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Posted by Frank on 05/15/07 02:50
On Tue, 15 May 2007 00:25:17 GMT, in 'rec.video.production',
in article <Re: Another nail in the coffin to HDV>,
Kill Bill <killbill@goblowme.com> wrote:
>Frank wrote:
>> On Mon, 14 May 2007 19:52:12 -0400, in 'rec.video.production',
>> in article <Re: Another nail in the coffin to HDV>,
>> Mike Kujbida <kXuXjXfXaXm@xplornet.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Kill Bill wrote:
>>>> ushere wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> why? there's a plethora of relatively cheap software out there that will
>>>>> handle avchd,
>>>> name two. Vegas would not be on that list at the moment either.
>>>>
>>>> -bill
>>>
>>> http://download.sonymediasoftware.com/releasenotes/vegas70e_readme.htm :
>>>
>>> Notable Fixes/Changes in Version 7.0e
>>>
>>> * Added support for editing files recorded with Sony AVCHD camcorders.
>>>
>>>
>>> Mike
>>
>> And they may add support for Canon and Panasonic AVCHD camcorders in a
>> future release, or so I'm told.
>>
>> I would also think that they might add AVCHD support to their
>> lower-end Vegas Movie Studio+DVD and/or Vegas Movie Studio+DVD
>> Platinum Edition products at some time in the future as well.
>
>Outstanding.. I knew all I had too do was bait a few people here, and
>suddenly, everyone chimes in with their knowledge of AVCHD support.
Well, I wasn't taking any bait, although I did smell the flavor
(aroma?) of this particular thread, which is one of several reasons
why I didn't post to it until just yesterday.
Of course, when I'm getting paid to supply the information, it comes
much quicker. :)
>Take a look at the begging of this tread.. It went from AVCHD is just a
>toy not worth even looking at, to suddenly everyone knows products about
>products that some were only introduced days ago.
I was just trying to provide information, information to which I've
had access from the day of the initial Panasonic/Sony AVCHD Format
announcement just over a year ago. Other announcements, of both
camcorders and editing software, came later, of course.
I do track all of this on my HDV Web page (URL in sig). I added
information about the Canon HR10, for example, the very day that Canon
issued their press release, back on May 7. The original post in this
thread wasn't made until three days later on May 10, so it was old
news to me by then.
>Not bad for a bunch claiming "not worth looking at".
No comment.
Well, alright, let me say this: I do think that the subject line of
this thread is a bit off-base. As things presently stand, the
highest-priced AVCHD camcorder doesn't provide audio or video quality
even matching, let alone exceeding, that of even the lowest-priced HDV
camcorder.
AVCHD, in its present state of development, is a substitute, or an
alternative, for the lowest-end HDV products and is designed primarily
to appeal to the domestic user, especially those who have no desire to
edit their footage on a computer, instead opting to simply connect
their AVCHD camcorder via HDMI to their HDTV for direct viewing, or
playing back an AVCHD disc on their PlayStation 3. Many of these
people are the same ones who consider tape to be old-school and too
much bother.
Aside from sensor size and lens quality, one of the biggest things
holding AVCHD back from becoming a great low-cost HD acquisition
format is the low datarates that these products currently support. The
original AVCHD press release of May 11, 2006 specified a "system bit
rate" of "up to 18 Mbps". A little over two months later, on July 13
to be exact, another press release was issued, that restated this
number as "~24 Mbps".
If I remember correctly, the highest datarates supported by any
available or announced AVCHD camcorder, by manufacturer, are as
follows.
Canon - 13 Mbps
Panasonic - 14 Mbps
Sony - 15 Mbps
Assuming those numbers are correct (I think that they are, but someone
please correct me if I'm wrong), it seems to me that people would be
praising Sony for offering the highest datarate products. Instead I
read here about people blaming Sony for artificially limiting the
maximum datarate. Heck, it was Panasonic who invented the format, not
Sony. Sony jumped on board later. And it was Panasonic who rather
desperately needed the format because they currently didn't offer a
consumer-grade high def camcorder of any kind. Sony was eating their
lunch at that point with multiple low-cost HDV products already on the
market.
It isn't just technology that limits things (progress) at times, it's
marketing departments as well. I've seen this for years, but can't
discuss specific examples here, unfortunately.
I communicate with a number of fairly knowledgeable people and I've
been told by more than one that AVCHD is destined to remain a
consumer-grade format for the time being, the July 13, 2006 press
release with its "~24 Mbps" proclamation notwithstanding. I guess time
will tell. Personally, I'm not affected one way or the other.
Again, with regard to the subject line of this thread, I really don't
see too many Canon XL H1 or XH G1 owners "trading up" to the HR10 when
it becomes available. Nor do I see too many Sony HVR-Z1 and HVR-V1
users replacing them with the latest HDR-CX7 or HDR-CX6EK, for
example. I mean, the damn thing doesn't even have a viewfinder,
clearly making it a product designed to appeal to teenagers, young
adults, and others who don't know the first thing about video except
how to watch it. This is the sort of buyer who thinks that not having
to squint to look through a tiny little viewfinder, and instead gaze
at a much larger LCD panel, is progress.
At the present time, AVCHD camcorders are a step ahead of so-called
"media cameras" put out by the likes of Hitachi, Samsung, Sanyo,
Sharp, and a few others, and these media cameras are themselves a step
ahead of cell phone video. At least that's how I view the pecking
order. It's just my 2 cents and anyone who wishes to do so is welcome
to feel otherwise. It's perhaps worth keeping in mind that it's just
camcorders and video formats that we're discussing here, so no matter
how anyone might happen to feel about the subject, it's not going to
significantly alter the course of human history.
My blood pressure is up now, so I'll stop here.
>-bill
--
Frank, Independent Consultant, New York, NY
[Please remove 'nojunkmail.' from address to reply via e-mail.]
Read Frank's thoughts on HDV at http://www.humanvalues.net/hdv/
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