Posted by blackburst@aol.com on 05/17/06 13:15

This is a general response to Steve and all the other posts in this
thread.

Look, I'm not WISHING for digital and HD to be things to reckon with;
they just ARE.

Yes, the NAB show is a dog-and-pony, and it is "geared" to broadcast,
but a few things struck me:

EVERYTHING there was HD. The only discussion of SD was how to integrate
"archival footage" into your HD "workflow" (the new buzz word of the
industry.) The manufacturers - which includes those who service our
market, like Sony, Panasonic, JVC, and lesser ones like maufacturers of
servers, routers, recording media, etc etc, have moved SD products so
far down the food chain that they will not be there in a few years.
There will be no products and no tape, at some point. yes, you will
always be able to buy used on EBay if you choose, but where will you
get the tapes? (Example: Lots of people in audio still swear by DAT and
ADAT, and some by analog reels. Try finding competitively priced tape
for these audio formats.)

Some in this thread say to stick with MiniDV. At my last job at a
college, we recorded a live show direct through a Canopus to a G5
running FCP, with a backup on DVCPRO tape, acknowledged to be the
leader of the DV family. After the show, we digitized the DVCPRO tape
and compared it side-by-side with the direct feed: NO contest, the
direct look much better, especially in the lack of noise in the dark
areas.

I work part time at a regional cable news network, and we are agonizing
right now over how to make the switch to all digital, tapeless and HD.

In the audio field, people were in denial about the coming of ProTools
and the other programs. In video, it was denial about NLEs. This stuff
is coming. Over the air analog dies on February 18, 2009. In HD, the
big networks will make the jump, followed by the lesser networks. Then
HD TV prices will drop, and the cable companies will go all HD. Then
the affiliates and LPTV/Access centers/college stations. Maybe this
process will take 10 years, maybe less. As Sony goes, so goes the
industry.

People googling this 5 years from now will know what I mean.

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