For those that have been lulled into thinking HDV is the harbinger of the great democratization of production, allowing DV filmmakers access to full HD quality images, 'Don't be fooled!'
Though the new world of high-definition camcorders has finally arrived (HDV), the question we should all be asking is 'what kind of world is it?'
Until now, the general worlds of DV production and HD production were polar and distinct. DV has found a place in both film and broadcast as has HD. But now with HDV cameras, filmmakers and broadcasters alike have a new exciting set of tools to further bridge the gap between SD and HD. With this bridge comes new advantages both on a fiscal and quality level that also add to HDV’s enticing nature.
One thing the HDV bridge does not bring is an increase in cost for camera packages or editorial software. There is no learning curve for posting HDV if you already are comfortable with DV. But as far as I’m concerned, the world of HDV is all a matter of perspective. For example, if you imagine the general formats of DV and HD equally balanced on a scale, which side do you put HDV on? Many people compare HDV cameras to that of the F900 or VariCam digital cinema formats. However, many people consider it to fit in the high-end DV formats such as DVCPro50 or DVCAM. Obviously, the main issue to consider when choosing a format for a project is where your project will end up.
PlasterCITY has done extensive testing with the HDV format at uncompressed, 10bit, 24Psf exhibition on a 22 foot screen backed by a 1.3K Texas Instruments DLP. The results are fair. Though HDV holds up the 1080 resolution far better than any DV camera, it still has poor color and contrast – which is essentially what you’re paying for in a true HD digital cinema format.
Attempting to conform the HDV format from 29.97 to 23.98 frames per second is a very popular question concerning HDV users. My tip for filmmakers interested in mastering 23.98 (uncompressed 4:2:2 10bit) is to examine the conforming rates of HDV to uncompressed and contrast them against shooting on an alternative format the handles these cinema specs inherently.
My advice is to utilize the best parts of the HDV family (ie: size, editorial ease, 16:9 native imaging, etc.) for broadcast and industrial solutions. In other words limiting the exhibition of HDV won’t disappoint you, but putting HDV in venues built for HDCAM may disappoint you.
Michael Cioni
Post Production Supervisor
PlasterCITY Digital Post

www.plastercitypost.com