You've finally decided to enter into this century and purchase a digital video camcorder. Either it's that, or your VCR keeps chewing up your analog tapes! In any event, you're interested in getting yourself a high-quality digital camcorder. And with so many brands and types to choose from, it can get a little confusing.

Before you head out and pick up the first digital video recorder that you see, you should probably have some generica questions that you should ask the electronics store that you're thinking of purchasing your camcorder from. Now, these aren't brand-specific questions that you should be asking - that comes later when you are closer to making your final purchase choice.

Rather, these are simple questions that can help you become familiar with the digital camcorder, and what they can do and how they do it. And before you think to yourself that these are dumb questions, chances are they've been asked a million times and they'll be asked a million more. That's why they're called FAQs!

1. What batteries does it take? Most digital camcorders take the standard, old fashioned nickel-cadmium batteries that we all know and love.

2. What is the tape format? Well, some digital camcorders don't use tape at all, and can store your movies on a hard drive flash memory disk. Others use MiniDV tapes and some can record straight onto a DVD!

3. Is a digital camcorder compatible with my computer? It should be - some use a simple USB cable to hook up with your computer, while others may require a FireWire connection.

These are basic questions that you may want to ask before you further investigate which digital camcorder to buy. They can help you get a feel for which camcorder can do what you want it to do. Of course, it's very important that you are comfortable with the digital camcorder that you end up purchasing, and asking some simple questions is a great way to help you get started!