which one should i choose

F

f33n0m

New member
i have a chance to get a brand new camera at my station...currently i am using the 200...however, now, i can get either an AJ-SPC700 that has been used for the past year, but is still in excellet condition. or i can have a new AG-HPX500. which one would you choose? kinda having a difficult decision. any input would be great. Thanks!!
 
I think the answer is really dependent upon what you need to do your job. However, the future is certainly HD and not SD. Next year marks the end of SD broadcast. So, I would go with the HPX500 over the SD SPC700.
Jim
 
I live in a medium market, and only 1 of 4 broadcast stations even has a plan to move to local HD origination. It will be quite a few years before those smaller stations make the dollar investment to upgrade their entire infrastructure to HD (Cameras, VTR's, switchers, routing, etc.)

With that said, HD is definitely the future, and spending money on SD equipment right now is questionable, unless you have a very narrow, specific use.

We are shooting and posting in HD, and downconverting to SD (Letterbox or full frame) for local spot broadcast. BUT, all of our footage is HD, and most of our finished product is HD, or can be quickly re-purposed for HD, if the need arises. And we'll have several years of HD library footage when the switch is finally made.


scott
 
"Next year marks the end of SD broadcast."

Just wanted to expand a bit on that topic. That statement is entirely a lie that has been circulated by video production companies and electronics salesmen, 100% false. SD does not have a legal end transmission date, ever. There is an end transmission date on all Analog broadcasts, all must soon broadcast digital. This has nothing to do with video resolution (HD or SD) but has everything to do with how the data is transmitted.

Just wanted to clear that up. I get my feathers ruffled when I hear things like this circulated and on the front pages of video production companies websites.
 
Sorry about your feathers. They must look pretty funny ruffled up like that. As I said in my follow up post earlier I mis-spoke by using the wrong terminology.

That being said, if someone wants to be left behind by continuing to invest in SD equipment when the production world is leaving them behind and moving on to equipment that produces far superior images... well that's their call... not a good one... but still their call.

Jim
 
I think it's a good idea to go to HD, because everything will eventually go HD, but right now HD is in a battle with itself. The HPX500 shoots in DVCPRO HD, but of all of the most popular formats out there are also HDV and XDCAM. HDCAM is another HD format that looks like it's going away. I'm sure I've missed a couple of formats already, because there are so many out there now. Is 2k and 4k a higher HD resolution or are they in their own categories?

People will argue whatever they want, but there isn't any definite HD format that is going to overtake the format. So, like somebody mentioned earlier, it's just what your market is asking for. Panasonic is also going to AVC HD, so this is a hard question to answer. Personally I have shot shot with XDCAM and DVCPRO HD and they both have their advantages and disadvantages. It's just how you plan to use it. They both work great in their own ways.

Kak Lee
www.myspace.com/kaklee
 
Jim- My feathers do look funny ruffled up. It seems like you replied while I was replying. However, I would have said what I did regardless.
 
One of the deciding factors in my moving to the 500 was that fact that I could shoot either DVCPro 25, 50, or HD. Much of my work is still done in SD, but when I do need HD, I'm all set.

Damn I love these cameras!!
 
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