avc-hd and hvx200

G-Man

G-Man

Well-known member
I'm sure many of you folks have read camcorderinfo.com's article on Sony and Panasonic's joint development of avc-hd.

Currently, the blu-ray technology is designed for cameras recording onto dvd's, however, my question is how (or if) this technology will affect the hvx200 and future versions of the camera.

Opinions, hypothesis?
 
It's not really aimed at the HVX class of camera, it's meant as a consumer format to replace HDV.

However...

I think it would be KILLER if they would add this to some future HVX model, as an option. As far as I understand AVC-HD, it has three recording modes (like 6mbps, 12mbps, and 18mbps); I don't know about 6 or 12, but at 18mbps it may theoretically be about as robust and full-featured as XDCAM-HD (based on H.264's being usually at least twice as efficient as MPEG-2 in the same bandwidth, so XDCAM-HD would need twice as much bandwidth to match it).

Obviously that's a format-only comparison, the lens and chips will make all sorts of differences, but we're not exploring that, we're only talking about recording format.

If Panasonic were to develop some future camera with all the HVX's goodness, but a flippable switch that let the user choose 18mbps AVC-HD too, well, that would be pretty darn good. It'd let event shooters get five times as much footage on a card, for example. Now, it'll still be long-GOP and still subject to the same kind of issues that can cause HDV fits, so it wouldn't be my first choice, but at least it'd be a choice that you could maybe turn to if you absolutely had to have longer record times.

I'd like to see an HVX in a shoulder-mount form factor with DVCPRO-HD and AVC-HD recording and interchangeable lenses. Priced appropriately, it would be the one camcorder that does absolutely everything.
 
avchd.gif

From Ars Technica:

The new format, labeled AVCHD (not exactly an acronym that rolls off the tongue, but it stands for Advanced Video Coding High Definition) uses currently-available 3.2-inch "mini-DVD" discs as its storage medium. Data is compressed using a codec based on the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 standard, which compresses video files to much smaller sizes than the MPEG 2 codec used for regular DVDs. AVCHD discs can store video at many different resolutions and frame rates, including 480i at 60fps, 720p at 24, 50, or 60fps, 1080i for 50fps and 60fps, and 1080p at 24fps. Audio can be encoded in either 5.1 channel AC-3 or up to 7.1 channel Linear PCM.

According to Sony spokesperson Yoshikazu Ochiai, AVCHD discs will have a total storage time of about 20 minutes of digital HD video (on the "average quality" compression setting, for which he did not give out any further details) per single-sided disc. By comparison, regular 3.2-inch DVD discs using MPEG2 storage get about 30 minutes of SD video, and MiniDV tapes store a full 60 minutes of video in either their regular or HD variants.
Click to expand...

Yeah, seems like a consumer format, but may be nice for HD finishing if the codec becomes popular. The interesting bit is that Sony and Panasonic collaborated on it -- hopefully this will speed-up Vegas P2 implementation.
 
I think AVCHD will be GREAT for the consumer world.

It may also be a testing ground for implementing h.264 into higher end aquisition.

This is something to keep an eye over the next year or two.
 
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