Hey, digimon900 makes good points about this camcorder.
Because it records to DVD, which has limited capacity, the high definition video is only recorded at a maximum quality of 12 megabytes per second (most 2 hour movies are recorded onto retail DVDs are recorded at 7mbps I think).
However, a high definition camera that records onto MiniDV tape records at a maximum quality of 25 megabytes per second (for example, my camcorder, the Canon HV20). So tape format gets the most out of high definition quality.
But the ultimate question is what you need the camera for. Do you want the full benefits of high definition, and the best quality footage possible to edit with; or are you just wanting the camera for the ease of use that the record to DVD option does provide?