wait until NAB2007 before you buy !!!!

I would think the ability to "tell" the LCD to flip itself would be maybe firmware updateable. But the DSP function of actually rotating the footage -- that wouldn't be.

It's all a hardware vs. software type of thing. If you're asking for basic core functions of the hardware to be added, that won't happen. Like, asking for an MPEG-4/AVC encoder to add AVC-HD to the existing HVX. That can't happen; an AVC encoder chip is hardware.

But what I'm hoping for from firmware would be things like modifying what's already there to work better -- such as, unlocking additional frame rates that we've already proven are there already; or adding the ability to trim MXF clips so that you can set an in & out point and it trims to just that segment, or telling the LCD to be always rotated. Because the basic functions already exist (we know the frame rates are there, we know the LCD can rotate based on the internal switch, and we know it has a file system for creating/writing MXF files) then I'm assuming (and it's ASSuming!) that those functions can be modified.

Something like a -3dB gain, that's a mystery. I mean, maybe the DSP already supports it, so maybe they could add access to it through firmware. But if the function isn't built in already, then there's nothing firmware could do to make that happen.

In the end, the only ones who actually KNOW what can & can't be done are the engineers at Panasonic. I'm just trying to make educated guesses based on past history as a computer programmer.
 
Barry_Green said:
Something like a -3dB gain, that's a mystery. I mean, maybe the DSP already supports it, so maybe they could add access to it through firmware.
Click to expand...
It's worth asking precisely what a -3dB setting does as far as the internal set up of the camera is, before asking for it as an option. Obviously it reduces the system gain, but it's what happens to the highlights that is relevant. If you increase the amount of light on to the chip, the output level will increase - up to a point. At some stage a limit will be reached, and no amount of extra light will result in increased output.

Frequently that level is several times the level that will normally give a peak white in the output signal, and the headroom provides the ability to give a knee to the curve - avoid burnt out highlights.

That's quite easy to do in more expensive cameras (normally 2/3" chip) as the larger chip gives an inherently good signal/noise, but not so in cameras with smaller chips. To keep the normal output s/n reasonable, they may work much closer to the absolute maximum limit - have much less to play with for highlight handling.

Hence, if a -3dB option was added to the HVX200, it's quite conceivable that it would be heavily at the expense of highlight handling, and I strongly suspect the designers have concluded that it's a price not worth paying.
 
Just wondering and I am wondering if it is reasonable request, But I am thinking to myself that it will be very nice if the HVX can control an external harddrive. I know that this might not be reliable and P2 is always the way to go at the end for fast and reliable capture, but storing directly on a harddrive without using a computer or using software is an awesome idea.
 
Since we've gone off topic... :happy:
Does anyone think a "delete last clip" could be added in the mix. Soooo may times we're sure the last take is wortless. It would be a huge storage and time saver if we could delete the last recorded clip.
Just a thought.
 
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