HD on SD TV Help I'm confused

kprince

kprince

Well-known member
I go to block buster and rent Amelie. The image looks amazing on even an old CRT TV monitor. I'm not going to talk in terms of resolution because it begins to confuse me, pardon my ignorance.
Amelie is shot on 35mm film DVD's are MPEG2 so I'm guessing this movie will look even more amazing once HD DVD's come out. Anyways the PICTURE QUALITY is very good.
So if I shot a film with the Hvx 200 and burned a DVD why would the pixel demention or resolution even matter, shouldn't our only care be what type of image it renders in the end?. I'm just trying to make sense of a multitude of specs.
I guess my final question would be if I shot the opening scene of a 35mm movie on the HVX 200 and it looked almost exactly the same, would that tranlate to DVD on a standard definition tv that I purchased at walmart? And if it does what is the signifigance of HD? Wouldn't it just be this cameras image looks amazing on a tv that is designed specifically for it but still looks amazing on a standard definition tv. Does a DVD look that much better on a HD plasma tv if it's still MPEG2?
I hope this hasn't been confusing and I'm not trying to start a debate or stir anything up I'm just a bit confused.
 
argh... too many questions... I'll try to answer some:

Firstly MPEG2 is just a compression format. Both HD and SD can be compressed using MPEG 2 - eg, HDV and DVDs. I think you are confusing it as something else.

Secondly, the main advantage of HD in cameras such as the HVX comes when viewed on a HD display or a large screen. Viewed in SD, it is possible that the HVX will look WORSE than the DVX, but that is speculation. This is because you are not making use of the additional resolution, but also having the disadvantage of cramming more pixels onto the 1/3" chip. Cramming tends to decrease general picture quality for several reasons.

However, we can assume that Panasonic has improved their CCD technology since the DVX, so hopefully the HVX will offer HD AND better latitude and light sensitivity etc

As far as DVDs looking better on an HD display:

The resolution will still only be the same as the original DVD, only "uprezzed" to HD... but the screen may well be better quality, so it may appear "better". On exactly equal SD and HD screens, the DVD should look pretty much the same.

Sorry that is badly written and phrased.. I must sleeeeeeeeeepppzzzzzzzzzzzz
 
This all boils down to what the final product is intended for.

If you are doing a project that is going straight to DVD and you are confident that it will NEVER be converted into a 35mm print, then you can easily get by with a standard DVX--if you know how to use one to its fullest potential. If color is mission-critical (elaborate chroma key, etc.), you could perhaps would go DVCPRO25 or 50 for the color depth with an HVX (when they arrive) or a host of other pro-format SD cams.

If film-out to 35mm is the goal (or even a remote possibility) and/or true HDTV network broadcast, then an argument can be made for using DVCPRO100-format equipment (like the proposed HVX). On big screens resolution begins to really matter more.

The cool thing about the proposed HVX is that it will do it ALL on a shoestring budget, albeit with the compromises necessary to bring DVCPRO100 acquisition from $100k to $6k (1/3" chips, built-in lens, P2's, etc., etc., etc.).

But these are all specs only. We'll have to wait until the inscrutable Barry Green does his battery of comparison tests with the HVX vs. every other system ever devised.
 
" If color is mission-critical (elaborate chroma key, etc.), you could perhaps would go DVCPRO25 or 50 for the color depth with an HVX (when they arrive) or a host of other pro-format SD cams.
"

Very true Bart.

... but isn't DVCPRO25 compressed the same as DV (5:1/4:1:1NTSC & 4:2:0 PAL), just on faster moving tape. DVCPRO 50 is 4:2:2 though.
 
DVCPRO25 is identical to DV, yes -- pretty much the primary difference would be the type of tape it gets recorded on.

DVCPRO50 will give you 4:2:2, as well as much cleaner compression -- should be ideal for keying.
 
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