Re: Is there a difference?

Your friend is filled with misinformation.
Stored to tape or Firestore, or direct to computer via firewire, the information is HD.
It's a pity you've had an HD camcorder all along and haven' been using even half of it.
HDV is true HD. In the market, one particular manufacturer has been incredibly successful at spreading FUD on this particular subject. The same sort of stupidity and FUD was spread 12 years ago when DV first came out, too. For those of us that have been around for a while, this is a very bad re-run of DV vs Beta. There are differing grades of quality of HD, and if you don't manage HDV correctly, it won't be great content, but the same holds true for any format. You can make HDV shine, and you can screw up terribly with an HDCAM or Genesis, too.

Douglas Spotted Eagle
VASST

Certified Sony Vegas Trainer
Aerial Camera/Instructor