Simon Wyndham
Forum Replies Created
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No. From what I know of the HD XDCAM it is 720p 1080i switchable.
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Actually the HD XDCAM shown at IBC is fully working and in full existence.
Some other little factoids about HD XDCAM that you might find interesting. Firstly it can use a variable bitrate mode. This is not possible on tape, but it has been implemented into HD XDCAM. AFAIK HD XDCAM uses a shorter GOP of around 6 frames.
Because of the cache available and the faster than realtime writing to disc, perhaps even 2 pass encoding might be possible in the future?
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Thomsons camera doesn’t even exist yet. They haven’t even finalised its specifications.
The Panasonic Varicam has been around for a number of years. It is not aimed at the same market as the current HD version of XDCAM. As for the picture quality, I wouldn’t want to speculate too much until I have seen it. 1/2″ chips won’t give the best performance. But they won’t give the worst either.
The fact is that at the moment the HD market at the DSR570 level is not sorted out yet, and doesn’t look as if it will be for a while yet. The cameras could even come down in price, but unfortunately the cost of HD glass doesn’t look like it is coming down anytime soon.
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Hmm. I would say the opposite. I think P2 is better suited to fast throwaway production. P2 has faster access and transfer times than XDCAM. So I think the more archival properties of XD are more suited to dramatic production. Even more so because unlike P2 the clips can be organised on the disc as you shoot (ie by close ups, medium shots etc, or by scene). The latest version of the XDCAM firmware allows the recording of the proxy files onto the Memory Stick. So an editor could truly be editing using the proxies with no interruption to shooting other than taking out and replacing the Memory Stick (which costs next to nothing). At the end of the day the full res files can be conformed. P2 would have to dump all the high res footage as you go along taking longer. If you had a lot of P2 cards you could perform this sort of workflow without delaying shooting by hotswapping. But even if you did the footage would not be stored permenantly on the cards, only on the laptop or editing system present at the location.
So far I have not had a problem with reliability of XDCAM discs, and at present I would feel safer with them than with a hard drive or laptop which if dropped could lose all the footage.
BTW, nice Rolf endorsment!
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The HD XDCAM recently announced at IBC is not the final incarnation. The current version is only an interim product. It has only 1/2″ ccds and lens.
Nope, not dead. But things will become very interesting I would imagine in the near future.
I like to keep my original footage on the medium I shot it on for some projects. Currently P2 doesn’t allow me to do this. But I am watching any developments pretty closely.
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If you shoot with a progressive scan camera then you will need to tell Vegas that the clip is progressive scan by going into the clip properties box.
When you render out, especially if you are rendering for a DVD, it is best if you render it as progressive scan.
On normal TV’s there might not be a difference in quality. However as soon as you play that DVD on a progressive scan DVD player through a high quality component etc connection you will notice a difference in quality. Progressive scan has 30 percent more apparent resolution than interlaced.
If your original footage is interlaced then Vegas should automatically detect which field order to use.
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Until all cameras are solid state, and until all video operations are solid state, tape will never be dead. It will only be dead when it is dead.
It will take years and years before tape finally dissappears.
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DVCpro50 is 4:2:2 true. But it is 8-bit colour compared to 10-bit colour of Digibeta. The eye wouldn’t notice it too much, but during heavy colour correction the dfferences would show up.
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Peter, you have hit the nail on the head here.
The Z1 and FX1 are set as default with a lot of digital edge enhancement. Like you say, many people describe ‘better’ as meaning ‘edgy’. I too have found the actual real detail in the FZ1 and Z1 to be lacking. So much so that I really do think a high end SD camera that is upressed produces a better result. My only use for a Z1 at the moment, and something I will be using someone elses camera for, is to shoot slow motion with it (line double the alternate fields) for output into SD.
Unfortunately most people only ever seem to look at resolution in a picture or ‘sharpness’ (often artificially introduced). They forget about the cameras dynamic range and contrast capabilities.
I think that the HVX200 will probably be a great camera however. But even Panasonic will want to protect their higher end cameras such as the SDX900 etc.
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Ahh, yes! I’d forgotten all about that one. Looks very interesting, and just what I need. Judging by the dimensions it looks to be small enough to be strapped to the back of the Anton Baeur too, as well as being able to power it from the DC power out of the camera. Nice. I don’t think my camera has the ability to control it though so I’d have to manually press record, but still this looks to be a really nice solution. Thanks.