Another inquiry for Jan

[Steve Eisen]

Read about it here:
https://catalog2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ModelDetail?displayTab=O&storeId=11201&catalogId=13051&itemId=274232&catGroupId=112502&surfModel=AG-HMC150

Steve Eisen
Eisen Video Productions
Board of Directors
Chicago Final Cut Pro Users Group

[Jan Crittenden livingston]

Hi,

[Christopher Wright] “My main questions are:
are the 1/3″ chips the same on both cameras? ..”

Yes.

[Christopher Wright] “does the AG-HMC150 have the same improved low lux performance as the HVX-200A and the HPX-170 (better than the old HVX-200)? ..”
Yes.

[Christopher Wright] “Is the lens exactly the same as the one on the HPX? ..”

Yes.

[Christopher Wright] “What is the quality of your AVC to DVCPROHD software transcoder for Windows? ..”

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Once you have compressed to even 21mbs, you have given ingformation away. Is it better thatn HDV, sure, is it as good as DVCPRO? No.

[Christopher Wright] “Does the 720P24Pn Intraframe QT codec play well with the P2 QT 720p24Pn codec in FCP (in a 720P24pn timeline), or is it better/preferred to transcode to DVCPROHD first (your free Panny software now only available on Windows?)? ..”

You will need to transcode in order to have an easy time of it and not degrade the signal eveven more in the edit process.

[Christopher Wright] “Does the audio record at 48 or 32kz?? ..”

Compressed.

[Christopher Wright] “Is it actually better at motion shots than either the HVX or HPX? ..”

No way. Intraframe recording will always be better than interframe long GOP.

[Christopher Wright] “If all of this is true, it might make an ideal B-roll camera for my HVX, and a lot less expensive than the HPX..”

I would advise to go with the HPX.

Best,

Jan

Jan Crittenden Livingston
Product Manager, HPX500, HVX200, DVX100
Panasonic Broadcast & TV Systems

[Jeff Brown]

[Jan Crittenden Livingston] “Intraframe recording will always be better than interframe long GOP.”

Take this with a grain of salt: Jan is a Panasonic employee, after all. I do love Panny gear, but good long GOP will be better than bad intraframe. Shouldn’t be hard to imagine that. May not be the case in current product offerings, but such a sweeping statement just won’t hold in all cases.

-jeff

[Jan Crittenden livingston]

[Jeff Brown] “Take this with a grain of salt: Jan is a Panasonic employee, after all. I do love Panny gear, but good long GOP will be better than bad intraframe. Shouldn’t be hard to imagine that. May not be the case in current product offerings, but such a sweeping statement just won’t hold in all cases.”

Actually I can prove it in all cases, if the camera is moving. I am a product manager at Panasonic and it is part of my job to understand the impact of compression of the output of a signal. I have been a party to many compression breaking tests and I have seen them all fail, but the ones that fail first are the long GOP codecs.

And BTW, the question was adressed to me(notice the title of the thread) in the first place and since I am familiar with both of these cameras, I responded as I see the two cameras working and fitting into the scheme of what is out there. The DVCPRO HD codec will be more robust that the long GOP of AVCHD, and AVCHD is more robust than HDV. Even Sony says this, they equate 9mbs level of AVCHD to HDV. So yes while I am a Panasonic employee, I do try to give the most honest answer that 35 years in this industry can muster.

Thanks,

Jan

Jan Crittenden Livingston
Product Manager, HPX500, HVX200, DVX100
Panasonic Broadcast & TV Systems

[Jeff Brown]

[Jan Crittenden Livingston] “And BTW, the question was adressed to me(notice the title of the thread)”

I did see the title in passing… but I believe this is a public forum. I think if you read your post again, you’ll see you pretty much agreed with my point.

I’m not bashing: I’ve been trying to get my clients to switch from Sony to Panasonic. If I have to work with compression these days, I would rather have intraframe. But the gross generality was like saying “film will always be better than video.” Good video is better than crap film. I think there’s a parallel; it would depend on the implementation of the codec, data rates, not to mention the imaging chip, lens, etc. I certainly wouldn’t argue with your assessment of the 2 cameras in question. I just had to be picky about what seemed to be an edict.

-jeff

[Bjoern Adamski]

What is “good Long-GOP”?

Long-GOP performs well with low action but with very fast action it can end up in incalculable compression artefacts. The hardest test is filming a flurry of camera flashes.

———————
Product Manager
MXF4mac
https://mxf4mac.com

[Christopher Wright]

Thanks for the clarification on the two cameras Jan. As always your professional input is much appreciated. I had already looked at all the product info (including the link that Steve provided), but of course the specific answers to the questions I needed weren’t there. Since these cameras are your “babies” I thought I would go straight to the source! I am still wondering after you encode from the AVC to DVCPROHD codec in your Windows software transcoder, if the audio rate comes out at 48kz or 32kz. If 48, it should indeed work well with the HVX FCP workflow.

Dual 2.5 G5, IO, Kona LH, IO, Medea Raid, UL4D, NVidia 6800, 4Gig RAM
Octocore 8 GB Ram, Radeon card, MBP, MXO
Windows XP Adobe Studio CS3, Vegas 8.0, Lightwave 9.2, Sound Forge 9, Acid Pro 6, Continuum 5, Boris Red 4, Combustion 2008, Sapphire Effects

[Noah Kadner]

Just wanted to add that Jan is the straightest shooter you’ll ever find working for any of the ‘big time’ companies. Yes of course she is with Panasonic first and foremost, but she truly believes in what she says and is 100% right on the money. You want an honest technical appraisal- listen to what Jan has to say.

Noah

My FCP Blog. Unlock the secrets of the DVX100, HVX200 and Apple Color and Win a Free Letus Extreme.
Now featuring the Sony EX1 Guidebook, DVD Studio Pro and Sound for Film and TV.
https://www.callboxlive.com