Is the hpx170, AVC-Intra ready?

eL ProduceR

eL ProduceR

Well-known member
Hello everyone, I think this is kind of a silly question, but is there any chance of a firmware update to make the hpx170, AVC-Intra compatible/ready? Would the technical specs of the HPX allow the camera to handle the codec? (1/3" ccd, P2 storage, 10 bit thru HD-SDI)
 
Is the hpx170, AVC-Intra ready?

William_Robinette said:
no. There is a board that is required for AVC-Intra encoding. The 170 won't ever have it.
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So, I guess the AG-HPG20 will be the only way of getting AVC-Intra out of hpx170

Now, the question is: how long will it take to AVC-Intra to replace DvcPro? Currently being the codec of choice, and at the pace technology is going nowadays, is it worth it to invest on DvcPro equipment?
 
There will always be a different codec and delivery or advancements to the existing ones.

The codec, however, doesn't deliver the clients.
 
Yeah AVCIntra is great but I think DVCPROHD still has a number of years. It's a solid codec with tons of support and a massive installed user base.

Noah
 
Carlos Corral said:
I think with AVC-Intra, you need a camera that has a 2/3" sensor. Maybe the new HPX500 will be AVC-Intra ready?
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A 2/3" sensor isn't necessary; it's just a codec. The new HPG20 recorder doesn't have any sensor, it just records the incoming HD-SDI data stream from any camera.

But, in order to take best advantage of AVC-Intra, you would want to be paired to a camera head that can deliver a full 1920x1080 of detail at 10 bits, since one of the benefits of AVC-I is that it's a full-raster recording format with a full 10 bits of information. As such, I doubt you'd see much benefit from using the 1/3" spatial-offset CCD cameras. Maybe a new CMOS unit could do it, but it's pretty much impossible to get that level of detail out of a 1/3" CCD using today's technology.
 
Barry_Green said:
A 2/3" sensor isn't necessary; it's just a codec. The new HPG20 recorder doesn't have any sensor, it just records the incoming HD-SDI data stream from any camera.

But, in order to take best advantage of AVC-Intra, you would want to be paired to a camera head that can deliver a full 1920x1080 of detail at 10 bits, since one of the benefits of AVC-I is that it's a full-raster recording format with a full 10 bits of information. As such, I doubt you'd see much benefit from using the 1/3" spatial-offset CCD cameras. Maybe a new CMOS unit could do it, but it's pretty much impossible to get that level of detail out of a 1/3" CCD using today's technology.
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So, is the HPG20 targeted ONLY to camera heads that can deliver full 1920x1080? How compatible would this be with the hpx170, which has HD-SDI, but no full 1920x1080.?
I'm confused :huh:
 
I think the 10 bit record capability of AVC Intra can pay dividends even with 720p and pixel shifted sensors vs. DVCPRO HD. This assumes the HD SDI output is 10 bit on whichever camera. When there is not adequate bit depth, banding and even macroblocking can occur, no matter the luminance resolution.

One thing that the HPG20 lacks is Native mode recording, unfortunately.
 
Barry_Green said:
But, in order to take best advantage of AVC-Intra, you would want to be paired to a camera head that can deliver a full 1920x1080 of detail at 10 bits, since one of the benefits of AVC-I is that it's a full-raster recording format with a full 10 bits of information. As such, I doubt you'd see much benefit from using the 1/3" spatial-offset CCD cameras. Maybe a new CMOS unit could do it, but it's pretty much impossible to get that level of detail out of a 1/3" CCD using today's technology.
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And here is a point in time that you will see me disagree with Barry. We were working with the HPX170 and the HPG20 in the lab yesterday and yes there is a difference in the way it looks and the depth of color correction you can force it through. A 10 bit codec is a very useful tool when rendering color. So yes virtually any camera out there could benefit from the AVC-Intra codec.

But I also agree with Noah as the DVCPRO HD codec is well established and well supported with a very large user base. It still has legs to walk on for a good number of years.

Hope this helps,

Jan
 
eL ProduceR said:
So, is the HPG20 targeted ONLY to camera heads that can deliver full 1920x1080?
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No, it will work with any camera that has HD-SDI or firewire output (except HDV firewire).

All I was saying was that the codec can take best advantage of a full-raster head, such as a VariCam (1280x720) or a 1920x1080 camera head, since the codec is also full raster.

How compatible would this be with the hpx170, which has HD-SDI, but no full 1920x1080.?
I'm confused :huh:
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It would be 100% compatible. And the footage would look better than native DVCPRO-HD footage. I'm just not sure how much better.
 
Jan_Crittenden said:
We were working with the HPX170 and the HPG20 in the lab yesterday and yes there is a difference in the way it looks and the depth of color correction you can force it through. A 10 bit codec is a very useful tool when rendering color.
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Testing trumps theory, every time. Glad to hear there's a noticeable improvement!
 
Perhaps Jan can answer...has Panny recorded the HD-SDI out of Sony HD cameras with the HPG20 and AVC-Intra? My guess is the image should have a better look to it than say recording to XDcam 50 MB 4:2:2? It could potentially be a coup if people were recording to the HPG20 from Sony cams...
 
Joe_Digital said:
Perhaps Jan can answer...has Panny recorded the HD-SDI out of Sony HD cameras with the HPG20 and AVC-Intra? My guess is the image should have a better look to it than say recording to XDcam 50 MB 4:2:2? It could potentially be a coup if people were recording to the HPG20 from Sony cams...
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Yes and yes.

Best,

Jan
 
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