If so... this is HUGE!! 10 bit is HOT! I always watch the uncompressed 10 bit image on my Marshall Field Monitor, and the 8 bit DVCPRO HD I use for editing can't compare! 4:2:2 10 bit ProRes?!? Not bad for a 5 year old camera...!
It's not what you think. The HPX170, just like every other camera of its generation and just like almost every camera in its price bracket, cannot output a true 10 bits. There are very, very few cameras under $10,000 that output 10 bits. Not even the FS700 outputs 10 bits.
The HPX170 outputs 8 bits worth of data, wrapped in a 10-bit word. The shuttle will record exactly what the camera outputs.
Will the shuttle's recordings be higher quality than the camera's onboard recording? Perhaps a little, but I wouldn't expect there to be a significant difference. The chips can deliver about 1440x810 worth of detail, and the DVCPRO-HD codec records 1280x1080, so there may be a little bit of detail that's lost in the recording that you'd be able to hold onto with the shuttle. But again, I wouldn't expect it to be significant.
If you're watching the uncompressed feed on your field monitor, be aware that that feed you're watching is 8-bit.
