Re: A Centillion number of formats and standards

No one is angrier than me about this subject (and I am one angry guy anyway). You are absolutely correct, and as you know, the number of HD formats KEEPS INCREASING (like the Sony XDCam EX and Pana AVC Intra, for example, and more are coming).

There used to be something called the SMPTE committee (who still exist, and are morons, and now almost no one listens to them). But "back in the day", I remember asking Ampex why so many Sony 1" Tapes would not play back on Ampex 1" VTR's, and their response was "because Sony doesn't follow SMPTE standards". Of course, this migrated to analog component format, where there was the "SMPTE" standard (and SMPTE N10 as well), and the Sony Beta format, where the levels were different.

Of course, now, this is all nothing compared to the insanity that we face right now. Sony and Panasonic are in competition, and it is obvious that the SMPTE committee or EBU is powerless to dictate to these companies. And with new 4K products coming out, it just gets worse. Add all the different compression codecs out there, and the varying frame rates that are being used for shooting - well, you know how insanely confusing it is.

I often say to Oliver Peters "we are supposed to be the experts in Florida, but the more I work in HD, the more I realize how little I know, and how ignorant I am of all of this stuff".

So what is the bottom line answer here - SMPTE is powerless, the FCC is powerless, and you and I - we are NOBODY, and no matter what "committee" gets formed, Sony and Panasonic (and others) will continue to do whatever they want to continue to try to make a profit.

When people ask me "what HD format should I choose" - I only have one answer - "how the hell should I know !".

Bob Zelin