Posted by PTravel on 02/14/07 17:34

"Gene" <genes@wildblue.net> wrote in message
news:4FGAh.10$jP3.76876@news.sisna.com...
> If anyone has something similar to this:
> Sanyo VPC-HD1A
> http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/hd1a.html
> are you happy with it?
>
> ~85 minutes on a 4GB card does not sound
> that bad. 16GB should be out there eventually.
>
> Wonder if the A/V quality of the 720p is comparable
> to my current MiniDV, when both are burned to a DVD-R
> at max quality? That is, if you make a 85 minute DVD-R
> of each at its best possible recording mode, which
> DVD-R of 85 minutes would be the better quality when
> played back on a 1080i TV?
>
> If I could get comparable DVD-Rs from this camcorder,
> the conversion from flash to DVD-R should be really
> easy on a PC with a flash reader. Kind of like the
> set-top conversions should be, but are not, at least
> for me. (Too many freezes with my Sony camcorders
> and firewire.)
>
> The lens on these little camcorders look a little iffy to me,
> just not sure how they could give the same quality
> as my old Sony PC100 with wide angle lens, etc?

Standard definition DV-25 (what you get from your miniDV camcorder) has a
data rate of 25 mbps, using non-temporal compression at a rate of 5 to 1.
DVD-compliant mpeg (what is used on your DVRs) has a maximum data rate of
around 10 mbps, and uses temporal compression at a rate of 10 to 1 or more.
High definition HDV (what you get from the prosumer high def camcorders)
uses mpeg2 compression and also has a data rate of 25 mbps. These cameras
have minor, but ocassionaly noticeable, motion artifact issues. AVCHD (what
consumer HD camcorders use) uses mpeg4 and can, in theory, have a data rate
of 25 mbps, but as implemented is limited to between 12 and 17 mbps. These
cameras exhibit major motion artifact issues.

Thes Sanyo has a data rate of 9 mbps, roughly 2/3s to 1/2 of the consumer HD
data rate, and roughly 30% of the data rate of a prosumer HDV camcorder.

YMMV but, to me, it's a toy for people who don't know better. It certainly
isn't going to produce video comparable to an AVCHD machine (and, to me,
AVCHD quality is unacceptable), and won't approach a HDV machine (which, to
me, is acceptable, but just).


>
>
> *********** cut-n-paste************
> The HD1a can record over 21 minutes of 720p
> HD video on a 1GB SD card or over 42 minutes
> on a 2GB card and is compatible with the newer
> 4GB size cards for even longer recording.
> You can record in Standard Definition mode
> (640 x 480 pixels at 30fps progressive) for up
> to two hours on a 2GB SD card. It's easy to
> switch between high-definition and standard-
> definition recording modes by simply pressing
> the "HD/Norm" button on the side of the camera.
> *************************************
>
> Gene
>
>
>

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