DV vs. DVCPRO50?

John Rivers

John Rivers

Active member
Ok, I grant that were this the actual, standalone question, this topic could be listed as "dumb" and sent away into the depths of forum h#!! post-haste. So let me clarify...

From what I've read on the HVX thus far, these main points have stood out:
- the HVX can record onto MiniDV and P2 cards
- if MiniDV is used, only SD formats can be recorded
- SD formats include DV, DVCPRO, and DVCPRO50
- DVCPRO50 rules.

So...why is "DV" still offered as an option? It seems to me that even as someone shooting solely SD footage, the first thing I'd do upon turning on the HVX (aside from embracing it for a few moments in silent tears, perhaps) is just set the SD recording settings to capture at DVCPRO50, and never look back.

So what might I be missing here?

I also have one more question but I'll post another topic for that. Thanks everyone!
 
Well your half right. DVCPRO50 does rule. And you really might as well use it for SD recording. But you can't record to tape using anything but DV. So if you want to use tape, you must use DV. DVCPRO50 only works with P2. And because P2 uses MXF files, you must use Raylight or a compatible editor to work with them. So one would choose DV over DVCPRO50 if they want to use tape, or don't want to change their workflow from their old SD ways.
 
Ahhh, ok, got confused from the Panasonic FAQ with that. Makes sense now.

You mention something I've never heard of before: Raylight. What is this? I've been editing with the Apple Final Cut Studio for some time, and have never thought twice that I might have an issue continuing to use these apps for editing in anything from DVCPRO50 or HD. Am I slightly off with this assumption? Thanks for the reply btw.
 
Raylight is very confusing if you haven't done lots of reading. It took me quite a while to figure it all out. Here are the main points:

--The HVX records to P2 as MXF files. These files are really "wrappers" that contain the video, audio, and metadata regarding your clip.

--In order to edit or use any of these items, you must be able to read the MXF file directly, or unwrap it somehow. Programs like Avid Express HD, FCP, and Edius Broadcast can view them directly. All other programs require a workaround.

--Raylight works in two ways. With DVCPRO50 or DV MXF files, it simply unwraps them and creates a standalone video file. But with DVCPROHD, it creates a "fake" file that serves as a shortcut of sorts to the info stored in the MXF file. The original file is still required, as you never unwrapped it, and the new "fake" file contains pointers to the original MXF.

--Using the "fake" file, Raylight tricks your editing software into thinking that it is working with a regular AVI. This means compatibility with most editors, as long as you have the proper codecs installed.
 
John Rivers said:
So...why is "DV" still offered as an option? It seems to me that even as someone shooting solely SD footage, the first thing I'd do upon turning on the HVX (aside from embracing it for a few moments in silent tears, perhaps) is just set the SD recording settings to capture at DVCPRO50, and never look back.

So what might I be missing here?

I also have one more question but I'll post another topic for that. Thanks everyone!
Click to expand...

Some people don't have the cash to shoot P2 at the moment. P2 cards, though getting cheaper, are still very expensive and don't hold much. The cineporter hard drive is also a ways off. Many would like to spend the extra cash on a camera that can shoot HD and will be more "future proof" even if they can't afford to shoot P2 now and will just use it for SD mini-DV recording.
 
You can also record a lot more DV25/DVCPro per gig than DVCPro50 or DVCProHD, which makes it useful for some circumstances. Sometimes I'm asked to record events for archival purposes, meaning the image quality isn't that big a deal it just needs to be stuck on a DVD and then on a shelf for reference. DV/DVCPro will be perfect for these needs and I should be able to record about 4 hours of DV on a Firestore (I think).

For anything that's got to look slick in SD I'll either shoot DVCPro50 or shoot DVCProHD and downrez it in Sorensen Squeeze.
 
Caution: we have been playing with RayLight and have noticed we had to compress the color space or the color was very flat.
Now, using our RayLight/After Effects workflow might be the problem, but just a heads up!
 
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