Re: Is HDV Broadcast Quality? by Blast1 on Apr 18, 2007 at 7:28:49 pm
Final distribution into the homes was setup to be Mpeg2 Transport stream, the major difference between M2T and HDV is that HDV is higher bitrate ex: HDV 1080i is 25mb/s same as DV, Transport stream is 19.x mb/s, from the ammount of artifacts/crap that I see coming over cable, supposedly HD originating video ain't much different than HDV when it gets to its destination
Re: Is HDV Broadcast Quality? by e-money on Apr 18, 2007 at 7:32:09 pm
hmmm... again, very interesting.
So HDV and HD are not that different in terms of broadcast quality.
that's good to know.
so mainly when i shoot, i should focus on making sure i'm not crushing my blacks and blowing out my whites. we're going to be shooting "verite" style so should my main focus just be making sure all of the lighting and exposure is broadcast safe?
Re: Is HDV Broadcast Quality? by Steven L. Gotz on Apr 18, 2007 at 7:48:22 pm
Well, be careful. "Real" HD is less compressed to start with and looks better, in general, when compressed into the lower bandwidth required for transmission. There have been instances of HDV being used in an HD TV show. Not as primary, but for "B" roll or dangerous shots where risking a very expensive camera would not make sense.
You might find it difficult to sell HDV footage. On the other hand, it depends on what you are shooting.
Re: Is HDV Broadcast Quality? by e-money on Apr 18, 2007 at 7:56:07 pm
yeah, we're just going to make a "company video" for our PR dept.
so it could potentially be used as a reference on a news program or a show like Oprah. so i guess it would be ok to use HDV.
Re: Is HDV Broadcast Quality? by santellavision on Apr 18, 2007 at 11:47:41 pm
HDV can look very good if shot well. I shoot both Varicam and some HDV. I mix footage all the time and it looks fine. A good editor can color-correct to both match and make levels safe in post. Shows like "Dirty Jobs" use HD and HDV all the time. The local news out here in Denver is in full HD in the studio. But, their videographers are shooting in HDV.
And if you want to take it another step. Look at ABC's "America's Home Videos" That's all bad DV and VHS looking crap, they air that.
Re: Is HDV Broadcast Quality? by e-money on Apr 18, 2007 at 11:52:59 pm
it's funny you mention "america's funniest home videos" because i was laughing about that with my print editor this morning. we realized that there are all sorts of formats that are broadcast on tv!
ha!
i got so wrapped up in the high def world, i forgot about those lovable analog formats.
Re: Is HDV Broadcast Quality? by santellavision on Apr 20, 2007 at 4:54:32 am
Ah, those old analog formats. I just picked-up a really clean, Sony U-matic deck on ebay for under $50 shipped. I have a ton of old 3/4 tapes to transfer for archive.
Re: Is HDV Broadcast Quality? by Peterd on Apr 24, 2007 at 2:03:59 pm
"broadcast quality" is a term thrown around alot. In the end it means next to nothing. if the video chroma and luma values are within broadcasting limits it CAN be broadcast. Of course depending on the program type the quaility of lower video formats isn't really acceptable for everything. HDV will probably fly for reality TV and other lower-grade productions(not bad mouthing them but production values are expected to be a bit lower for these types of shows) but you'd never see HBO shooting a show on HDV or anything.
Another note on HDV. Lots of professional post places really don't consider it a professional format. So finding people with HDV decks might be a problem. If you're planning on trying to sell something you might have to look into doing a transfer to a more readily accepted format like HDCam.
Re: Is HDV Broadcast Quality? by Kevin Shaw on Apr 20, 2007 at 8:37:47 pm
HDV is an HD format but is more compressed than other HD recording options, most of which are also significantly compressed. Many popular broadcast TV shows now include some HDV content, but it's generally considered marginal for broadcast purposes. The irony here is that the broadcast signal delivered into homes for HD viewing is essentially the same format as HDV, often at an even lower data rate. So HDV can deliver a broadcast-quality image if viewed directly, but may not hold up well when pushed through all the technical systems used to deliver broadcast content.
Bottom line: if you're planning to shoot for HD broadcast television you're better off using a camera like the Panasonic HVX200 or upcoming Sony XDCAM EX. If most of your work is for direct independent distribution, HDV will probably work fine.
Re: Is HDV Broadcast Quality? by Michael Palmer on Apr 21, 2007 at 6:26:28 am
I say HDV is broadcast quality. Sony looks to keep HDV moving forward as a broadcast standard. Mpeg 2 is the answer for now according to Sony's design divsion. The XD EX will be a welcome site. According the a Sony XD publication from NAB they say HDV has many flavors and will be 4:2:2 COLOR 50 MPS soon. Xd Cams will deliver soon with 2/3 inch chips and the EX model will have 3-1/2inch chips. I held the EX inmy hand and I'm on board for this camera. HDV is gaining ground in broadcast.
Michael Palmer
Re: Is HDV Broadcast Quality? by Kevin Shaw on Apr 23, 2007 at 1:43:54 pm
Agreed that XDCAM HD should be good enough for broadcast use, but that's not the same as HDV. Same basic compression format, but the higher bit rate of XDCAM apparently makes the difference for being able to withstand passing through broadcast network systems. It's also worth noting that HDV is essentially the same (or better) as what's delivered to end viewers on many HD broadcast channels, but again the process of getting through all the network circuits is the issue.
Personally I think HDV looks fine, especially considering the affordable price of the equipment. And the XDCAM EX camera sounds excellent for those who aren't quite happy with HDV.
Re: Is HDV Broadcast Quality? by Michael Palmer on Apr 23, 2007 at 2:57:36 pm
What is strange to me is that HDV is twice the size and rez of SD using industry standard mpeg-2 compression and it isn't recognized as a form of broadcast HD yet. At NAB Sony handed out an XD Cam pamphlet describing how this codec works, how it holds up better than mpeg-4 (AVCHD) comparitively now and where it is going. XD Cam will soon be 50mps bit rate @4:2:2 colorspace. Sounds just like Apple's Pro Rez codec. This means use of HD over firewire and standard storage. The new XD Cam EX is really cool. However it won't be out until late 07 and no mention of the even higher 50mps codec with this unit. I'm a Sony guy that's for sure. Solid designs for every level.
Michael Palmer
