Mini DV is one of three digital formats in which sound and picture recordings on cassette tape are done, the other two are DV CAM and DV PRO. Being a digital recording system, the Mini DV recordings have a good sound and sharp picture recording and playback quality.

Mini DV is the most widely used DV tape format of all digitally recorded cassette tapes, and the reason for its popularity is its compatibility with almost all kinds of players. The Mini DV tape can even be played on devices meant for DVPRO and DVCAM playback. This is because the tiny Mini DV tape is identical to DV CAM and DVPRO tapes in all aspects except the format in which recording is done. The Mini DV tapes are small and available in lengths of 30, 60 and 80 minutes.

The commonly used Mini DV products are cassettes, camcorders, recorders, and players. Most Mini DV recorders and players are available as two-in-one systems in the form of Mini DV decks, which may additionally have features like editing and conversion of recordings. Mini DV camcorders are compact and light, and Sony camcorders are extremely popular due to their features like MPEG movie recording and night time recording, all at a reasonable price. Panasonic