XDCAM HD vs Digibeta

[Tony]

Well shooting in 24P or 25P is a better alternative than shooting interlace for dramatic or music video productions.

Options included XDCAM HD, HDCAM (F900), Varicam (dvcprohd 720P), SDX-900 standard def 24P dvcpro 50.

Tony Salgado

[Steve Wargo]

If you’re looking for the 24fps look in DigiBeta, you’ll have to create it in post through software. XDCAM-HD is slated to be the new DigiBeta in Sony’s eyes. This will be very interesting over the next few years.

Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona

It’s a dry heat!

[Robin Probyn]

But if 24p is not the the main issue,and interlaced is ok,wouldnt the 2/3 inch chip/higher data rate make the digibeta better,or at least a PAL one?.
For sure the 790 viewfinder is better than the XDCAM 350?

Not saying Iam correct but this would be my logic

[Felix Halter]

I checked out the 330 a couple of days with the 1/2″ canon lens. I cannot say anything about the HD part, but downconverted to SD the 2/3″ DVCPRO50 is far better. For me there is no question. I stay with DVCPRO50 until maybe XDCAM HD is 2/3″ because I still need SD for quite awhile. I work in PAL land.

XDCAM discs handle very good but I still like the insert recording capability of tapes when sometimes you only have to change one little part of a movie being it video or audio.

[Tony]

Steve,

Sony did introduce a 24P digi beta camcorder at NAB. I don’t recall the model number or if any major rental houses actually aquired the unit.

Tony Salgado

[Dave Anderson – roscor]

The current Digi Beta camcorder model is DVW-970 and was introduced at NAB 2005. It shares the same camera, chassis and options as the IMX version MSW-970 which debuted at the same time. Both have optional 24p and picture cache boards. Other than LA and NYC, there are few of these 970 models for rent because we’re all investing primarily in HD, not SD.

I suggest shooting HD whenever possible and downconverting for post if required. Shoot it once, and make money with that content today and tomorrow.

Dave Anderson
HD Cinematography Manager
Roscor – HD Sales & Rentals
616-954-2001
http://www.roscor.com

[Michael Brennan]

Shooting DVW 970 means you get progressive unsampled 4:2:2 10 bit recording from a 12 bit AD camera head. Very nice for SD transmission and DVD.
This will look slightly softer than f900 or 750 but it will enable more grading and the result will look less plastic.

Using a HD head into digibeta will be slightly better than above.

Shooting with 8 bit recorder and bumping to 10bit is usefull only if you have a use for the HD cam master later or if you want to resize the HD frame.

Distribute on WM9 then shoot HD.

Mike Brennan

[Timothy Duncan]

I take exception to your statement “I checked out the 330 a couple of days with the 1/2″ canon lens. I cannot say anything about the HD part, but downconverted to SD the 2/3″ DVCPRO50 is far better.”

How was the camera setup? What was the footage? That lens is not nearly as good probably as the one you are used to. Did you actually do an A/B side by side? Perhaps you were only looking at analog signals as the F330 has no SDI output. Or were you looking at a deck output? What monitor did you use to view the downconvert?
We have A/B’d the Varicam and F900 and the F350 (same imagers as the F330)and the F350 looks every bit as good and even cleaner in the black levels. We have clients that shoot on F900s and I just did a color finishing session project and it was considerably more noisy than anything I’ve seen from XDCAM HD.

Once software is released for full XDCAM disc based support writing to and from disc, you’ll think your video tapes are archaic. Digitizing will be old school.

The Sony cameras are almost always “cooler” out of the box than Panasonic. All you have to do is make a few adjustments to get the warmer look, and you have lots of detail control, too.

Regarding 1/2″ vs 2/3″ CCDs — I dare anyone to actually see the difference on a broadcast glass CRT. You might be able to measure it with test gear, but you certainly can’t see it.

And one last comment: I’ve color finished enough film and HD footage to tell you that XDCAM HD HQ holds up every bit as well as HDCam and certainly much better than DVCPro HD in the color grading process.

td