It does produce better quality than DVD cameras, but that's because DVD cameras suck. DV/HDV data rate is about 12GB/hour, an 8cm DVD is around 2GB or less. So the compression needs to be very high and so the quality is pretty bad. Tapes are becoming less and less popular, HDD camcorders are taking over. There are lots of advantages - it's quicker to transfer data, the quality can in some cases be better if you are recording in high definition, higher capacity, less moving parts = less risk of failure. I had to spend 200 pounds on replacing the cassette compartment in my old camera because it jammed. Take a look at Camcorderinfo.com, they have excellent reviews of most of the popular consumer and prosumer video cameras.