Why do people tell me: "Get a better video camera.?

If you like your camcorder and it does what you need, then who cares what "others" say? If it means so much to them, they can buy the new camcorder and *give* it to you.

By their logic, 1080p video and 3G is outdated so all should replace their smartphones in favor of 4k and LTE - whether they need that technology or not. Silly lemmings.

The folks telling you to get a new camcorder may be "confused" or bothered about the black bars on the left and right of your 4:3 standard def video aspect ratio. Check the settings of your camcorder. See if it will do widescreen (it is still standard def video resolution). If that works for you and your process, tell the "gallery" that you got a new camcorder... Do test captures and process them as normal - don't wait until you are shooting a regular episode only to find that it does not work as you planned/expected. If it does not work, return the camcorder setting to what it was - and be sure a test file works as required...

"Isn't any problem with my vid quality an issue with lighting?"

You are right that most people do not light well enough for their YouTube videos. (Well, the girls do because they pay attention to makeup, but not the guys).

We are in a HD world and your DVD camcorder is limited to DVD resolution of 480 lines. It looks 'cartoonish' and outdated like an old sepa-toned photograph. This distracts from your message or content.

Try listening to music on an AM station. This will give you an example of how your channel appears to others.

In your house, you do need better lighting, some clamp lights with Daylight bulbs in them will do wonders for your indoor videos. Also, a Lavalier Microphone (this one clips onto your clothing) would also help. If you camera, what make and model it is has a MIC port.

What do you use to edit the videos you make. That has a bearing on the final outcome also. Also the settings on that video editing program may be an issue. I use Sony Vegas Pro 10 and it allows me to put a video on the timeline, then open the folder the video sits in, I then click on an Icon on the Video Display window and then click on the video and sets all the settings for me.

The problem with your camera is that it is outdated (I'm not trying to be rude, but it would help your channel very much if you bought a new one)

This is an example of acceptable video quality: (dont pay attention to the content of it, I just picked it as an example) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntQSPsMlkXo That video was filmed on a smartphone, and they dont have the best image quality

"It's a poor craftsman who blames his tools"