To Camcorder Enthusiastกs: What Does ‘Reality TV’

To Camcorder Enthusiastกs: What Does ‘Reality TV’ Really Mean? Great News for the camcorder user!

by: Mark Sturge

Reality TV is experiencing an upsurge in popularity and its presence has conditioned the publicกs acceptance of a number of things:

That lead actors being trained and polished กperformersก is no longer a necessity.

Camcorder movement. As the use of กdolliesก, กjibsก and even กsteadycamsก to obtain smooth motion/tracking shots are often at odds with site and time constraints.

Reduction in production values of video, lighting and audio.

Whilst a ‘reduction in production valuesก may not inspire confidence, it bodes as a positive to the small time camcorder operator in reduced production costs. And the savvy camcorder operator can make up any shortfall with a little imagination and a lot of ingenuity.

กAnyone can be a video producerก, says Mark Sturge, of KMS Productions ‘technology has delivered the tools and there is an emerging group of people who know that (don’t tell anyone this) video and even television production is easy, if you have the right plan.

กDesktop video is a huge opportunity.ก Mark goes on to explain กEveryday people are looking for special memories to be preserved on video tape or DVD. That family occasion/party/wedding or their childrenกs sports events filmed with a camcorder. And now getting their favourite sport or hobby on TV is possible. Yes… possible. And you can be the video producer that does it for them!ก

Most people think that it takes big bucks to produce video for television or commercial release. The inside secret is that you can produce quality video productions with a relatively small investment and having the right plan that can take you stepbystep through the process is a crucial component. Here are the steps Mark suggests you should follow:

Get yourself a high resolution camcorder.

Learn how to use your camcorder to produce กcompellingก video (this sounds obvious, but it can be where the majority of operators กdrop the ballก).

Engineer cost effective solutions to produce professional production values (in particular the areas of lighting and audio).

Polish your production with your desktop editing system.

Submit your production to program managers that accept public submissions, create a professional looking DVD series to sell etc..

So what are you waiting for? Pick up that camcorder, boot up your pc and กSay It With Videoก!

About The Author

Mark Sturge

Mark Sturge is the owner of KMS Productions and webmaster at http://www.videoproductionmastery.com/camcorder.html A site where visitors can find information, training videos and manuals that help people to better their video techniques or discover ways to earn an income from their video taking hobby.

This article was posted on September 05

by Mark Sturge

Expert Guide to SOnyกs HDV camcorder

Expert Guide to SOnyกs HDV camcorder

by: Kenny Hemphill

The Sony HD camcorder, the Handycam HDRFX1 is being marketed by the company as ‘worldกs first HDV 1080i consumer camcorder’. But at $3,700, it’s price tag is stretching the consumer label somewhat.

However, there’s no doubt the the industry sees HD video as a consumer format and prices will come down over the next couple of years. This Sony HD camcorder is just the start of what is sure to be an avalanche of HD camcorders from electronics companies over the next few months.

So, does this mean we can all look forward to shooting Hollywoodquality home movies in the future? Not quite. Although its true that some Hollywood fetaures, such as George Lucas’ ‘Star Wars: Attack of the Clones’ are being shot in high definition video, its not the same high definition as is shot and recorded by these camcorders.

If you look again at that Sony quote, you’ll see the important label, 1080i. If you’re familiar with HDTV, you’ll know that 1080 refers to 1080 lines of vertical resolution and the ‘i’ means the video is interlaced. 1080i is one of the two most common HDTV formats, the other being 720p (720 lines, progressive scan).

Hollywood HD movies are shot on another format, 1080p. This is higher quality than the other two, as it mixes the higher resolution with the betterquality progressive scan picture.

There is another important difference too. Hollywood HD is uncompressed, whereas the video shot by cameras like this Sony HD camcorder is compressed as MPEG2. This compression inevitably lowers the quality of the video stored on the camera’s DV tape. However, it’s necessary because the HDRFX1 connects to a computer using a FireWire cable and FireWire, whether it is the 400 or 800 variety, doesn’t have the bandwidth to transfer uncompressed HD footage. Even if it did, the sheer size of the files would make it impractical because of the large amoount of hard disk space needed to store it and the processing power needed to edit it.

Another fly in th HD ointment is that, currently, very few applications are able to edit the footage from this Sony HD camcorder. However, that looks set to change,as Apple has already announced that the next version of its Final Cut Express and iMovie applications, due at the end of January, will be able to edit HD.

HD video will eventually become a common consumer format, when prices come down and editing software is able to work with it. However, until a compression format is found that can squeeze the data contained in HD without noticeably reducing the quality, there will be little benefit over current DV format camcorders.

About The Author

Kenny Hemphill is the editor and publisher ofThe HDTV Tuner (http://www.thehdtvtuner.com) a guide to th kit, the technology and the programming on HDTV.

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 02

by Kenny Hemphill

Expert Guide to DVD Camcorders

Expert Guide to DVD Camcorders

by: Kennny Hemphill

Thinking about a mini DVD camcorder? You’re not alone, itกs a rapidly growing sector of the camcorder market, with Hitachi, Sony and Panasonic all making more than one mini dvd camcorder.

These camcorders differ from regular digital video cameras in one important way they record video onto mini DVD discs, rather than DV tape. This has a number of advantages. DVD discs are more robust than tape and won’t get chewed up in the camera. Although this is thankfully a rare occurance, it scares me every time I here a strange noise coming from my camcorder, so itกs with bearing in mind.

The second advantage is that DVD discs are random access, compared to tape on which everything is recorded sequentially. This means that thereกs no need to rewind and fast forward to find the clip you’re after, just select it from the menu. Some cameras even allow you to perform basic editing functions oncamera. An additional sidebenefit is that a mini DVD camcorder doesn’t have tape heads to get worn or dirty as happens in regular mini DVD cameras.

And thirdly, you can easily watch your home movies by removing the DVD from the camera and playing it in practically any DVD player.

However, there are negative factors to. The most siginificant one is that video is encoded as MPEG2 on a mini DVD camcorder, as opposed to DV format. This means that it needs specialist software to edit you can’t just use your regular video editing program (unless it specifically supports MPEG2). And if a Mac user you’re out of luck, as there are no MPEG2 editing applications for the Mac.

Also, mini DVD camcorders tend to cost more than similarly specified mini DV cameras. And the media is also more expensive. However, if you don’t intend editing your movies and don’t mind the extra cost, a mini dvd camcorder does offer extraordinary convenience.

© Kenny Hemphill 2004.

About The Author

Kenny Hemphill is the editor and publisher of Master DVD (http://www.masterdvd.com), a website which provides information, articles, and tutorials on issues and products related to recordable DVD.

This article was posted on November 16, 2004

by Kennny Hemphill

High Definition – When?

High Definition – When?

by: Cal Barton

High definition will inevitably become a widespread if not universal television broadcast format. However, it’s not yet clear when that will happen. So it’s also not yet clear when high definition camcorders will be routinely required for acquisition for nonfiction programmes. With that in mind, this Ezine aims to give some background to high definition technology and the Sony high definition camcorders currently available.

High Definition – Formats and Camcorders

Before venturing into the world of high definition, it should be said that our UKbased clients primarily use Digital Betacam and DV Cam camcorders and we find minimal demand for HD Cam. Our American clients are using HD Cam more frequently than our British clients but BetaSP remains the format they most commonly request.

Two High Definition Formats

To begin with, the future of high definition broadcasting is unclear. There are two HD formats being considered for transmission. One is 720p (720 horizontal lines or rows of pixels in the image) and the other is 1080i (1080 horizontal lines or rows of pixels in the image). The ขpข stands for progressive scan and the ขiข stands for interlaced scan but more on this later. Panasonic manufactures the camcorders that generate 720 horizontal lines and Sony manufactures the camcorders that generate 1080 horizontal lines. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has suggested for discussion using 720p for public service broadcasters but say that does not mean they favour 720p as the standard HD format for transmission. Trade magazines say BSkyB plans to broadcast both 720p and 1080i in a service that will begin sometime in 2006 although I was recently told 1080i may be the only format they use for transmission.

The Sony 1080line system has one clear advantage over Panasonic’s 720line system. Each image contains more than two million pixels (1920 vertical lines x 1080 horizontal lines) compared to 900,000 pixels (1280 vertical lines x 720 horizontal lines) in an image from a Panasonic high definition camcorder. This gives a superior picture. The advantage of the 720line system is it takes less transmission bandwidth to broadcast.

Now to the difference between ขinterlacedข and ขprogressiveข scan. These terms refer to the way television images are processed for transmission.

Interlaced Scan

Standard definition television broadcast signals are processed by television sets in an ขinterlaced scanข format. This means the screen first scans the odd numbered horizontal image lines, or rows of pixels, sequentially from top to bottom (1, 3, 5, etc). It then returns to the top and scans the even numbered lines (2, 4, 6, etc). In summary, the full picture from top to bottom is first made with half the information there and half of it missing. Then the missing information is filled in. In the PAL standard, each of these two processes takes 1/50th of a second so the entire process takes 1/25th of a second.

Progressive Scan

ขProgressiveข scan differs from interlaced scan in that the image is displayed on a screen by scanning each line (or row of pixels) in a sequential order rather than an alternate order, as is done with interlaced scan. In other words, in progressive scan, the image lines are scanned in numerical order (1,2,3) down the screen from top to bottom, instead of in an alternate order (lines or rows 1,3,5, etc… followed by lines or rows 2,4,6). By progressively scanning the image onto a screen every 25th of a second rather than กinterlacingก alternate lines every 50th of a second, a smoother, more detailed, image can be produced on the screen that is perfectly suited for viewing fine details and is also less susceptible to interlace flicker.

The Sony range of camcorders offer both interlaced and progressive scan functions in a range of settings.

Procam Television and High Definition Camcorders

As a facilities company, we are moving into the HD Cam market – but cautiously. We have Sony models but have not purchased any Panasonic products. This is only in response to what our clients have requested most. Below is a summary of each model and what it offers from the lowest to the highest priced model.

Sony HVRZ1P

This is one high definition camcorder we can recommend using immediately without exception. We purchased 15 of them in February of this year. It is an upgrade of the DSRPD170P compact camcorder. The main reason for the unqualified recommendation is that the camera has a 16:9 chip so it shoots true wide screen images. It also delivers superior pictures.

Sony HDW730S High Definition camcorder

The 730S is geared towards mainstream television programming rather than film or high end television drama productions. It shoots using the interlaced function only and can be switched between 50i and 59.94i. Progressive scan is not possible with the 730S. But if you don’t need to use progressive scan and you’re shooting for television, this camcorder produces excellent images and it allows you to shoot HD Cam on close to a standard definition budget.

Sony HDW750P High Definition Camcorder

The HDW750P offers the choice of shooting 25 frames per second in progressive scan mode (25P) to give your pictures a film look or of shooting 50 fields per second interlaced (50i) to conform to the PAL broadcasting standard. The camcorder has a 2.2 millionpixel FIT CCD, which is a step up from the IT CCD in the 730S, and Advanced Digital Signal Processing (ADSP).

Sony HDWF900 Multiformat Cine Alta High Definition camcorder

This is the top of Sony’s high definition (1080 lines x 1920 pixels) camcorder range. The F900 offers the ability to shoot in any setting you might want. In progressive scan, it can shoot 23.98, 24, 25, 29.94 or 30 frames per second. In interlaced, it can shoot 50, 59.94 or 60Hz. This means you can shoot for any standard anywhere in the world. If you are shooting for cinema release, the F900 is the only Sony camcorder that can shoot 24P (24 frames per second film standard).

Panasonic AJHDC27

The Panasonic range includes the AJHDC27 VariCam. This is a DVCPRO HD camcorder that offers variable frame rates which can be set from 4fps to 60fps in single frame increments at the touch of a button. The question we have about Panasonic high definition camcorders is does going from the 625 lines offered by current PAL standard definition cameras to the 720 lines offered by Panasonic’s high definition format really merit the investment required in acquisition and post production equipment? It’s something to consider.

Thank you for reading this and please visit our web site www.procamtv.com to find out how we can meet you production kit and crewing needs.

About The Author

Cal Barton began working in television for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Vancouver in 1982. His background includes directing coverage of major international news stories, directing documentaries and directing and vision mixing for multicamera shoots.

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 14

by Cal Barton