16:9 Squeeze mode on the HVX vs on other cameras

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filmguy123

Veteran
It is my understanding that on 4:3 CCD chips like most other SD cameras have (if not all?), the 16:9 squeeze mode causes a loss in image quality as some of the image date is not used (top and bottom) and then the middle is actually stretched out for the 16:9 image. Is this correct?

However, the HVX200 has native 16:9 chips... and so I am wondering, when shooting in 16:9 squeeze mode when in 480i SD mode on the HVX... what happens here? Is it reversed for the HVX, ie, when shooting 4:3 in SD mode on the HVX, do you actually not utilize the whole 16:9 sensor (only the middle part), and then when switching to 16:9 squeeze, you don't stretch any pixels or waste image data, but rather on the HVX does this allow full use of the native 16:9 CCD?


Just trying to figure out this squeeze mode works, both on the HVX and other cameras and how they compare. Thanks for the clarification!
 
In 16:9 you get full-resolution full-frame 16:9. In 4:3 you get full height and full 4:3 width; the sides of the image are chopped off.

The HVX makes its images internally at 1920x1080; the SD images are downconverted, so either way you go you're getting a downconverted HD image. There is no stretching or squeezing going on, but obviously 4:3 is a different shape than 16:9 so some of the 16:9 wider image needs to be cut off to fit in the 4:3 area.
 
It shouldn't be called "squeeze mode" because it doesn't do what the DVX does -- stretch a cropped image.

The "squeeze mode" on the HVX uses the 16:9 chip, downconverted from 1920x1080, so it's a native 16:9 image. It's full 720x480 resolution, not a stretch from a cropped 4:3 image.

It's still called "squeeze," I suppose, because the image would appear squeezed horizontally if you played it straight from the tape to a 4:3 TV.
 
They should call it anamorphic recording or something. The three options should be this:

1 Anamorphic Rec. 16:9
2 Letterbox 4:3
3 Full frame Standard 4:3
 
or why not just call it 16:9 mode since every knows what 16:9 means.....and isn't anymorphic wider then 16:9

so instead of normal letter box and squeeze. Why not just have 4:3 4:3 letter box and 16:9
 
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even simpler.... but i the thing is when widescreen is recorded to DV its actually anamorphic widescreen, its technichally standard 4:3 square pixel video. the NLE expands the pixels to 16:9 shaped one.
 
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