Is the SD video production market dead?

[Stephen Smith]

Some of our clients don’t have a Blue-Ray player and don’t want it in that format. However, well shoot it in HD and cut it in HD and then compress it to SD. If they decide they want it in HD later on down the road no problem.

Lone Peak Productions

Check out the TV Show Open I did.

Check out my DVD Money Making Graphics & Effects for Final Cut Studio 2

[Micah Mcdowell]

In my neck of the woods, HD is still pretty rare, if not nonexistent. Though, it doesn’t surprise me that a rental house would have mostly HD cameras… you can always rent HD cameras to do SD, but not vice versa.

[Grinner Hester]

All I can tell ya is I make six figures a year making SD video. I make nothing making HD.

[Mike Smith]

Here in the UK. SD is still very much alive.

[Mark Suszko]

There is a wide world of video users who may *never* need HD, at least, not for the forseeable future.

I understand the argument that shooting everything in HD is “future-proofing” it. I get it, really, I do. That said, your time and costs to originate and post in HD and then downconvert are a bit higher, and in tight budget times, many are quite happy with lower-cost SD production. Also, not everything is “HD-Worthy”, it may not HAVE a long enough planned shelf life to benefit from having been mastered in HD and downconverted, to wait for a specific audience to catch up to the latest display technology. Horses for courses.

If we are really worried about future-proofing, shouldn’t we all be shooting and posting in 3-D now? 🙂

Let’s be clear that SD doesn’t suddenly and automatically mean “looks like (redacted)”. Until fairly recently, technologically speaking, we were ALL pretty much doing just SD work, and it was winning awards and fame. Just because we suddenly have access to a higher resolution doesn’t instantly negate ALL uses of SD.

[Beau Brotherton]

But is there an extra cost when it comes to producing HD verses SD? I mean, if you’re cutting with FCP, editing HD footage is a breeze.

I know that there is more hard drive space and actually purchasing the HD cameras or renting them. But the quality of the end product is so much greater, even if you are just shooting HD and delivering in SD

Beau Brotherton
Reel Memories Wedding Films
http://www.reelmemories.ws
FCP6, HVX200

[Scott Cumbo]

doesn’t matter what your cutting with, pretty much all NLE’s suport HD these days. But SD is very much alive, especially in non-broadcast stuff. Most people don’t have a way to play hd, but everyone has a DVD player.

Scott Cumbo
Editor
Broadway Video, NYC

[Shane Ross]

We shoot HD, we edit HD, we output HD. But the show still only airs in SD. As mentioned, we are delivering HD masters as a form of FUTURE-PROOFING. Actually, now some of my shows are airing in HD. But HD on TV is still a rare thing. ONly a handful of shows fill my HDTV screen.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Grinner Hester]

lol
How I wish that were true. I purchased my Adrenaline suite because Avid advertised it as HDV native. It still was not when they killed it. Apps like Premiere beat em to the punch bigtime. It’s not hard to see what NLES/companies will be around in years to come and which one will not.

[Ken Nicholson]

I think its getting there fast. And let’s first make the distinction between HD production and SD delivery. SD delivery will be around for years, just like TV stations here in Sacramento still want their spots delivered on Beta SP. And most of my clients deliverables are SD-DVDs.

That being said, it was a no-brainer for me to go HD,using FCP ($1,000!) and a Sony EX-1 ($6,000) with SDHC cards for recording ($40/hr, if you archive them, and $0 if you don’t). No more tape, or decks, or transport disasters, or head-lapping, or just wear-and-tear… Get behind me!!

But really, in this transitional phase, it comes down to this: The higher quality you shoot, the better the end product looks, no exceptions, no matter what format you deliver on. If that weren’t true, then TV movie-of the-week producers wouldn’t have been shooting 35mm film for over 40 years. Why then, wouldn’t you want to stand out over SD producers, and get that edge wherever you can?

“Future-proofing” is definitely a valid point, but “Present-ass-kicking” will put more money in your pocket and raise your rep a lot quicker…