Is HD really here? If so, where?

HowdyDoo

HowdyDoo

Well-known member
I find myself wanting to throw down money for an HVX all the time, but currently, I still don't see High Def television systems in the mainstream.

So as the owner of a small production company, I find myself asking, when? When will HD infiltrate the lowest common denominator and become the standard? Right now SD dominates the vast majority of American households.

I have only shot HD when a client wants to shoot on film, in which case I convince them to go with the Varicam for image quality. Other than that, the incintive and cost of moving to HD just hasn't convinced me yet.

Usually I'm not the conservative type and will jump to adopt a new technology as soon as possible. But I feel like I keep hearing that HD is right around the corner, but have yet to see it. The cheapest, crappiest HDTV at Walmart is $700 and it's not likely that it's gonna drop $400 in price anytime soon. The majority of the American public cannot afford to toss aside their old TVs, throw down dough for an HDTV, AND spend the monthly bill for HD cable.

I can't help but think the HD revolution is trucking along a lot slower than everyone anticipated. The introduction of prosumer cameras was a big step, but still, all these steps have been in the production realm. Where are the cheap TVs to support this technology? Where is HD DVD and where is the agreed upon STANDARD for this medium? Oh... and where is my mind?
 
I agree

I have not seen an influx of HD into the homes of the people. Not yet anyways. But damn if the filmouts won't be rockin.
 
I also agree. I did jut purchase an HVX200 though because even is SD I like the native 16:9 chip, DVCPro 50, and 4 channels of uncompressed audio. I'll aslo be ready when and if HD does take off, especially if blueray/hd-dvd players start selling this spring.

—Gary
 
I'm kindof thinking the HD penetration is a lot slower than you would think as well. Less than a year ago I attended HDExpo which was held in LA and during one of the talks to a packed room, one of the panelists ask everyone to raise their hand if they had HD television. Being HDExpo no less and a lot of tech heavy people in attendance, you would think there would be a lot of hands coming up. I was a bit shocked and dismayed to see less than 8 percent of the people raise their hands (maybe even less).
 
Howdy, Howdy, :)

You are a mirror image of my business and HD thoughts. Ditto everything you said.

3 years ago I had clients wanting me to jump in. No way, too early.
2 years ago at NAB I thought maybe. Last year I thought for sure...but wisely realized it wasn't the right time.

This is the year. Why? Not solely because HD is passing me up. But because there is FINALLY a tool that allows me to AFFORDABLY go HD that can record any "FLAVOR" a client wants without needing 3 $75,000.00 cameras to cover all "Flavors" of SD/HD/720/1080 etc. video.

With the HVX I can afford to be the guy acquiring our client’s footage in HD for later use. We now have theaters needing HD material for commercials.

The DVCPro 50 SD allows me to wean off our Beta SP gear for one time productions. But I can also sell the "HD" capabilities to the High End clients we mostly cater to.

Knowing when to jump in is vital for independent companies. I've watched closely and for us, this is the time and definitely...the HVX200 IS THE TOOL! :thumbsup:
 
There is a dichotomy at work. The adoption rate of HD into the households has been far slower than the "experts" have predicted (which is why blu-ray and HD-DVD will flop gloriously).

However, HD adoption in professional production companies is proceeding at a rapid rate. Programming is being shot in HD, whether the public at large can receive HD or not. The higher up the ladder you go, the more likely that you'll be asked for HD. So on the low end (local car commercials, and most weddings, and things like that) HD is not even on people's radar. But up higher (national and regional projects, network programming, high-buck local commercials like good lawyer spots, etc) HD is becoming ubiquitous.

HD delivery is a conundrum that won't be sorted out for a few years yet -- the penetration rate of HDTVs into American homes has got to be upwards of 10%, maybe 15% by now, but there's no HD delivery system other than broadcast. And remember it took DVD five or seven years to penetrate 50% of American households, and DVD players worked on their existing TV sets. HD-DVD or blu-ray -- it'll be at LEAST that long before they become a substantial delivery method, if not longer (because who's gonna buy an HD-DVD player to play material onto their SDTV set? So right now 85% to 90% of the potential households are just plain not in the market for an HD DVD player).

I go along with everything TedRR said. For end delivery it's slow. But for acquisition, it's here now at some levels, and will likely continue to grow.
 
As someone who's been in a technical field for almost twenty years, I can tell you that it almost never hurts to be the early adopter (well, maybe just a little -- in the pocketbook). But, being the guy who's had 2-5 years of experience, knows the ropes, the pitfalls, etc... when everyone else finally jumps on-board can be quite advantageous.

BTW, I have a sneaking suspicion that Gamers will be the driving force in HDTV adoption. When that PS3 comes out with Blu-Ray built in and games that play in 720p, I think a lot of people are going to want to upgrade their TVs. One study by the CSA suggests that adults (the ones with money) are spending more time gaming than young people. Check it:
http://gameshogun.info/index.php/Snow/2006/03/23/adults_spend_more_time_gaming_than_teens

Finally, the HVX is a rockin' SD camera too with the DVCPro50 codec and native 16:9. If the camera was $20k, I'd be holding off too. But I spent less than $8k for my package and feel like it was a great investment.
 
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I bought a 60" HDTV and after watching DV video on it, I decided I wanted to go the route of an HD camcorder. The HD is incredible. I am really becoming an hardcore HD lover. However I do realize the market for HD stuff is limited. It is something that once you go that way buying a HDTV you dont want to go back.

My interests in filmmaking would be HD documentaries with content like what you would see on the Oasis HD channel (which is AWESOME if you've seen it).

Yes, I would love to lay down about 10K (starting at) and get an HVX, but because I do not have income from what I do, I settled for an FX1 despite all the insults and beating it takes from the DVX users :P

I owned a DVX before too, and loved it, but I have HD blood ;)

I see so many talk about HVX and how it is the way to go, but honestly, how many of us can slap down 10 or 15K for the camera and accessories. Reality seems to show that most independant filmmakers and ones who are aspiring to be one, dont have alot of money to play with. I've seen _amazing films_ made with nothing more than a cheap sony handycam, and I really believe its not the equipment you have but its how you use it. Film makers are truly artists, and I am hopefully going down the road to see if I have any of this artistic ability.

Michelle
 
In the world of stock footage SD/DV is unacceptable, companies are packed with SD video, Im actually making reels for a number of companies that are just replacement reels for outdated SD footage.

I know if I owned a DVX and tried to sell them footage they couldnt care less (sorry to you DVX users).
 
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