How do I set the HVX to shoot 1080p?

E

e3graphics

Member
I'm sure this has been asked before, so please forgive me if I am rehashing old topics. I tried to do a search for it but could not find anything.

I am reading through the forums and am noticing that people are saying you can shoot in 1080p. The HVX manual doesn't seem to say anything about that.

What is the proper setting in the camera setup to put it at to record 1080p?

Is it 1080 24pA?

Thanks.
 
Recording setup:

1080i/30p
1080i/24p
1080i/24pA

Those are all 1080p settings. That they say "1080i" is a source of frustration to many.
 
So what is the real scoop here? There must be a reason it says "1080i" on the menu. I've been trying to figure that one out, too. Is part of the pulldown step? I thought that the camera records 24 fps at the chip but then does a "pull-up" or whatever you want to call it at the recording source (P2 or Firestore). And if I'm correct, don't you have to do the pulldown manually in FCP or whatever? There are so many opinions about this that it's absolutely confusing...
 
Thanks for the reply.

So out of these:

1080i/30p
1080i/24p
1080i/24pA

Is 1080i/24pA the highest resolution the HVX can shoot?

I guess another way of asking is what resolution and frame rate does one need to set the camera at to achieve the pinnacle of clarity that is possible with the HVX?
 
Well, wouldn't that depend as well on lighting, etc?

I don't see much difference in well shot stuff between 1080 anything and 720. Also, what is your intended delivery and on what NLE?
 
Lighting would definitely be a HUGE factor in the clarity.

The project I am working on is a sit down interview in a controlled environment with proper lighting.

I am editing in Vegas with Raylight. The final product will be put out on SD DVD and will also be shown on an HD projector in a meeting room/training room scenario.

I'm just trying to figure out if it would make any difference to shoot at 1080p vs 720p. Will there be a difference once it is burned to a SD DVD?
 
No, by the time it gets to standard-def DVD there will be negligible difference between the two modes. In high-def, 1080 is about 20% sharper than 720. On standard-def it's not gonna make much difference.
 
That's what I was wondering. If you intend to go from DVCProHD to SD DVD, then there are too many other variables that will obtain during the editing and encoding process beyond what you originally shoot at.

I would shoot in the easiest to ingest and edit, and that would be 720/p
 
I would think that the reason it says "1080i" is because the codec requires that it be recorded that way. But it's not acquired that way.

In the raw, there's no spatial resolution difference between 24p (either pulldown) and 30p.
 
e3graphics said:
Thanks for the reply.

So out of these:

1080i/30p
1080i/24p
1080i/24pA

Is 1080i/24pA the highest resolution the HVX can shoot?

I guess another way of asking is what resolution and frame rate does one need to set the camera at to achieve the pinnacle of clarity that is possible with the HVX?
Click to expand...

With each of those settings the resolution will be the same -- 1080 vertical pixels -- so all are equal in that regard.

The frame rate will change the fluidity and smoothness of motion but will not make things sharper or more detailed. However, lowering the shutter speed (opening the shutter angle to a larger degree) will cause more motion blur and can tend to soften the image where there is movement.

I think the reason that the camera lists it's 24p and 30p progressive settings as 1080i is because the 24p and 30p data is embodied in a 1080i interlaced codec. It's up to your NLE and computer to construct the progressive final product from the interlaced video data.

The DVCPro HD codec can store video progressively in the 720 format but not in the 1080 format.
 
I believe there is no variable frame rate in 1080. Only using one of the 720 settings you can get the variable frame rate feature. So keep that in mind when you shoot.
 
so my real question is, CAN the hvx produce 1080p at all? because i've read different things that you can cinema tools ur footage and regain progressive footage of of the interlaced stuff. is that true? and if so how would i go about doing it?
 
Sprocketboy said:
I believe there is no variable frame rate in 1080.
Click to expand...

I stand corrected. 1080 has variable frame rates, just fewer than in 720 mode.

And yes, there is a 1080i/24p mode. Its interlaced and the 24p has to be restored before editing using Cinema Tools. Never did it, but that is what I was told.

When I have a chance I'm going to try it. Especially now that the HD format war is basically over. HD deliverables will soon be a reality.
 
YES. The HVX shoots real 1080p. It's recorded in an interlaced stream exactly the same way the DVX records its progressive footage in an interlaced stream. It's 1080p.
 
Sprocketboy said:
I stand corrected. 1080 has variable frame rates, just fewer than in 720 mode.

And yes, there is a 1080i/24p mode. Its interlaced and the 24p has to be restored before editing using Cinema Tools. Never did it, but that is what I was told.
Click to expand...
Now that the format wars are over, 1080p content will probably ramp quickly.

Does anyone know if Panasonic will release new firmware to support 1080p/24pn, or is this fixed in hardware?
 
Not possible in a DVCPRO-HD camera. Entirely possible in an AVC-based camera. Both the HPX3000 and the new HMC150 have 1080/24pN modes.
 
Barry_Green said:
Not possible in a DVCPRO-HD camera.
Click to expand...
According to the HVX manual: "The 720p/30pn and 720p/24pn formats are not included in the DVCPRO-HD recording format", but the HVX supports these native formats anyway, and most editors now accept it. Everything I've read seems to indicate that the HVX camera imagers are 1080 progressive, and interlacing is only added to be compatible with the recording format. So why couldn't they add 1080p/24pn with a firmware update? I realize this would affect the NLEs, but the HVX has done this before. There may be a good reason why 1080p/24pn isn't possible on the HVX, but I don't understand it yet.

If they can't do it with an HVX200 firmware update, then I hope they do it in the HVX200a. 1080i is fine for ATSC broadcast, but Blu-ray uses 1080p.

Note that the main issue with 1080i/24pa is the extra step in post. As Sprocketboy says: "the 24p has to be restored before editing using Cinema Tools". It would also be very useful to have all the VFX frames rates that the HVX does for 720p/24pn. The extra 20% recording time on P2 cards would also be a nice bonus.
 
The DVCPRO HD 720 codec is inherently progressive, as there is only 720p, not 720i. The DVCPRO HD 1080 codec is interlaced.
 
Note that the main issue with 1080i/24pa is the extra step in post.
Click to expand...
What extra step? Every editor on the market (except Avid) understands 1080/24pA and strips out the pulldown automatically, transparently. There is no extra step. Even FCP can do it.
 
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