lens System
- Type Lens - F/2.4
- Lens Aperture F/2.4
- Lens system type Lens
- Focus Adjustment Focus free
- Min Focus Range 5 ft
Additional Features
- Low Lux / Night Mode Yes
- Additional Features USB charging, Auto power save, YouTube capture mode, USB 2.0 compatibility
- Software Drivers & Utilities
- Included Accessories Wrist strap
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type None
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 3 in - Color
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB, 1 x HDMI output
Audio Input
- Audio input type Microphone
- Microphone type Built-in
- Microphone Operation Mode Stereo
- Microphone Technology Electret condenser
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows XP, MS Windows Vista, Apple Mac OS X 10.4 or later
- Peripheral Devices USB port, CD-ROM drive
Miscellaneous
- Carrying Case Soft case
Battery
- Supported Battery AA
- Supported Battery 1 x AA NiMH rechargeable battery ( Included )
Viewfinder / Display
- Display Form Factor Built-in
Physical Characteristics
- Width 2.2 in
- Depth 1.2 in
- Height 4.3 in
- Weight 6 oz
Product series
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Manufacturer: Pure Digital Technologies, Inc.
Specs: Camcorder, CMOS, Flash card, 6 oz
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Manufacturer: Pure Digital Technologies, Inc.
Specs: Camcorder, CMOS, Flash card, 6 oz
Manufacturer info
- Pure Digital Technologies, Inc.
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Pure Digital Technologies, Inc. products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.puredigitalinc.com/
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