Re: HD to Digibeta vs Straight Digibeta : HD High-End

You're far from ignorant. This is all new ground for all of us. Unless you're sitting in a movie theater, almost all HD and HD24P will be presented in 30fps NTSC. The question is: Why bother with HD aquisition in the first place. This is a question that has to be answered by your eyes.

It all depends on which camera and how is it set up? An HD camera, out of the box, is very sharp and a bit more colorful - really nice video. When you get into the menus on an HD camera (my experience is with the Sony F-900) you find an endless range of adjustability. It will hold a great picture at two stops over and 5 stops under. The contrast ratio is tremendous on HD. You can take the blown out portions of the picture and calm them down to restore detail without affecting the rest of the picture. If it's set for 24P, the movement is very different. About 85% of the footage shot on HD 24P is transferred to Digi-beta or another format for edit.

what would be the major differences in quality-----?

Remember, not all HD is the same. The 700 series Sony does not hold a candle to the F-900. The 700 is for sports, news, and Jay Leno. Hollywood and Prime Time TV have embraced the Sony F-900. Documentarians and Music video producers have swung toward to Panasonic 27V. The Sony is bigger and weighs more. The Panny is lighter and easier to move around. They all look different. Your question about "How does HD compare to Digi_beta" is like asking "How does DV compare to BetaSP?" In DV alone, the differences in image from one camera to the next are tremendous.

It seems like you're really looking into HD quite seriously. My advice would be to go look for yourself. We cannot describe the image on this forum. I would suggest a trip to a large rental house that has all three formats and the technicians that know what's going on. Talk to the users, not the sales guys. This could be the best money you've ever spent. I attended an HD SanteFe Workshop with the intention of renting an F-900 to shoot a feature. We bought one a month later and we're not looking back.