Hate to break it, but in the consumer market, miniDV (and FireWire 400 with it) is dying. Unfortunately, you'll find most consumer-level cameras under ~$1500 are heading towards DVD and Flash for the cheaper models and HDD for the more expensive ones. It isn't all bad news, as they have improved the whole hard drive system so that it is slightly less painless to use, though I do concur with you over at least a hint of nostalgia for miniDV.

Since you're at a school you might have access to prosumer HDV cameras, in which case miniDV is still very much alive. Of course you're looking at the $2000-$10000 range, and even here it's being threatened by portable hard drives, straight-to-disk shooting and Panasonic's P2 flash based memory, but miniDV still has a bit of life in it yet for HDV use.

In terms of compatibility with Premiere Pro, you'll find that it's compatible with most available HDV, HDD, Flash and P2 formats. HDD and Flash tend to use AVCHD compression which Premiere Pro supports though I've found it's a lot more taxing on the system so you'll find yourself having to render the source footage a lot more than you're used to.

I'll always have that soft spot for miniDV, but unfortunately, that's the way the market goes.

Hi there. MiniDV is definitely on its way out, but that doesn't mean it's a dead format. Indeed, you can still buy old Super-8 analogue tapes in most supermarkets, and that format has been 'dead' for almost a decade. If you prefer to work with MiniDV, you should be able to buy tapes for many years to come - even after they stop making MiniDV camcorders.

With that being said, the future definitely lies in the HDD and flash memory formats, particularly when it comes to high-definition video. Out of interest, what version of Premiere Pro are you using? The latest versions should be fully compatible with pretty much all HDD video codecs, including AVCHD.

"I've got a question about the miniDV format. I'm reading in magazines and online that the miniDV format is dying and on the way out etc etc.
Is this indeed the case?"

Well.. Uh... Yeah. this is indeed the case. It's not Dying as much as it is being replaced by Filebased recorders. you don't seem so sure that the reports you are reading are valid, so try this. Go to any local camera store or an online store, and compare the number of new Tape based Camcorders to the Number of Filebased recorders being sold as an indicator of how many are being manufactured these days. This should be concrete proof for you. Tapebased Camcorders will remain as "Alive" as we the owners, keep them alive. Brand new sealed boxed units will continue to be sold online through channels such as Ebay and other places but the Manufacturers are not going to invest in MiniDV production unless they come up with some feature that can't be applied to the newer Filebased units. Dead Technology No, Replaceable Technology? Absolutely.

How many New MiniDV Camcorders have hit the store shelves in 2009? Eventually no one will make them anymore, but that doesn't mean it is dead. Your current relationship to the Filebased camcorder as an instructor in Video Editing requires that you will need to make some decisions in your curriculum. Eventually (and I am not saying when) you'll need to decide if moving away from teaching on MiniDV format versus Filebased recorders is the way you should 'grow'. The Filebased approach is going to be more expensive in terms of hardware upgrades, the learning curve is much steeper and then the decision of do you want to stay with your current NLE or should you trade it in for something more tuned to your Teaching requirements. I think your best first step would be to contact the Developer of the software and ask them what direction they think you should go. They maybe working on a better release. As the education facility you can keep both technologies using MiniDV as the introduction to Video Editing and Build a more Contemporary Course employing Filebased Camcorders making the transition from Tapebased SD to Filebased SD. Then from there take them into Filebased HD.

Since Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) is Red Laser Technology (Standard Definition) and BluRay is Blue Laser (and so HiDef technology) you as the instructor would be better off working on both sides of the experience rather than Pitching one in order to embrace the other. Getting into HiDef just because it's new is a waste of resources i.e. your time energy and money. Standard Definition is Great and has Lots of Advantages that you won't get by purchasing a bunch of Filebased recorders. Right now as you know the whole Filebase industry is in a State of Flux and nothing is Settled as yet. That's going to be awhile yet. Sony Panasonic Canon and everyone are still in the R&D Stage selling us stuff so they can get enough capitol to develop the next idea and so on, and in the mean time we all still have the Proven Success of MiniDV. But that technology is being replaced ever so slowly.