What is the best HD format for your project, and which editing software handles it? Lew Schatzer explains how to match formats with editing tools.
Even though most consumers have not jumped onto the HD bandwagon yet, and the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray format wars are still being fought, there is a tremendous interest on the part of content producers to move into HD production to future proof their product. From student filmmakers to wedding videographers, HD is becoming an important part of the production process.
While very few consumers are buying HD disc players, there are a growing number of users buying camcorders capable of recording in some high definition format, and many of these camcorders are ideal for the budding film producer and documentarian as well. One of the problems, however, is that hardware manufacturers are releasing a myriad of new storage formats and compression schemes, not all of which are ideal for editing in a typical low budget environment.
So, if you are going to be the next Scorsese, what would be the best format to select for your production? HDV 1 or 2, AVCHD, XDCamHD, DVCProHD, HDCam or one of the other professional formats that is currently available?
Each of these formats has its features and faults in terms of video quality and cost. The final use of your product and the size of your wallet will go a long way to determining which format is best for you.
At this point in time, the best, most cost effective format is HDV either in 1080i or 720p format. First, miniDV tape is inexpensive as a storage medium and readily available. The video quality of HDV is acceptable to broadcasters even though the color sampling is only 4:2:0 and all major editing programs are capable of working easily with this format either natively or through a proxy video scheme. In addition, because HDV can be captured through a standard IEEE computer port, no expensive additional hardware is necessary to read and write this format to and from the camera or an HDV deck.
I particularly like the 720p flavor of HDV supported by JVC in their ProHD format cameras. If you are working with this format in an editor that works in native format, it will edit almost like SD material and in 24p mode can easily be transferred to film. It also looks very “film-like” when viewed on an HD monitor.
Tech Focus & Product Reviews
1080i HDV from camera makers such as Sony and Canon require a bit more computer horsepower to edit in native format but are also an excellent choice and can be had at very low cost in their consumer versions. Under good lighting, even the $1K HDV cameras can create superb video. There are even cameras in this price range today that support 24p (Canon HV20). Just make sure your video editing software is capable of doing the pull-down necessary to edit this type of 24p material. Some prosumer Canon cameras also have 24F mode format which looks like 24p but which may be easier for some editing programs to work with. Do your research to make sure your camera and software are compatible for the format you want to use.
At this time, I would avoid cameras that record to internal memory, memory cards or hard drives or in the AVCHD format. The quality of the current compression scheme of AVCHD seems to be a significant compromise and introduces artifacts and other issues, plus it is not widely supported yet by most editing programs; and cameras that record to internal memory, while they may be convenient, force you at some point to have to unload that internal media to something before you can continue shooting. Also, you have to find some way to archive your material, which is easy to do if you shoot on tape.
That said, the new JVC GZ-HD7 is an interesting camera because the storage format on the hard drive is basically the same M2T transport stream version of MPEG that is used in HDV format cameras so that you can import direct from the camera without having to digitize at all. That could be a time saver in some circumstances. So for some applications, a camera like this might be worth a look.
There is one other advantage to shooting in an HD format today even if your final product is not going to be HD. You can easily scale your high definition video to standard definition format in your editing program and this gives you the advantage of being able to pan and zoom your video to a much greater degree than with SD video. So if you need a close-up you can create one while not losing video quality from a longer shot because of the greater number of pixels you have to work with in HD video. Lew Schatzer is a video editor, and edits the nationally syndicated “Terry Madden’s Watercolor Workshop” which runs on hundreds of PBS stations around the country and is currently completing a six part half-hour home improvement program to be run locally on broadcast stations in South Florida. As a writer/producer/director, Lew has also done major projects for the Air Force, many corporate projects, particularly in the medical and technical fields, political commercials and much more.
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