-
Video Camera for High School Basketball Program-suggestions.
I know this is a bit off subject, but I thought I’d ask to hopefully get some feedback.
Our local high school basketball program is in the market for a new video camera. In the past their video has been really grainy. Most of the gyms are not very well lit so they need a camera that will handle low light conditions. The camera must be fairly easy for them to operate (shoot & get games onto DVD) & should shoot standard definition. As with most schools gobs of money are not available so lower cost is important (I’m guessing it must be under $1,000).
Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Dave P. -
13 Replies
-
Dave,
I teach and run a Video Department for Enochs High in Modesto,Ca when I am not doing my own business. I could give you a couple of suggestions, but my first question would be to you is work flow. Because you are shooting BB games, do you want to just turn the game around quickly and slap it on a DVD to watch at practice and review, or do you want to catalog and do editing (which is what I might guess since you are asking in a Vegas Forum). Depending on your work flow, would determine what I might suggest for you.
Neal Barlow
Two Man Movies
http://www.twomanmovies.com -
Hi Neal,
Thanks for your reply. As far as work flow–The coach needs to get the game film onto DVD fairly quickly so he can go over it with his team and exchange with other schools. In the past they have given me DVDs of game films which I import into Vegas with which I make them a season ending highlight reel. It needs to be a fairly simple system for them (coaches) because they are not real computer savvy!Thanks
Dave P. -
Dave,
Panasonic HDC-TM700 is getting some pretty awesome reviews. You can get it for $749.95 right now from BHphoto. It shoots HD 1080p, and records to SD cards or internal memory (which might be the way to go for you so that you can shoot, and then burn a disk, and then format. If you have a game you want to keep, just shoot to SD, and then copy it somewhere later for editing.
If you want to go straight to DVD without any fuss, buy the Panasonic’s VW-BN2 DVD Burner for $199. That puts you right at your $1000 mark. I would suggest an extra battery and at least another SD card would need to be priorities pretty shortly after purchas though.On a budget, this would probably be a great deal if you just want to shoot and crank out, with the possibility to edit later.
For what it is worth,
Neal Barlow
Two Man Movies
http://www.twomanmovies.com
http://www.zombies2movie.com -
Thanks Neal, I will pass this info onto the coach. Looks like a pretty nice camera.
Thanks
Dave P. -
Hope it helps!
Neal Barlow
Owner and Original Man
TWO MAN MOVIES
twomanmovies.com
The Cult Classic Returns in ZOMBIES DURING THIRD PERIOD: AGAIN -
Hi Neal,
I’ve been shooting SD video to MiniDV tape for years and this HD workflow is all new to me so please forgive my ignorance. I have a few questions about using the Panasonic. I told the coach about it and he is very interested. Right now they shoot the games on an older SD video camera with a hard drive. They copy the files to the computer and burn to DVD using some DVD burning software they have.
If they go with the Panasonic you recommend, I assume it’s the same type of workflow? Are the files copied to the computer via USB cable? After the files are on the computer do the files need to be converted from HD to SD? Is the video shot on the camea in HD or SD? Can the coaches use their existing DVD burning software & burner to burn them to DVD?
Basically the coach just wants to know how he can get the video from the camera onto his computer then onto DVD.
Lots of questions 🙂
I appreciate your time.
Thanks
Dave P. -
Dave,
Let me see if I can give you a better understanding of HD. There really in not that much difference in workflow, except for file format/extensions, and file size.
When you captured in SD- like in Vegas, you captured as .avi files. You then edited it, and rendered it out as an .mpeg2 file. (key is understanding that mpeg2 is the language of DVD) This would then be used to make your DVD, whether you were using these files and making it in DVD Architect (Since this is a Sony Vegas forum, I am assuming that is your background) or whether it was some other program. If the coach used some other program – any other program- just know that whether you knew it or not you footage was always being converted to mpeg2, then burnt to a DVD.
Consumers tend to buy a one-stop-shop software for DVD burning. You put “x” in and it comes out a DVD. You don’t get any tweaks or changes, but you might get a nifty template of the beach or the color red, or a Christmas tree. Professionals go through a longer process to customize files setting for maximum quality, and then create customizable menus for clients. All this is to say is that the work flow for whoever it is is still bring in your footage-edit-render to mpeg2-then make your DVD.
With HD the file size changes, and so does your software need. Not every one-stop-shop will work with HD. You need a computer that will be able to handle it, and proper software to make sure that it works right. Things are changing rapidly, and while SD is still around, most everyone that is current is rapidly moving there, if not there already.
If you aren’t the one doing the editing, and the coach is can you tell me what software he is currently using and what kind of a computer he is editing on (model#, or at least processor speed and amount of ram). That would give me a better picture of what you are up against. If you bought the stand-alone DVD burner you wouldn’t have to worry about any of this. It just spits the DVD’s out for you, however, there is no editing-but it is a great solution for less tech savy people who just want a DVD from a HD camera.
Let me know that, and I will see which way to point you.
Neal Barlow
Owner and Original Man
TWO MAN MOVIES
twomanmovies.com
The Cult Classic Returns in ZOMBIES DURING THIRD PERIOD: AGAIN -
Neal,
When I visited the school yesterday the one coach with the limited video/computer knowledge was not there. The head coach (who basically knows zero) was there and told me that currently they download from the camera and they end up with 4 files (one for each quarter) that in turn get burned to a DVD. He didn’t even know what software they use to burn the DVD. They do no editing at all at this time all they want to do is get the game film onto DVD so they can view it.With this Panasonic camera will the files that are burned to a DVD view in HD? I for some reason thought HD had to be on a Bluray disc.
As I said before I appreciate you time and patience as this HD stuff is all new to me.
I will need to go back and get the computer specs.
Thanks again. Feel free to email me if it’s easier for you.
Dave
dpetto@verizon.netThanks
Dave P. -
Dave,
While it is true that HD is really what is destined for Blu-ray, that better way for you to look at it is quality. Anything can go to DVD. DVD is for all intensive purposes meant for really good SD video. That better the camera, the better quality. Blu-ray is meant for HD. However you can put HD video on to DVD.
There are two options for this. 1) Down convert the HD footage to SD -either through computer, camera, or box (like the DVD burner I recommened), or 2) Burn the HD as Blu-ray to a DVD. The second is really more of a hack, or cheat and you can only fit 20min of HD video on it. What I would say is think of the number 2) option as training for another time my young Padawan.
So, understanding that if your end result is SD (Small), and you shoot video with HD(Big), you potentially have a really good picture that while is not HD anymore, but is better than just straight SD. Another way to think of it is this. You can take photos with your Cellphone, or a professional DSLR. Both photos can be turned into tiny wallet size photos, but the DSLR will always be the better looking photo with more detail (provided that the photographer is decent).
So again, for a system that is just straight from camera to DVD I would stick to what I suggested. You can buy a cheaper SD camera, and go back to the pull into the computer and then burn, but if you aren’t going to do fancy/serious editing on a regular basis, while go through the process if you just want to watch it straight from the DVD? It just seems silly to me to invest in something that you know is becoming more and more old tech by the day. HD is here to stay, and very soon SD only cameras will be harder to come by.
If it’s all about work flow, get two pieces of hardware that are made to work together, and eliminate some steps. Here are some reviews for the DVD standalone burner https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/666616-REG/Panasonic_VW_BN2.html
There is a tone more to talk about on the subject, but I am hoping this will help answer some of your questions.
Out of curiosity, what brought you to the Vegas forum? This is really more of a DVD Burning, or Cinematography forum question, not that I mind.
Neal Barlow
Owner and Original Man
TWO MAN MOVIES
twomanmovies.com
The Cult Classic Returns in ZOMBIES DURING THIRD PERIOD: AGAIN -
OK Neal, you are starting to clear up the picture for me on this HD stuff. Your last post really helped. I will try to get some info on the computer for you so you can advise me on that end of things. I’m guessing that the computer the coaches have is not beefy enough for HD, but you never know. Going to the stand alone DVD burner sounds like it may be the best choice.
“Out of curiosity, what brought you to the Vegas forum?”
In a nutshell–I’ve always been dealt really good info from everyone on this Vegas site whether it be a Vegas question (which most of mine are) or a question regarding something else in the video world. In other words, I go to where the knowledge is good and the people are nice! 🙂I also checked out your website–it looks like you do lots of nice work and are very versatile in what services you offer. Good stuff!
Thanks
Dave P.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up