For those that have been asking about the distribution of HD content, I submit at least one option is HDTV via local broadcast, cable, and satellite delivery. While it has been stated that few people have HDTVs in their home, I believe this is the year that will change.

I just received the Spring 2005 catalog from Best Buy. Their regular price on digital flat tube HDTVs is very encouraging. It ranges from $600 for a Toshiba 26-in to $900 for a Samsung 32-in. This is a value and price-point that many middle-class homes can easily afford.

Time Warner Cable now offers 16 HDTV channels with a HDTV receiver/decoder. For the same price as regular SD digital cable you can get HDTV digital cable. You also have HD pay-per-view and HD on-demand.

DirecTV has launched one of two new satellites for adding "a load of HDTV channels in summer 2005." Currently they offer around 10 HD channels, plus HD pay-per-view. Many more to come.

The combination of lower HDTV prices and addition HD programming will continue to build on one another.

This represents a wide range of opportunities for small production companies to produce HD programming -- from local commercials, to local features, to network shorts, documentaries, and IFM features.

So, by the time that new Panny HVX200 gets here, and you learn how to use, it's very likely that there will be a significant and growing demand for HD productions.

Best Regards,
Pete

it seems for event and corp and basically mainstream esque non broadcast type deliveries (ala producers who deliver in DVD) we're looking at Blue Ray or HD DVD..

At the moment, theres a war happening, and blue ray has the potential (theoretically) to evolve in capacity and function, whereas HD DVD does not..

Also Playstation 3 has been announced recently with bluray as standard media. Being Sony and teh way they conduct themselves, we should also see many of the newer dvd players they release offer bluray playback

Sony have the tendency to saturate a market when its not prepared for a product.. take their memory stick as an example.. there was no reason or need to create a whole new proprietary media format for solid state memory, but they did it anyway with memory stick..)

so there will most likely be a function within these players to playback blueray discs in the future, and be backwards compatible..
Were also already seeing bluray in use with the XDCams so u can see where im going with this...

where the hell we're gonna get a bluray burner, god only knows, but Sony have already started the ball rolling with it..
as for HD DVD, whoever is developing that (Toshiba i think) have hit the 45gb mark, but bluray is already pounding away at 54gb.. so yeah, its going to be an ugly war..

Lets just hope the DVD Consortium (DVD Forum.... whatever theyre called... i cant think right now) choosing the best viable option for the general public, and still be cost effective for producers.

You could always build the cost into what you charge your clients and give them one of those D-VHS decks with a D-VHS tape of their video. I know this is a waste of money but if the client really wants HD that is an option.

They would probably be happier with a HD DVD in WM9 or even M2T that playes on the AVeL Linkplayer2.

Sorry Pete, I will respectfully have to disagree with you. Although prices are coming down in a big way, I think mainstream use of digital flat tube HDTVs is at least 5 years away. Out of the 43 people I work with whose salaries range from $35,000 to $86,000 f(average $48K) a year only one has an HDTV and this is in a large urban area. I think HDTVs will have to be around $400 for a 27" set to become mainstream.

Best Regards,

Mark

Revolutions in display technology will bring about this change faster than we might think, I believe. Anyone familiar with Toshiba's new SED display technology? Research this before you buy one of those clunky Plasmas or LCD's. 42" display, 1" thick (or "thin" if you're in marketing) with an image quality superior, yes, superior to CRT...for $400. Should be seeing it in about a year. All those billion dollar fabs Samsung invested in for LCD's are going to start looking a little silly.

Peter

Learn more...

http://dansdata.com/gz044.htm

and more info...

http://www.canon.com/technology/detail/device/sed_display/

Ah, the hopefully forthcoming Canon flat panel SED display. Thanks for the link, Peter!

yeah but it seems the thread here is going on a tangent..

were talking HD distribution, not HD viewing.. 2 very different things..

HD viewing will always evolve, and get cheaper as production costs are constantly evolving.. i remember we used to pay $700 for a 51cm tv, now u can get them for less than a hundred brand new..

as for distribution of HD material.. well as mentioned, its going to be a sh*tfight.. im just sittin back and waiting for it all to roll out before i decide..

I think we might need a couple of new boards... one for HD viewing (i.e., monitors). Another for HD distribution options. As it stands this thread is in the HVX200 forum but really has nothing to do with the camcorder itself.

I think that you could add Preproduction and Exhibition. Exhibition would cover monitors.

Radek