Comments

mark-woollard wrote on 1/19/2006, 5:02 PM
From today's XDCAM HD demo I attended:

- setting aside the benefits of better glass and DSP on the new cameras, the 35 Mbps max data rate will give better colour and fewer MPEG2 artifacts,
- the new 1/2 inch HD cameras will not support the not-yet-available dual layer 47Gig discs;
- a some-time-in-the-future much-more-expensive 2/3 inch XDCAM HD will. Given it will be 4:2:2, it will need the higher capacity discs to get back to the 1-hour of continuous recording at the highest bitrate as in the 1/2 models;
- there was a sighting at NAB 2005 of a prototype computer-based drive that can read XDCAM discs (Calgary-based company). No sighting since;
- in theory, a 2/3 inch lens with lens adapter should work well.

None of the above info was from an official Sony source, so treat it as unofficial.
Quryous wrote on 1/19/2006, 6:34 PM
Here I was ready to go out and buy 2 or 3 dozen of these things when I noticed that they are 1440 x 1080 pixels for the F330. Will the 2/3 inch models be full HD?
Spot|DSE wrote on 1/19/2006, 6:45 PM
1440 x 1080 IS "full HD."
If you're looking for a 1920 x 1080 progressive sensor block, it doesn't exist at even remotely close cost ranges. Add another zero to the cost.
HDCAM, Varicam, neither are 1920.
Marco. wrote on 1/20/2006, 1:37 AM
The only cam I know with 1920x1080 resolution is the CineAlta HDCam SR which optional offers 4:4:4 colorsampling and 10 Bit recording. Datarates are 440 Mbit/sec - video only. About 600 Mbit/sec for video and audio.

True - isn't that very cheap. ;-)

Marco

Logan5 wrote on 1/23/2006, 8:53 PM
I’m really interested in the new XDCAM HD.
A few questions…
When you get down to the editing the footage, is the XDCAM HD editing workflow similar to or like editing HDV footage?
Will there be a need to use an intermediary codec to edit the files from XDCAM HD?

Also, current HDV users – are you considering moving to a XDCAM HD?
HDV cams compared to the XDCAM HD – Worth the price/quality gain?
Will the client really see a difference in the end?
Spot|DSE wrote on 1/23/2006, 9:29 PM
The client will see a significant difference, just on glass and chip size alone. 1/2" chips, longer lens=greater DOF, 35Mbps vs 25Mbps, 4 channels of PCM audio too. The image should be significantly better, and from what little I've seen, it is indeed better.
Logan5 wrote on 1/23/2006, 9:50 PM
Thanks DSE – do you know if the treatment/editing of XDCAM HD files will be like HDV?
All I know is the XDCAM HD is some type of MPEG.

I’m starting to salivate like I did when the first DV ½” chips cameras came out.
Spot|DSE wrote on 1/23/2006, 10:27 PM
I don't dare speculate on how Vegas will manage the files, but I can't imagine it will be much different than how XDCAM currently works. These cams aren't shipping just yet, so no way to tell, and as the Forum Admin mentioned, Vegas currently doesn't support it anyway.
(Gee, I wonder if we'll hear all the threats of "I'm leaving this software if Sony Vegas doesn't support XDCAM HD by XXX day" like we keep hearing about the HVX. It kinda tears a hole in their conspiracy theory that Sony is treating Panasonic differently because of competition, doesn't it?) :-)
Logan5 wrote on 1/23/2006, 11:55 PM
If it ends up working like xdcam footage does that would be great.