AVCHD Videos
I've got a Panasonic DMC-ZX3 since a few month and I found a few informations on how to view, convert, etc. the videos it takes. They are in HD and outputed in a strange .MTS files (and some others, I'll write more on that some time later). Regular players can't read those files, and I eventually found some converting tools under linux (I'm using ubuntu)
AVCHD = sudo apt-get install libavcodec-extra-52 winff openshot
http://blog.yann.info/2010/05/16/avchd-pour-les-nuls-et-les-pauvres/
Tethering (using computer as a screen for the camera while shooting)
Meanwhile, I found this website explaining how to use your computer screen for your camera. I didn't test already, but I like the idea.
http://grahambinns.com/blog/2010/04/18/gphoto2-f-spot-win/
