Like thinx said, the key is to have the proper equipment for editing and spend some time for learning how to. It took us few good weeks till we learned it well.First HD video I shoot was 18 months ago and since then we shoot it only this way and if we had few problems in first weeks and I remember I was really anxious about the upgrade in the start, since then we didnt get any compalin but tons of emails cheering up this move.The difference is huge.
But if your budget is low and girls are nice you can start with regular format and then upgrade later. Nice looking models are always a win
HDV needs some budget freedom, because you may need to take some course too or maybe hire someone for editing for a start.Its all depend on your current skills.