Canon HV40 - is it easy to get shallow Depth Of Field? from the video i see on youtube it looks easier than a pro camera like my sony v1u

On a standard HV30 (basically the same camera), the only way is to get some distance and use the telephoto part of your lens.

However these cameras have a huge following of people that use 35mm adaptors and camera lenses, and then yes you can easily achieve nice shallow depth of field.

The HV30 wil have slightly shallower DoF than the V1p due to the larger 1/3" chip. While shallow DoF looks can be attained by moving further away, zooming in and opening the iris right up, it does not give you anywhere near the control over the DoF that a DSLR or 35mm adaptor will.