About Us

SimplyDV has been in existence since 2002 – at about the time that the revolutionary MiniDV digital camcorder format was gaining ground. Our aim was, and is to this day, to provide no-nonsense help and information to the complete and utter newbie.

Its founder and managing editor Colin Barrett had been writing reviews, how-to tutorials and user features about video makers for UK consumer magazines like Camcorder User (later  Digital Video but now no more), What Camcorder (long departed this earth), Computer Video (sadly no more either) and Mac User magazines (mercifully still with us), among others, when it occurred to him that the words he’d gone to great efforts to string together would disappear from the planet once next month’s issue hit the newstands. The new website would give longevity to those words of wisdom; in the intervening years it’s evolved into something much more.

Background

Colin’s own professional background is as an educational film and video producer, having devised and produced video and TV output for a wide range of name-brand clients since he late 1970s. As a student in the mid-1970s he ut his teeth on 16mm cameras and editing but saw a future for the new medium of video long before it became popular.

And so it was to be that most of his professional existence has been devoted to exploiting video technology with the result that he’s seen it grow from its humble beginnings to become a technology that everyone takes for granted to the point where huge numbers of people can shoot video with a device that they carry around in their pockets!

Publications

With over 400 magazine reviews, features and how-to tutorials on the subject of digital video shooting, editing and sharing under his belt, Colin’s name can also be found on the covers of 4 books on the subject, too. Both “Digital Video for Beginners” and “Need to Know? Digital Video” have sold all over the world (his first title was translated into 6 languages) and continue to attract interest from keen home video-makers as well as budding digital film-makers!

The onward march of new technology

In the 8 years since SimplyDV’s birth, we’ve seen a rapid shift away from shooting digital video with dedicated devices called “camcorders” to multi-functional devices that can take pictures, store information, make phone calls and surf the internet from anywhere on the globe. Video is something that most people create without thinking about what they’re doing – and this video can be shared with others thanks to the likes of YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook and a host of other mainstream online services.

Digital video has changed – and SimplyDV is committed to reflecting that change.

We hope you enjoy using the site and that you find it useful. If you have any comments to make or wish to offer us suggestions, we’re always keen to hear your views. Please get in touch via the Contact page at any time and we promise to respond to sensible communications!

See also: Colin’s Blog