Funny that no one pointed out that there still is NO WAY TO DISTRIBUTE HDV. I think this format is pretty dead. Beautiful as it is compared to DV, for example, there is no way to distribute HDV to the consumer. The HDV format has been out on the market for what, 3 years? And the principals are still pixxing over the DVD format. Gosh, I hate beating this horse, but, the situation is very frustrating. So, I' m gonna drop $20k on a camera that I can't distribute the output. And the arguement that I distribute on DVD until BD or HD-DVD is available is too lame to listen to, anymore.
OK, so there's some very problemmatic ways to burn it, but, who can play it? This is a dead format, AFAIK. By the time I can distribute HDV, 2K or even 4K will be a reality.

Talking about beating dead horses, Bill, you have very succintly stated why I have not yet upgraded to HDV.

However, I do have my eye on the Sony XDCAM EX, but whether or not I buy it once it's available depends entirely on cost-effective distribution on some form DVD, regardless of the flavor.

The topics discussed in this thread; quality HD cameras and HD distribution, are already available IF you have the money to play in the big leagues. Sure, we all want CineAlta FP23 HD quality for $3,500 and be able to burn HD material to a twenty-cent disc using a $40 BluRay burner, but that just ain't happening.... yet. You can be certain that the day will arrive that we can, it just isn't now.

As to the reasoning that some have put forward for not upgrading to HDV... I suppose that if you're making car commercials with a life span of a couple of weeks, then it doesn't make any sense to upgrade, but if your making video with any kind of longevity, then it make perfect sense to shoot HD now regardless of whether you can currently distribute it in HD. I've been shooting all my projects in HD and also shooting HD stock footage like a madman preparing for the day that I create and distribute exclusively in HD. It's better to be ahead of the curve rather than behind it.

Hope you're not holding your breath, John. You're looking a wee bit blue about the gills. Don't worry, we can fix that in post.
:o)

Sounds like you want a Lexus for the price of a Corolla.

"Hope you're not holding your breath, John"

Bill, shiny discs are not the only way to distribute HD. I'm sitting here right now watching HD being delivered directly to my TV. I can get it over the air, via satellite or cable and I can also get it with BluRay or HD-DVD. It's everywhere.... today.

I already use Adobe Encore for authoring DVDs and the next version, Encore CS3, is going to support BluRay, so by this summer, I'll have one more method to distribute HD.

You know your business needs better than I do, but HD is my future and the future is now. My clients want it and I'm giving it to them. Technology moves pretty fast, Bill, so you better hurry up, the industry is blowing right past you.

It's better to be ahead of the curve rather than behind it.

Regarding that curve, what happens if that curve takes a turn in another
direction? Where does that put those that are ahead of it?

John, I'm not trying to argue or convince anyone that they are wrong and I am right. It's simply, a matter of choice, at this point, isn't it?

John...

Your market segment is quite different from mine. From the sounds of your post, you apparently, deal with distribution to networks providing HD content. I'm afraid my customers are a little more grassroots than that. I provide "shiny disks" to musicians and stage performers. Most of these guys own a DVD player and a standard TV set. Moreover, when I do a demo disc for them, their customers also have DVD players and standard TV sets. Most of these guys don't even know what BD or HD-DVD is, much less care. They hear the buzzwords....HV, DV, HDV, Hi-Def, but don't really know what goes into the technology. When I tell them I can produce HDV for them, but, can't put it on a "shiny disk" for their setop players, they laugh and ask why I'm offering them HD, or why I even bothered to invest in it in the first place. When I shoot a trailer for a film project, no one cares if it's HDV if they can't make multiple copies and distribute a "shiny disk". No one cares if dailies are in DV or HDV. In fact, if it can't be put on a "shiny disk" no one wants it.If any demo discs pan out with funding support, rest assured that the footage will be shot with hi-end rental equipment.

So, while your market segment is catering to the 50 inch plasma screen crowd, there's a whole world out there who barely are coming out of B&W. All I'm saying is that my business doesn't depend on cutting edge technology. HDV is kind of a rich kid's experiment. It means nothing to day to day, street level product. In the end of things, HDV is still fairly problemmatic, and the cost to support a problemmatic format is also problemmatic. It's a great format for ENG and the local news boys, but, I have no interest in that market segment.


Best of luck to you, sir.

Interesting question, Jay. There's way ahead of the curve, just ahead of the curve and way behind the curve. The HD formats have all be standardized at this point and upcoming camera releases are pretty well publicized, so if one pays attention, there usually aren't any surprises.

I like to position myself just slightly ahead of the curve. I judge my equipment purchases by asking myself if I can make a profit with it before it becomes obsolete. That goes for computers and video gear in general. Audio equipment, not so much. I've never seen the industry take a sharp turn that wasn't predictable if one was paying attention. I've gotten sideways on some bleeding edge stuff that didn't go where I thought it would, but I think that HDV, XDCAM EX and BluRay/HD-DVD are pretty safe bets.

Most of the projects I do will be selling for quite some time in the future, so if I shoot them in HD, it leaves the possibility that they can eventually be re-released in HD and that just adds to the revenue that can be generated for this material in the future. Everything I do these days is geared toward HD, it has achieved critical mass.

"and be able to burn HD material to a twenty-cent disc using a $40 BluRay burner, but that just ain't happening.... yet. You can be certain that the day will arrive that we can, it just isn't now."

That is not likely to happen for a long time. There's just too many patent owners with their hands in the HD pie that want their share of every disc manufactured.