HVX200 Questions

J

Joey9

Well-known member
ok sorry if this is in the wrong section or anything but im not used to this site.


but i have a few questions about the hvx because im getting one in a few days. well first off im only going to be using it to film skateboarding if that makes a difference because i dont need the top of the line stuff. my first question is like what format does the hvx film in? like for example the hmc150 films in .mts files. i have sony vegas pro and like i heard that you cant import them with vegas or something. so like i just want to copy and paste the clips onto my computer (if possible) and id like to know what kind of file it would be.

also just a smaller question is how good is the hvx's audio? i have a dvx now and how does the hvx's audio compare to it? better or worse? and would it be worth it to invest in an external mic if im only using it to film skateboarding?

and how much like footage can you film with like 1 gb of p2? like if i have 32gb of p2, how much footage can i film in like the different settings?

thats just the bigger stuff i was wondering about. i wil post any more questions if i have them. so your guys help would be much appreciated.
 
The HVX shoots on P2 at three different codecs DVCPRO, DVCPRO50 and DVCPRO100. These codecs are recorded onto P2 in the .mxf file format. All professional editing software works with .mxf wrapped data, only some NLEs need to rewrap it first (like FCP).

When you ask about the audio, it sounds like you are refering to the built in audio mic. I personally would not rely on it for sound, but it is not terrible. With DVCPROHD, the HVX will record the internal mic on channels 3 and 4 while XLR inputs can be routed to channels 1 and 2 respectively. If you want decent audio, you will want a shotgun and possibly a lav (but are you really going to want good wild sound on a skate video?).

The data will copy over at over a GB per minute using laptop that has a PCMCIA slot, the PCD2 or Dual Adaptor, but you should probably get in the habit of using data verification (which takes longer than dragging and dropping the files).

P2 cards come in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities. A 32GB card will record 128minuts of DVCPRO, 64minutes of DVCPRO50, 32minutes of DVCPROHD when shooting in a non 'native' format and 85 minutes of DVCPROHD in 24pN. I recommend you get two 16GB cards instead of a single 32GB. That way you can hot swap and record continuously by offloading while the second card fills.

The lens is not too wide, so you may want a wide angle adaptor or fisheye.

You should also get a UV filter to help take the impact of those boards flying at your lens.


Jason
 
AwakenedFilms said:
All professional editing software works with .mxf wrapped data, only some NLEs need to rewrap it first (like FCP).

The data will copy over at over a GB per minute using laptop that has a PCMCIA slot, the PCD2 or Dual Adaptor, but you should probably get in the habit of using data verification (which takes longer than dragging and dropping the files).

That way you can hot swap and record continuously by offloading while the second card fills.

Jason
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thats the stuff i dont get.

so should i be fine with vegas pro?

and so do i need a like p2 card adapter that i need to install into my computer? im on a desktop computer.

and it comes with 2 16 gb cards so i will be fine. but what did you mean by that
 
thats the stuff i dont get.
Click to expand...
you dont have to.

all you need to do is check the marketing literature of your version of vegas and see if it mentions "P2" or "mxf" and you'll be all set.

if you plan to shoot a lot in the field, you'll need something to offload to.
2, 16gig cards will only hold about 34min of 720pn24 footage.

typical options include:
- a p2store
- a laptop with a pcmcia slot
- a laptop with at least 2 usb ports and get panasonics usb interface

and as far as sound goes. if youre just going for ambient sound. the onboard mic is more than fine. if you want to do interviews, you'll need a lav mic.
or a mid to upper range shotgun.

what you will run into with the onboard mic (or really ANY mic outdoors - regardless of type or price) is WIND. so, youd probably want to get something with a really good windscreen.

cheapest option might be a sennheiser me66 with a rycote softie
 
wgzn said:
you dont have to.

all you need to do is check the marketing literature of your version of vegas and see if it mentions "P2" or "mxf" and you'll be all set.

if you plan to shoot a lot in the field, you'll need something to offload to.
2, 16gig cards will only hold about 34min of 720pn24 footage.

typical options include:
- a p2store
- a laptop with a pcmcia slot
- a laptop with at least 2 usb ports and get panasonics usb interface

and as far as sound goes. if youre just going for ambient sound. the onboard mic is more than fine. if you want to do interviews, you'll need a lav mic.
or a mid to upper range shotgun.

what you will run into with the onboard mic (or really ANY mic outdoors - regardless of type or price) is WIND. so, youd probably want to get something with a really good windscreen.

cheapest option might be a sennheiser me66 with a rycote softie
Click to expand...

ummm ok so how do i check the marketing literature for vegas?

and this is only for filming skateboarding so i dont really need anything big. and what is a p2 store or the usb interface? how much would that stuff cost? because im only using it for skateboarding and i could just plug it in with firewire right?

and i was just thinking about getting the one panasonic makes. the 160$ one
 
how do i check the marketing literature for vegas?
Click to expand...
if you dont own it and have the box/literature. then i'd say that google may be your newest friend : )

id start by searching "sony vegas __version n_ input formats"

i was just thinking about getting the one panasonic makes. the 160$ one
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what "one" are you referring to? the only panasonic reader i know of is +2x that price...
 
wgzn said:
if you dont own it and have the box/literature. then i'd say that google may be your newest friend : )

id start by searching "sony vegas __version n_ input formats"

what "one" are you referring to? the only panasonic reader i know of is +2x that price...
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ummm its this one and i didnt know they were so expensive

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...C200G_AG_MC200G_Camera_Mountable_Shotgun.html

but im mostly concerned about how i get the footy onto my comp. how much like ram do you sugest i get?
 
wgzn said:
2, 16gig cards will only hold about 34min of 720pn24 footage.
Click to expand...

(2) 16GB p2 cards will hold 85 minutes of 1280x720 24pN footage. Not 34min.


Per your questions on getting the footage into your computer:
You can just plug the camera into the FW port and use a 'log and transfer' type of function to get the footage into your laptop. The downside to this is that it ties up your camera while offloading and can be quite a bit slower. Easiest route is a laptop with a PCMCIA slot (54mm). Next easiest route is the PCD2 slot reader by Panasonic. The headache route is a laptop with an express 34 slot and the dual adapter.


Jason
 
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ummm its this one and i didnt know they were so expensive

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...e_Shotgun.html
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that mic might be ok. ive never heard of it. or anyone using it. but i dont know anyone who buys an external mic made by the manufacturer of their camera. they are rarely any good.

but im mostly concerned about how i get the footy onto my comp. how much like ram do you sugest i get?
Click to expand...
the amount of like ram you have has NOTHING to do with transferring footage
 
wgzn said:
that mic might be ok. ive never heard of it. or anyone using it. but i dont know anyone who buys an external mic made by the manufacturer of their camera. they are rarely any good.

the amount of like ram you have has NOTHING to do with transferring footage
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ok well how much ram should i have to easily use the hvx footage
 
its not all about ram, you need a good cpu and a decent graphics card doesnt hurt.

i too am a new user to hvx and will be using it for skating.

my pc specs are : 4gb ram, i3 Intel dual core, with a pretty shitty graphics card, so far editing with footy is fine.
whats your specs joey9?
 
yeah joey, what kind of machine do you have now?

dvcproHD (the HD format that these cameras shoot) is VERY efficient. i have an OLD (like 7 years old) 17" 1.0ghz mac powerbook G4 with 2 gigs of ram that does cuts and dissolve edits just fine.

so most any modern computer will be adequate.

like weve said, ram has nearly nothing to do with the equation.
what you should be concerned with is:

- internal drive speed (from my experiences, a seagate momentus 7200rpm or an SSD will be your best bets)
- external drive speed (again, 7200rpm) and connection type (esata or firewire800 is what you want)
- processor speed
- video card and amount of video-ram
 
wgzn said:
all you need to do is check the marketing literature of your version of vegas and see if it mentions "P2" or "mxf" and you'll be all set.
Click to expand...

Be advised that Vegas Pro will *not* work with files from P2 cards out-of-the-box (unless Sony has issued some updates that change that, which I suspect would be most unlikely). You must also download and install the third party product Raylight, available for purchase from www.dvfilm.com. It makes working with P2 footage *very* easy, and is well worth the price.
 
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