DRS filter in HPX170

J

jockey

Member
Hi,

I am sorry if there is a topic with this issue, but I could not find any. I searched google as well with no luck.

I am about to by a HPX-171 (because of PAL/NTSC function) and I saw it has a built in DRS filter function; This feature adds greatly to the picture quality of the HPX170 by allowing a higher contrast ratio in the picture than would normally be possible. Essentially the camcorder can combine different exposure settings into one picture. So you can have one exposure where the shadows look nice, and one exposure where the bright sky looks nice, and the camcorder can put them together for you into one nice looking shot.

My question is:
- Where can I see a footage with this function on and off? Have you guys seen any?
- Which frame rates can I use enabling this function (I heard it needs 1080 i or p at least)?
- Is it better than using a graduated filter (for the sky for example)? How does it look when you compare? Can I use both at the same time? Any tests? Suggestions?

Thank you.
 
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It's not a filter. It's a dynamic function, it's available in 1080i and 720/60p, and it can do some substantial contrast range stretching, but it is not without side effects. It dynamically evaluates the scene and -- well, it's almost like it sets a different exposure for every pixel on the screen. That's not actually what it does, but it's kind of like what it does. However, it stretches the dynamic range in the shadows by using gain, and the higher you set the feature (DRS level 1, 2, or 3) the more gain it is allowed to apply in the shadows. On DRS level 3, you might find as much as +18dB of gain in the shadows, which can make for very grainy/noisy footage.

It's not perfect, and it's not something you'd want to use all the time. You'd only use it when you need it.
 
Thanks. This is what I thought. A real filter is better than this. I never use gain, so probably I won't use it at all. Maybe this is why they do not have footage with this on their website.
Thanks again.
 
It works well in certain circumstances. It's a great feature to have, but just like using video gain, it's not something you put on and leave on. It's something you use when you need it, and only when you need it.
 
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