Best Products of the Year

The best consumer video production products of 2006, selected by the editors of Videomaker.

For a product to qualify for an award, it must have shipped in the 2006 calendar year, and it must have passed through Videomaker headquarters for examination by our editors. From there, we judged products based on the following five criteria:

Empowerment - how effective the product is at helping videographers be more effective at video production.
Quality - it must be put together well, durable and show excellence in its category.
Usability - how user-friendly it is.
Innovation - it should have some inventive or original features.
Performance - it must work consistently, effectively and provide a good value for the price.

As video enthusiasts we get attached to some of the products that land on our desks for review. This year we've seen products get smaller, lighter, faster, sexier and more affordable. This year we really got attached. While many are incredible tools, we have to narrow the field for our "Best Products" award. These proved to be extraordinary tools for the consumer videographer; a handful of the camcorders introduced this year blew away our expectations for what a consumer camcorder can do; new computer systems have more processing power than you can shake a stick at; and, software packages give users the ability to make feature length productions with as much gloss as Hollywood. Still, the thing that amazes us the most is how approachable video production has become. Videomaker's 2006 Best Products of the Year salutes, not only the best gear, but the new generation of video producers who will be using these tools to share their voice with the world.

Primera Bravo SE
$1,495

"Hands-off" disc publishing is a good thing for those of you who have to fulfill medium to large disc runs. The Primera Bravo SE is just the machine to do all the routine work for you, while still keeping the overall cost of production down. We were impressed with its performance, speed and small size, making it manageable for most computer desks. Not long after the release, Primera swapped out the DVD burner for a Blu-ray burner, which we were quite surprised to see. Of course, you'll have to pay more for that option, but we like that Primera is staying competitive and raising the bar.

For a complete list of all the winners, click here.