HVX SD vs DVX

[SPZ]

How often do people actually shoot in SD on the HVX? Is the common workflow to shoot in HD and downrezz, or do people often use the tape deck? Just curious.

My workflow for sd is simple. Since DVCPRO HD is such a nice codec that can surpass multiple renders without much artifacts, and 4:2:2, I
almost always shoot dvcpro HD, Edit natively in HD (Final Cut Pro), than copy the timeline for an uncompressed 8bit sequence (SD). There I monitor on my SD broadcast mon (sony) to check color levels. For mastering, if it is for TV, I take the 8bit uncompressed file to a Post facility and output to the format of choice- digibeta, beta sp, etc. For DVD, I do everything in studio. Just place the quicktime on either Toast or DVDSPro for fancier menus.

Skipping DV compression is key for a much better looking SD product.

 

[jaypass]

Yeah, I figured that workflow would make the most sense...why shoot SD when you can shoot HD and downrezz, but still have the HD material if needed...its just that P2 cards are so expensive!

Do you find that working in DVCPRO HD puts alot of strain on your editing system, when compared to DV?

 

[marketmd]

..why shoot SD when you can shoot HD and downrezz

Because it takes much longer to edit HD as SD, and then there are the issues of cropping to 4:3 (if required)

 

[slizzy]

I notice that DVCPRO HD runs smoother than SD within FCP....just my observations.

 

[jdmoviemaker]

king of low light

king of low light

I have looked at tests and I have to say that the low light for the a1 does not compare to the dvx or hvx , but the low light is not bad on the a1 , if you look at alot of cameras the dvx and hvx take the crown for low light shooting, except for the sony vx2100 which is the king of low light preformance

 

[JonathanLB]

I think the HVX200 performs better in low light than the XH-A1, but that's just from my experience. Who knows, if all of the settings were not perfect, then it's probably a moot point.

I don't see the point in owning the HVX and shooting SD. I really don't see the point in shooting SD at all, frankly, footage always looks better when it's acquired at a much higher resolution than its ultimate delivery or playback. SD acquisition was fantastic five years ago and more, but it's almost 2008. Even The Sony F900 is old by now.