XHA1 BNC out for recording?

[Roger Van duyn]

Hi Stephen.

That port is only SD, the same as composite out. You flip the switch to V2 Instructions are on page 99 of the XH-A1 manual (at the bottom of the page).

You might be able to find some type of component adapter for the blade if you want to use HDV output. That being said, HDV is the best output you can obtain from the A1, so I just use a Firewire recorder, the DataVideo DN-60.

Hope this helps.

Roger

[Rob Gutermuth]

Not quite true – if you use the Component output port (via the D connector) into an HDMI converter, it will allow 1920x1080i uncompressed. HDV is used at the firewire port and what is recorded onto tape.

The BNC cabe on that camera is bascially for just SD output and is just composite out…

this is the only way to use it with a prores recorder like a ninja

Rob Gutermuth
Media Creations

[Roger Van duyn]

Hey Rob,

You’re right about the component output! Stephen just needs to make sure he gets a component to HDMI converter, being careful not to mistakenly purchase an HDMI to component converter. The second device is most commonly used by presenters outputting from their laptop to an older projector lacking an HDMI port.

B&H and NewEgg both carry a couple. Battery life might be an issue.

Roger

[Rob Gutermuth]

Also, just to note, some of those adapters don’t work either, so you have to watch which ones you get – I should say, more specific to getting “clean” HDMI output for devices like the Ninja 2, or Star, etc…

if you just want HDMI for something like a monitor or Projector, I guess any would work, but that’s not why I wanted it 🙂 – The ninja allows it to keep rolling for a while longer… HDV isn’t horrible though… all things considered, but it’s not prores 422 at 1920x1080i either 🙂

What I did was to get a 9volt battery pack for mine, and that seems to work out ok, but I rarely use this camera portable anymore…. usually it’s on a tripod, so everything runs off of AC…

The very cool thing too about these older canon’s is that you can record something 3 ways if you want to… if it’s something REALLY important that you’d be sued over if you missed it – you can record to the Ninja, and then also to HDV tape, and finally to a firestore via the FW output…

not too many cameras can do that… in this price range (most you get is 2 (internal cards, and HDMI out)

Canon was smart enough to at least let the camera bypass the HDV codec with the component output… but it’s still getting “long in the tooth” being 10 years old now…

Peace 🙂

Rob Gutermuth
Media Creations

[Jon Watt]

Hi Rob,

Great suggestions here for this old but nifty little cam.

Came across this post while searching to see what options I might still have available if I chose to dust off my XHA1. I’d be interested in utilizing the component out to capture in as high res as possible with the cam. Other than the Ninja 2, do you know of, are you still using any other options? I searched Newegg as Roger had suggested, but as this is several years ago now, I didn’t find much. Back in the day AJA had a few options. What was the ‘Star’ option you had referred to?
Any thoughts welcome!

Thanks!

Jon