AVCCAM and AVCHD

Ryanmv11

Ryanmv11

Well-known member
I noticed on the side of the HMC150's every other camera has either, AVCCAM or AVCHD on the LCD casing. Why is this? whats the difference?
anyone possibly address this question??
i'm going to be ordering one sometime next week and wanted to know what am i getting myself into, i know the pros and cons of the cam but couldnt find an answer of the label on the lcd.

thanks everyone

-Ryan
 
AVCCAM is Pana's name for when a camera uses AVCHD in high quality mode, has 3 sensors and some other jazz. Its in the marketing bumf.

Still just AVCHD at the end of the day mate.
 
Watch out for this model:

hdeee.jpg


Lee B over here reported having this one :grin:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=177904
 
Below is from Panisonic:

They were very up front about what it is and that it is in fact AVCHD.
Not some new type of AVCHD but better than HDV which I agree.

What is AVCHD?
AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition) is a high-definition compression system. It is a highly efficient video encoder and decoder, or "codec", based on MPEG-4 AVC (H.264). This is far superior to MPEG 2 encoding (used in the HDV format). As fast and simple as using a digital still camera, an AVCHD camcorder records high definition video directly on widely-available consumer SDHC memory cards.
What is AVCCAM?
AVCCAM is Panasonic Broadcast’s professional implementation of AVCHD. We have introduced AVCCAM camcorders with professional features to meet the increasing demand for affordable, professional HD content. Currently, Panasonic Broadcast offers the 1-pound, handheld AG-HSC1U camcorder and the AG-HMC70, the first shoulder-mount AVCHD camcorder. In the fall, Panasonic Broadcast will be selling a new handheld camcorder, the AG-HMC150, with even more professional features.
AVCHD presents the incredible power of HD images at an affordable price and opens a new world of possibilities for pro videographers, still photographers, educators, web journalists, law enforcement personnel and many more. Basically, anyone who is serious about HD image acquisition can benefit from AVCHD’s numerous advantages . Panasonic Broadcast’s line of AVCCAM products will continue to grow into a full range of professional products.
What is the Advantage of AVCCAM?
Excellent Quality. Panasonic Broadcast AVCCAM cameras have three ¼" progressive CCD Imagers that ensures high sensitivity. This results in high color resolution, which enables detailed images with natural hues producing stunning HD images. Professionals require professional features like XLR Mic/Line inputs and headphone output, and all of our cameras will have these types of professional features.
Solid State Acquisition. Panasonic Broadcast AVCCAM cameras have no moving parts in the recording process and record stunning HD images directly onto SDHC memory cards. Not only is this extremely reliable, but it allows for higher capacity media at a lower cost. The AG-HMC70, for example, can record over 2.6 hours at 13Mbps, the camcorder’s highest quality mode, or up to 6 hours at 6Mbps, the unit’s extended recording mode -- all on just one 16GB SDHC memory card. SDHC cards are widely available at consumer retail locations.
Simple and fast workflow. Because the HD images are recorded on to a solid-state SDHC card, there is no time wasted digitizing your tape into your non-linear editing system (as you must do with the HDV format). This means that you just copy the files from your SDHC card to your computer and you can begin editing HD immediately.
Lower Cost. Capitalizing on the success of the consumer AVCHD format, Panasonic is able to bring professional features to AVCHD at very affordable prices. The fact that you can reuse the SDHC card over and over again substantially reduces the cost of acquisition versus tape- or disc-based camcorders.
What is the main difference between AVCHD vs. HDV?
AVCHD offers a number of significant benefits over the HDV format.
Better Compression. AVCHD utilizes MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) compression, which is far more efficient than the much older MPEG 2 (used by HDV) compression. All new compression refinements are occurring at the MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) level. This means increased image quality moving forward. Development of the older MPEG-2 format has ceased. Compression is the name of the game in HD. AVCHD uses future-forward compression. HDV does not.
Solid State vs.Tape. AVCHD records directly onto SDHC Memory Cards, HDV records onto Mini-DV tape. AVCCAM cameras
have no moving parts, HDV cameras must have a tape drive mechanism. Tapes are subject to drop-outs resulting in a loss of multiple frames of information and head clogs of the recording or playback device. Since AVCHD records directly to SDHC Memory Cards, it is extremely reliable and there is no possibility for drop-outs or head clogs. Another major advantage of AVCHD over HDV is in the simplified workflow. AVCHD is an IT file-based recording. All you need to do is to copy the files to your computer and you are ready to begin editing. You do not need to waste substantial time digitizing your tape.
FAST File Based Workflow. The entire AVCHD workflow is IT based. Acquisition, Editing and Archiving all take advantage of IT technologies. There is no need to purchase external tape decks. Content can be archived on highly-affordable hard discs or Blu-ray discs.
 
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Mike Harvey said:
There IS a difference between standard AVCHD and AVCCam. It's like the difference between DV and DVCam or DVCPro25... there's not much difference, but it's there.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showpost.php?p=1714697&postcount=26
Click to expand...
Come on, we already have discussed that. The difference is not technical, it is just branding and "professional support", whatever the latter means: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=179026. DVCAM uses 15mkm track with locked audio, while DV uses 10mkm track with unlocked audio, this is a technical difference. AVCCAM is not different from AVCHD technically. The fact that Panasonic uses Level 4.1 in AVCCAM camcorders and Level 4.0 in consumer camcorders does not mean that Level 4.1 is professional and Level 4.0 is not. HMC70 uses Level 4.0, while consumer Canon camcorders use Level 4.1.

It is all in the wiki entry, I don't know why I retype pretty much the same info here.
 
See, I thought the "multi-slice" was what any higher [21mps] AVCHD camera would do as a normal part of the codec.

Is this something that Panasonic has over say Sony or Canon?
 
> Is this something that Panasonic has over say Sony or Canon?

There are many optional features that a codec may choose to not implement. A more complex encoder needs more speed and more power. This is a balancing act, but both software and hardware is constantly improving. I don't know whether Canon uses 4x4 macroblocks. Sony does not use them because it uses Level 4.0.

There are other things besides macroblock size that can ensure better AVC quality over MPEG-2 even with 8x8 blocks.
 
so pretty much, AVCCAM is Panasonics version of AVCHD?
whats the point in the labels on the lcd on the HMC150 then? some say AVCHD and some say AVCCAM, is it just a marketing thing? there is no difference? am i understanding this right, i read on the differences on AVCCAM and AVCHD, and its pretty much not different.still confused. is the label on the HMC150s nothing to be concerned about? generally its the same right? AVCCAM and AVCHD.
 
The format is AVCHD. Whatever Panasonic's doing to the encoding, they have to keep it compliant with the existing AVCHD standards.

AVCCAM is branding, it's differentiating the professional AVCHD lineup from the consumer AVCHD camcorders. It includes things such as a 3-year warranty, sales and service through the broadcast dealers (whereas the consumer stuff is sold through best buy/wal-mart), and the PH mode, which is only offered (at least currently) on the AVCCAM line.
 
Barry_Green said:
...the PH mode, which is only offered (at least currently) on the AVCCAM line.
Click to expand...
It has to be noted that AVCHD does not define "quality modes" in the spec, so the mode names used by manufacturers of AVCHD equipment do not match across the board. These names make sense only for comparing equipment from a single vendor. Canon camcorders, for example, do not have PH mode, they have MXP+ mode instead, which is a 24 Mbit/s mode.

It would be nice if AVCHD vendors came up with one naming system for their quality modes, describing all the small details like bitrate (average and max), CBR or VBR, block size, GOP structure, etc. But I don't think this will ever happen.
 
okay, i get it now ha, i feel a bit stupid because i did not know this but thank you all! Answered a concern i had and was dwelling on before i decided to purchase a HMC150. I shall be ordering mine this coming week. :) thank you everyone again :)
 
Cranky said:
It has to be noted that AVCHD does not define "quality modes" in the spec, so the mode names used by manufacturers of AVCHD equipment do not match across the board. These names make sense only for comparing equipment from a single vendor. Canon camcorders, for example, do not have PH mode, they have MXP+ mode instead, which is a 24 Mbit/s mode.

It would be nice if AVCHD vendors came up with one naming system for their quality modes, describing all the small details like bitrate (average and max), CBR or VBR, block size, GOP structure, etc. But I don't think this will ever happen.
Click to expand...

Oh, come on now, if you make things too clear, the buying public may actually buy on knowledge... and most companies can't have that...

I'd like the video camera manufacturers come up with a useable rating for their light sensitivity. The still digital camera world has basically make their camera sensitivity in terms of ISO values. This made it much easier for the buying public to compare between the digitals themselves, as well as film based cameras...

Sensitivity in terms of "Lux" just really isn't very clear... especially when one is using a meter that doesn't have a footcandle readout, or even if one has fc out, has to calculate 1 fc = 10.7 lux (approx.)...
 
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