Hi,

I own a Z1 and have been shooting in HDV. I'm wanting to downcovert just to see how it works. I want to use the 16x9 letterbox format.

However, when I turn the camera on to VCR and select MENU/In Out -->/<-- (or however that thing looks) and then select i.LINK CONV HDV->DV CONV, it says: Changes NOT allowed, Unplug i.LINK cable...

I don't have the i.LINK cable plugged in.

Anyway, how do I set this thing up to downcovert from HDV to DV Widescreen?

Thanks,

Jim

That message is always displayed no matter what's plugged or unplugged. Personally I think it can just be ignored, however there are reports of burned out firewire ports on both computers and cameras. So to play it safe, shut down your computer and unplug the cable.

But that message is really just a generic warning - you are doing the right thing to change formats.

I have always ignored it, so you can too. I haven't seen it in a while though. Maybe I have changed my workflow? I always plug in the firewire cable before I open the Capture window. I can't quite remember what caused it now. Or maybe I just stopped using the DV export.

Anyway, how do I set this thing up to downcovert from HDV to DV Widescreen?Set the i.LINK CONV to HDV->DV CONV; this makes your Z1 operate as a regular DV device. Then go to the DOWNCONVERT settings and make sure it is set to SQUEEZE. This will anamorphically squeeze the video into 720x480 with a Pixel Aspect Ratio of 1.2121 (NTSC DV Widescreen assuming your camera is in NTSC mode). Capture as you normally would capture any DV device. Make sure your NLE set up to accept DV Widescreen 16:9 so the picture looks correct.

~jr