SD with XH A1?

downsouth

downsouth

Well-known member
Newbie question



Since Im low on computer power..single processor AMD, but want to take advantage of the XH A1 pricing, would I be able to edit HD with my current computer and Adobe Premiere 1.5.1?

If not can I shoot SD with the A1 until I can update my NLE system?

Thanks,.
Jeff
 
What are your computer specs?

Also, yes, you can always shoot it SD on the A1 but some say that the DVX is better in SD then the A1.
 
Honestly, RAM is gonna be the issue here. How much do you have? You can't really edit HD with what you have but SD should be fine. Not great, but I edited SD on an AMDXP2500 for a while and it worked fine. Its render times that are gonna be your issue.

I say shoot HD with the A1 and capture in SD using the downconvert function, that way you have the HDV source if you ever want to go back and output an HD version of your film by recapturing :) SD for now but I say your source should be HDV, shoot in the highest possible format if your not sure if you'll want the higher rez later. Another reason for capturing SD for now is that it will be native and much easier to work with in PP. HDV will make an mpeg file, and its not so easy to work with, especially in your case.

Good luck!

- Kyle
 
KyleProhaska said:
Honestly, RAM is gonna be the issue here. How much do you have? You can't really edit HD with what you have but SD should be fine. Not great, but I edited SD on an AMDXP2500 for a while and it worked fine. Its render times that are gonna be your issue.

I say shoot HD with the A1 and capture in SD using the downconvert function, that way you have the HDV source if you ever want to go back and output an HD version of your film by recapturing :) SD for now but I say your source should be HDV, shoot in the highest possible format if your not sure if you'll want the higher rez later. Another reason for capturing SD for now is that it will be native and much easier to work with in PP. HDV will make an mpeg file, and its not so easy to work with, especially in your case.

Good luck!

- Kyle
Click to expand...

I agree this is probably the best way.
 
PaPa said:
is mpg higher in quality than avi?
Click to expand...
MPEG is a more compressed interframe format. Tougher to edit. But quality wise it depends on how heavily compressed it is vs. the .avi source material.

It should be noted as well that shooting HDV and downconverting in camera doesn't give you any benefit in term of HD resolution or color space. You'll just get a regular .avi DV file. To take advantage of the source HD material you'll have to edit in HD and render out as SD.

RAM isn't going to the primary issue here; it's going to be processor speed. I used to edit HDV on a 2.4 Ghz AMD single core with 2 GB RAM and while the preview speed was somewhat acceptable, the render time was killer (about 1 hour per minute of finished video). Then I upgraded to a 4200 X2 dual core with 1 GB RAM and the render time dropped to about a quarter of what it was before. Definitely look to upgrade your CPU.
 
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RAM isn't going to the primary issue here; it's going to be processor speed.
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Yeah.. I only have a Single-core 2Ghz AMD processor with 2 gig of ram. Serves my needs in SD, but would be a nightmare in HD.

I "do" think Premiere Pro 1.5.5 will capture HD, though. I do have the HD 1080 and 720 presets in my pulldown window under capture settings.

Im back to square one in my decision to buy the DVX100b or the XH A-1. My investment to upgrade my CPU, even though I need to, would not offer me a good ROI in my wedding/special event video market.

Is HD video "in-demand" in my market at this time?.....probably not. Do I really want HD due to my ADD syndrome and wanting the lastest giget/gadgets.........I think so.

BTW..how much HD video can be put on a DVD? What medium do you use to deliver your HD videos?

Maybe Im just not ready to enter the HD market yet. OH ME ! My brain hurts!

Somebody help me! haha.

Jeff
 
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downsouth said:
BTW..how much HD video can be put on a DVD? What medium do you use to deliver your HD videos?
Click to expand...

If you mean as a playable DVD, then none. If you mean as an HD video file, then it's the size of the DVD itself.

Currently there's no effective way to deliver HD content. Not enough people have Blu-ray or HD-DVD players and not enough software out there support burning of HD content anyway.
 
jade8472 said:
If you mean as a playable DVD, then none. If you mean as an HD video file, then it's the size of the DVD itself.

Currently there's no effective way to deliver HD content. Not enough people have Blu-ray or HD-DVD players and not enough software out there support burning of HD content anyway.
Click to expand...

This "really" made my decision for me. My next cam will be a DVX100B, or just a simple Canon GL2.

Thanks to All of you...

Jeff
 
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