Does the MiniDV deck have restrictions?

Allen Ellis

Allen Ellis

Well-known member
Hey,

I'm trying to convince my boss to get an HVX-200, and one of the great selling points is the fact that, as I understand it, the camera has a MiniDV deck. What I'm wondering, and what Panasonic's website didn't answer, is whether or not there are any restrictions with recording to MiniDV. Can you still record high definition to it? Can you record 60p to it?

Thanks.
 
The tape transport is probably not as robust as a "deck."

You must use the P2 cards to record in high-def with this camera as it is not possible to record DVCPROHD to minidv. You can dub what is shot to the P2's to the tape (at a lower resolution) in SD (but then that isn't HD).
 
I would never recommend using the camera as a deck as a rule. They aren't built to the same robust standards as a deck. If you can't afford a deck then at least buy a cheap camera for input, but don't torture your HVX that way.

THoff's brochure suggestion is exactly what you are needing to read from the sounds of your post.
 
Perfect - that's just what I needed. Thanks.

And yeah, 'deck' may have been misleading. I meant just for capturing onto MiniDV.

So... no 60p, no Hi-Def. Makes sense.

Do you know if Panasonic offers these brochures for free if you send away for them, or do I need to visit a dealer?
 
I don't know the answer to that, but I would visit an authorized dealer even if you can have the brochure mailed to you. That way you'll get a chance to possibly play with the camera, ask questions etc.

The dealer should also have a two-disk DVD set with sample video, a history of the camera development, and even raw MXF files if you want to see how your editing tools handle them.

Finally, there is another PDF with much more technical data than the brochure:

http://panasonic.biz/sav/p2/AGHVX200P_GuideBook.pdf (NTSC)

http://panasonic.biz/sav/p2/AGHVX200E_GuideBook.pdf (PAL)
 
Speaking of using another cheap camera as a deck... How about a Canon GL1 (with firewire). Am I missing anything by bringing over HVX/DVX footage (on MiniDV tapes) into FCP using the Canon GL1? It works - i just wonder if it's not getting full res or progressive info...

thanks
 
You can use any old MiniDV camera to transfer HVX tapes to your computer -- even a cheapo camera with a cracked lens off eBay.
 
Put the P2/Tape switch in "tape" mode. Go to "camera setup" function, and choose the aspect conv menu and set it to "squeeze". That'll record in native full-res 16:9 mode.
 
SQUEEZE is Panasonic's (poorly chosen) term for anamorphic, which is what all DV cameras with a non-letterboxed widescreen mode record in. It's the same number of pixels as 4:3, but the pixels are wider than they are tall, so the image is squeezed horiontally to fit the normal 720x480 / 720x576 frame size.
 
yeah... widescreen and fullscreen are actually the same resolution, only widescreen pixels are more rectangular.
 
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