Hi!

I looked at the specification of the camera and in every description it states that it is a true 16:9 camera.
But the resolution is hmm i think it was 1440x1080 and thats a 4:3 format.
I thought the camera was shooting in 1920x1080 but it doesnt?

Can someone clear this out?

All the Sony HDV cameras shoot in anamorphic 1080i ... which is 1440x1080. When you send video to a native 1920x1080 device, it'll scale by stretching the 1440 > 1920.

I think the HDV specification itself is 1440 -- not 100% sure about that, but I think so. Perhaps someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

"The 1/3-inch primary color CMOS sensor has a total pixel number of 2.97 million and a 4:3 aspect ratio. The CMOS sensor's native 4:3 aspect ratio does not dictate the aspect ratio of the captured image because of CMOS' individually addressable pixels. High-speed downstream image processing, accomplished by the Enhanced Imaging Processor (EIP), converts the 1920x1440 sensor area into a 1920x1080 matrix of square pixels in a 16:9 interlaced HDV raster to deliver 1080/60i HDV to be recorded to tape. The EIP's functions include 14-bit A/D conversion, DSP, image scaling, downconversion and the application of filters."

That was a quote from another publication. May or may not answer your question. A1u still takes an outstanding picture. If you want very true high def then put up the bucks!!! and also stay away from Dish network and directv which also don't offer true high def although they claim it. I am very satisfied with the A1 HD and directv HD package for that matter. Sure, it could be better, but I would not pay that much more for it to be better.

HDV as a format can never be higher than 1440x1080. Even if you shoot 1920x1080 it in the end becomes 1440x1080. Please note however that even SONY HDCAM uses 1440x1080 so this isn't really a big deal.

In fact there are only two formats on the entire planet that do not use anamorhpic pixels. 1280x720 HDV and HDCAM SR (not the older HDCAM). Even NTSC and PAL are anamorphic.

The sensor has got the full 1920 complement of pixels -you can take snapshots and get the full res. but the EIP 'crunches' them down into 1440 to lower recording bandwidth / comply with the HDV standard with the implicit requirement that they are each stretched out upon display.

The EIP also has more bits (14 as opposed to 8) than it needs. The chip automagically uses the correct range dependant on lighting conditions/exposure. "It's magic, it's Sony..." Hey, is that trademarked? ;o)


Nick.

In fact there are only two formats on the entire planet that do not use anamorhpic pixels. 1280x720 HDV and HDCAM SR (not the older HDCAM).

Doesn't the new SI-1920 video camera record 1920x1080 pixels in the Cineform raw format? But yeah, most HD cameras record anamorphic video -- and delivery on HD DVD may be anamorphic depending on what format you use for that.

As people have said, pixels outputted is 1440 x 1080 but the pixels AREN'T square : they are rectangular with a PAR (Pixel Aspect Ratio) of 4:3.
So the pixels 'outputted' are wider than they are high, and if you apply this 4:3 ratio (=1.3333) to 1440 it becomes 1920.

So when you watch it on your HDTV it's still actually only 1440 x 1080, but pixels are rectangular and this is what gives it the 16:9 aspect ratio when you view it.

That pretty much explained everything, thanks alot.

I have one thought about this:
I am gonna make my movies public, users will be able to download the footage and it will be 1440x1080 but here is the problem.
I have told users to use VLC media player (cause it works very well) but the standard settings of VLC will make this look like
a 4:3 aspect ratio and not 16:9, instead of telling all of the users to change their settings can i then make a project in my
video edit program, telling it that the footage is 1920x1080 with square pixels?
Will it show up right?

Sony uses non-square pixels (horizontal rectangles) that nicely go to 1920 on monitors and in NLEs. It's 16:9 and looks great. And yes, it's true 1080i.

heath