The question regarding hi-definition video is not if?, but when? Most people don’t have HD TV sets, but HD can be streamed and shared over the internet using all major video codecs, bandwidth permitting. So, for the serious independent or amateur videographer now is a good time to consider going HD if it’s time to buy or upgrade equipment.
Even if your end product video is going onto standard-definition DVD or low-res streaming video, starting with a high-quality HD source is almost never a bad thing. For one, even with lossy codecs starting with better quality typically ends with better quality after compression (sort of the mirror image of “garbage in, garbage out”). Perhaps more importantly, when HD-capable DVDs and higher-bandwidth internet connections become more common, you can go back and distribute HD versions of your video because your source is capable of it.
But I wouldn’t yet recommend anyone running out and buying an HD cam for the sole purpose of getting on the HD bandwagon. Rather, if you’re looking to get a good-quality camcorder to begin with, it’s worth considering an HD cam now that the prices are dropping and all of the HDV models allow you to still record regular DV-quality video onto DV tape.
Although the idea is promising, it looks like Sanyo’s experiment in a palm-size HD camcorder that records to SD memory cards doesn’t work out. While the NY Times gave the Xacti a mediocre review, the second major review I’ve read–from Akihabara News–pans it completely:
…the HD and SD videos are a complete DISASTER! … The videos shot in HD are nowhere near the ones taken with the Sony HDR-HC1 (the camera Akihabara News uses for their HD videos) for example. To put it bluntly, you can really see the pixels in HD mode. These videos are not re-worked by any video editing software, this is raw footage, straight out of the HD1. We’re not video professionals, but it looks like us that the HD videos are “enlarged” SD videos in 1280×720, which would explain the pixels on the screen.
At the high end of the prosumer range, Jason Scott has posted about his first experiences with the Panasonic AG-HVX200, a HD camcorder that is generating a lot of excitement amongst video hobbiests and pros. The HVX200 records regular DV to tape, and only records HD to Panasonic’s proprietary P2 solid-state memory cards–something Jason didn’t realize before he bought the cam. Further, the cards are currently wickedly expensive, at about $1400 for an 8 GB card which records 20 minutes of video.
Jason’s post is mostly about the difficulty of using a brand new camera on a production shoot that you haven’t had time to really get familiar with:
The thing to note here, however, was that I had basically given myself less than three days to try out my equipment, learn how to use it, find the best settings, and practice my arranged settings before setting off in a plane to Florida to do a one-shot deal interviewing someone who would not be available again. The potential for disaster was great. And as it turns out, I met that potential.
The problem wasn’t the HVX200 per se, but that it presents new paradigms, like a brand new recording medium, along with the indiosyncrasies that exist with almost every new model of camcorer.
The lesson I take away is that moving to a new medium, like HD or HDV, means that some operations and workflow with be different, and the transition may not be as smooth as we would hope or expect. If you’re going to jump into the world of Hi-Def, give yourself time to familiarize yourself with the new equipment and the format itself. If possible, I’d recommend trying out the equipment before you buy, to make sure it meets the standard you expect. Or, at the very least, read a lot of user reviews first.
It can be fun and exciting to be on the leading edge of improved technology, but sometimes that excitement comes from disaster, rather than success.
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