Hi all,

I am getting my XH-A1 camera in 2 weeks but i was after about 1 minute of raw HDV video from the canon XH-A1. The reason is i want to see how my computer performs with HDV footage.

I muck around with the creative VAdo HD for Youtube fun stuff and the H.264 codec really kills my processor as its heavily compressed and lack of editors that support it. So i want to see how HDV video effects my set up.

Currently running

3gb ram
Core 2 Duo dual core 2.8
2x 500gb hard drives
1x TB drive
Graphics card i think its the old 528mb

can anyone help or know where i can download some stock RAW XH-A1 footage?

cheers in advance... great resource here

I cannot point you toward any footage but your system should handle it just fine. HDV is not as processor intensive as h.264. HDV is just a specific flavor of MPEG2. The data rate is just like DV, so there's no difference there.

Your processor falls into the lower third of what I would consider "HDV capable" computers but I know others may view things differently. This is a completely subjective opinion on my part.

You don't state the software you'll be using and that's an important component in the overall mix. Whilst you can edit HDV on what you have, if you start leaning hard on your footage with effects and color correction things could bog down. There are things that you can do to lighten the load, like Cineform. You could help yourself by installing 4GB of memory and invoking the 3GB switch. This will give your NLE more memory to play with. Search for "3GB Switch" and you will find the simple procedure.

I cannot point you toward any footage but your system should handle it just fine. HDV is not as processor intensive as h.264. HDV is just a specific flavor of MPEG2. The data rate is just like DV, so there's no difference there.

Your processor falls into the lower third of what I would consider "HDV capable" computers but I know others may view things differently. This is a completely subjective opinion on my part.

You don't state the software you'll be using and that's an important component in the overall mix. Whilst you can edit HDV on what you have, if you start leaning hard on your footage with effects and color correction things could bog down. There are things that you can do to lighten the load, like Cineform. You could help yourself by installing 4GB of memory and invoking the 3GB switch. This will give your NLE more memory to play with. Search for "3GB Switch" and you will find the simple procedure.

thanks trip will take a look and post back....

thanks mate

Jason

Yo folks.

How wel does the Xh-A1 work on the Steadicam Merlin?

I was wondering if it was 2 heavy? I don't use these all at 1 time but sometimes i have the NTG-2 on the camera with the shock mount + the wireless receiver for the G3 lav.

I have accessories

1. NTG-2
2. Rode Shock Mount
3. J-Rod to hold both shockmount + NTG-2 + Sennheiser G3 Wireless receiver....
4. A camera mounted light (not yet purchased)

thanks in advance

Hi Jason. A bare XH-A1 will work on the Merlin but it is near the limit for balancing and is a bit heavy for prolonged usage handheld. I doubt if you will be able to balance it with a lot of accessories, unless you can replace some of the bottom weights with part of the gear.

I ended up buying an HV30 to use with the Merlin, it is much more practical. For me at least.

Richard

I think the mpeg2 XHA1 footage from here is RAW :

Internet Archive: Free Download: Comparison of Sony PMW-EX1 and Canon XHA1 (http://www.archive.org/details/ex1_xha1)

Hi Jason. A bare XH-A1 will work on the Merlin but it is near the limit for balancing and is a bit heavy for prolonged usage handheld. I doubt if you will be able to balance it with a lot of accessories, unless you can replace some of the bottom weights with part of the gear.

I ended up buying an HV30 to use with the Merlin, it is much more practical. For me at least.

Richard
Hi Richard thanks for your reply. I was planning on just using it as a roving camera and maybe at best have the ntg 2 with J-Rod and maybe a light depending on the situation...

what other options would i have in the roving camera area? is there anything else thatwould suit me?

I think the mpeg2 XHA1 footage from here is RAW :

Internet Archive: Free Download: Comparison of Sony PMW-EX1 and Canon XHA1 (http://www.archive.org/details/ex1_xha1)

thanks mate taking a look now

You'll be fine Jason, HDV isn't that bad at all. Have fun.

Jon

thanks Johnathon cant wait to pick up the camera... sweet

Hi Richard thanks for your reply. I was planning on just using it as a roving camera and maybe at best have the ntg 2 with J-Rod and maybe a light depending on the situation...

what other options would i have in the roving camera area? is there anything else thatwould suit me?

Hi Jason. One of the Glidecam models would probably be more suitable for a heavier load. The offset handle makes them awkward to use, though I know someone who has taken the time to master a Glidecam so at least it is possible.

Richard

Also in the future you can create your own HDV or other formats of footage if you have FCP by using compressor, the HD settings has many presets to output to so you can see how your hardware configuration can handle can handle various formats