Re: HD vs HD-SR (What is the difference?) by Bob Zelin on May 8, 2008 at 12:52:16 am
the drawbacks are easy - the HDW-SR5500 is the most expensive VTR on the market (over $100,000 to purchase).
SR is used because it is a fully uncompressed signal (the chromanance is not compressed). Some people feel that this is a better quality signal. If you have clients that are pyscho ad agency types, they want THE BEST quality, even if they can't see it. This is who uses SRW VTR's - companies that have clients that want the best and are WILLING TO PAY FOR IT. There are no "low end" jobs (or even regular jobs) that use SRW because it is so expensive (a rental of a SRW-5500 is typically $1000 per day).
Re: HD vs HD-SR (What is the difference?) by Ramona Howard on May 8, 2008 at 5:39:10 am
Bob,
The SR is not a fully uncompressed solution, it adds a level of compression.
Tasha,
You can't make a comparison of HD to the SR. HD is set of formats such as 1920x1080 and 1280x720, the SR is a device that records many formats.
You can use any number of devices and solutions to capture HD, which I think is really what your asking for a comparison of. Some of these apply a slight level of compression and some none at all. Decks will apply compression (although the SR is damn good).
Devices/systems/Apps such as Rave (ours), FCP, Premier, and many others can capture in both compressed and uncompressed (fully uncompressed) formats.
Which is better. Well that is the debate of the century. Depends on what the end product will be, how big it will be and how much VFX will be done along the way. Feature films tend to like it uncompressed as much thru the workflow as they can get, where reality starts with a compressed format (but then again there isn't much VFX in reality).
To a trained eye, they can spot the difference between images with compression and ones without. The difference between uncompressed HD and HD on the SR again, is pretty damn good and many a film is shot using the SR but there are some that swear by uncompressed. An easy way to do a comparison is to get a capture (direct from a camera) into an uncompressed source, print or make a copy to SR and compare the two. You can even re-capture the SR copy back in (as uncompressed) so you have both sources on the computer, Then loop away and see if you can tell.
A comment we heard once after capturing in a tape from the SR to make a comparison was......"it looks just like the SR"....duh!
*Just make sure you are capturing in the same format for both as both ways(devices) will provide a slew of options and formats.
Re: HD vs HD-SR (What is the difference?) by gary adcock on May 8, 2008 at 12:28:39 pm
[Bob Zelin]"he drawbacks are easy - the HDW-SR5500 is the most expensive VTR on the market (over $100,000 to purchase)."
The Price tag leader is now the 5800 series deck- at over $135,000 fully loaded
" This is who uses SRW VTR's - companies that have clients that want the best and are WILLING TO PAY FOR IT."
Not True Bob,
HDCam SR has become the de-facto Standard format for HD tape Delivery to vast majority of Stations, Ad Agency's, and Distributors. You do a dis-service claiming that only the only the "companies that want the best"are using it. All the Networks and cable companies I work with will ONLY accept HDCamSR masters for their HD deliverables.
gary adcock
Studio37
HD & Film Consultation
Post and Production Workflows
Inside look at the IoHD
Re: HD vs HD-SR (What is the difference?) by Jesse Rosen on May 8, 2008 at 1:47:55 pm
Indeed. One of the biggest selling points of HDCAM SR for broadcaster is the fact that it records 12 channels of audio. The fact that a 5800 or 5500 deck can play back their existing library of HDCAM and DBeta tapes makes it a much easier investment to make, as well.
Re: HD vs HD-SR (What is the difference?) by Bob Zelin on May 8, 2008 at 5:03:28 pm
Gary -
we have countless clients here that deliver with DVCProHD, Digi Beta (SDI not HD-SDI), and even Beta to both local stations, and cable stations (like Viacom for VH-1 and CMT). So making a blanket statement that stations only want Sony SRW delivery is an incorrect statement. If my Travel Channel clients had to buy a SRW-5500, they would sooner close their doors.
