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Author: Topic: HDV for broadcast
walney_hobbit
Member
 walney_hobbit
Posted: Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:51AM
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I've been asked to help out doing a documentary which the creators are hoping to sell onto the networks.

I have a HDV canon camera (XH1A) but I'm unsure if converted over to another format would be good enough or accepted for anything other than DVD or web streaming. Does anyone have a veiw on whether I can convert the HDV to Pro Res or downscale to SD video
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Author: Topic: Re: HDV for broadcast
Mark Kenny
Member
Posted: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 04:36PM
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walney_hobbit,

Finishing a 55minute doc' on Rwanda hospitals shot on a couple of Sony HC1s. We shot HDV over our EX1 cos it's a lot of cards to carry, and there's a lot of stability/safety in tapes.

We learnt a few tricks;

Picture quality amazing outdoor. Indoor the noise creeps in quickly. Bring extra lights for indoor. Even if you're just bouncing a torch off a ceiling, any extra light is better than nothing.

Stabilise your shot; HDV is sensitive. Tripod as much as possible. Don't go handheld unless you really have to. We mounted the camera on a tripod and stuck two legs into the belt loops, but there are other solutions out there.

We captured HDV. I wish we captured AIC or ProRes. HDV with effects is buggy and slow. AIC/ProRes will take more disk space but be easier on the processor and easier to colour correct in FCP.

Finishing, we exported to HDV Quicktime and into 10bit SD timeline and dumped to a hired digibeta for finishing. It would have been nice to keep it HD, but it's a charity project and we got some cheap time at the post house.

Of course full 4K RED is great if you have time and budget, but a well shot HDV is still worth watching. As Reuters said (and this is a few years ago before even 1MP phone cameras) "If you got a picture of Elvis shot on a mobile phone, we'll publish it".
  Posts: 5 | Registered: Mon, 02 Mar 2009 | IP: Logged