[MacDV] In the market for a new Camcorder update

[video at pappals.com]

I miss-spoke, thanks all for correcting the miss-information. 

Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDV  for another decent
explanation

sam

On Mon, 18 May 2009 22:26 -0600, "Derek Roff" <derek at unm.edu> wrote:
> > Basically, Cameras that record to disk may or may not use some form
> > of compression. Cameras that record to tape do not, just like SD
> > tape cameras.
> 
> I disagree with the above statement.  All video formats are 
> compressed, even the ones that are called "uncompressed" (whose video 
> is compressed by technology limitations, including intentionally 
> blurring lens elements and low-resolution sensor circuits, rather 
> than by mathematical algorithms).  The differences lie in how the 
> compression is done, and the impact that has on the workflow and the 
> video product.  The mini-DV tape that has carried the digital 
> camcorder wave of the last decade, recording Standard Definition in 
> the DV25 encoding, is compressed by both technology limitations (lens 
> quality, sensor size) and algorithms.  HDV records High Definition to 
> mini-DV tape in MPEG-2 encoding, which is more highly compressed 
> (mathematically) than DV25.
> 
> Although this is the twilight of tape, I would still pick a tape 
> camera today.  The current market for consumer tapeless cameras is 
> rather chaotic, with many lousy codecs and encoding schemes (or is 
> that "lossy"?).  I don't expect any of them to last five years, 
> whereas DV25 and MPEG-2 will be supported in editing software for 
> longer than that, because of the massive amount of archive material.
> 
> People often tout the speed of file transfer to the computer as an 
> advantage of the tapeless formats, but that speed advantage is 
> compromised by the time it takes to transcode or expand the format 
> into something editable.   The higher compression rates of tapeless 
> camcorders result in lower quality video, with more artifacts.  That 
> is why I prefer tape, at present.
> 
> Someday soon, a decent tapeless codec/encoding will appear, and we 
> will be able to say goodbye to tape.  For the moment, I, too, like 
> the Canon HV30 as a consumer-level camera with nice features, good 
> video quality, and the ability to shoot HD or SD video onto mini-DV 
> cassettes.
> 
> Derek
> 
> Derek Roff
> Language Learning Center
> Ortega Hall 129, MSC03-2100
> University of New Mexico
> Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
> 505/277-7368, fax 505/277-3885
> Internet: derek at unm.edu
> 
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