HV10 Capture/Playback? at DVinfo.net

Eric Wan · December 26th, 2006, 01:37 AM

I recently got an HV10 and have a few questions. I'm new to HD and camcorders in general, so apologies if these are rather basic.

1) Does it really matter what capture software you use (assuming there are no dropped frames)? Is there any compression that is done during capture or am I getting the native HDV out of the camera. I've played with Power Director Pro, Ulead Video Studio, and Pinnacle (though the trail version of Pinnacle wouldn't recognize HDV format).

2) What's the best way to playback the mpg (2) on a Windows XP PC? I'm concerned there may be an issue. If I use MediaPlayer (10 or 11) the file says its 1440x1088 (why 1088 versus 1080) and only takes up roughly 1/4 of the screen (around 720x440 pixels) at 100% on a 1600x1200 monitor. If I switch to full screen mode, it's not clear to me that it's properly using all the HD resolution appropriately.

3) Is the free version of Pinnacle worth using (when it arrives) or should I consider paying for something else?

Thanks in advance.

Eric

Colin Gould · December 26th, 2006, 10:47 PM

1) Editing s/w is often personal & workflow choice/preference, so keep checking out the trial versions.
Important for HDV editing is native-HD format editing, eg M2T or at least MPG2, w/o intermediate codecs changing quality. Good editors will allow you "proxy" files to edit w/ low-res versions if you want, making editing faster, but will use the original native HD file for final processing. Ulead, Vegas, latest FinalCutPro, etc. should all do that... but I think only Vegas7.0 can handle M2T native capture/editing (including scene detection), so far (others please chime in w/ their experiences.)

2) Note that HDV format is limited to 1440x1080, even though the HV10's sensor is true 1920x1080... so WMP's res sounds correct. Always better to have higher specs upstream though, even if end-stream specs are the same...

3) Not sure how good the free pinnacle, is, but I ordered it since it's free :)
I already have Ulead editor so likely won't use it...
but it's free, might as well order it, only costs you a stamp and cutting out the UPC from the box. Can always eBay it :)

PS the software is apparently Pinnacle Studio Plus 10.6 Titanium Edition...
website info:
http://pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us...tanium+Edition
says need a 256mb (true) video card to edit 1080 HD...
It says supports native HD, but not sure of the details...
hmm, seems 10.7 update also supports HDV scene-detection on capture, better than Ulead, maybe I'll keep it after all :)

Eric Wan · December 27th, 2006, 01:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colin Gould

2) Note that HDV format is limited to 1440x1080, even though the HV10's sensor is true 1920x1080... so WMP's res sounds correct. Always better to have higher specs upstream though, even if end-stream specs are the same...

I'm still confused. I know HDV is stored at 1440x1080 that should be rendered (stretched) to 1920x1080. But why would WMP give a file information that is 1440x1088 (88 not 80) and only view at 1/4 the screen at 100%? With a 1600x1200 LCD, shouldn't the video scale to 1600x900 at 100%?

Eric

Lloyd Coleman · December 27th, 2006, 07:55 AM

I don't know why your video size is 1088, perhaps it has something with the way it was captured. Mine is reported as 1440x1080.

In Windows media player there is an option to 'fit player to video on start' (right click in the video image and choose 'video size'). This will scale the video to actual size (100%). If you want it to fill your screen, then choose 'full screen' below the 'video size' option. This may not look as good because your computer is interpolating the image.

Eric Wan · December 27th, 2006, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lloyd Coleman

I don't know why your video size is 1088, perhaps it has something with the way it was captured. Mine is reported as 1440x1080.

In Windows media player there is an option to 'fit player to video on start' (right click in the video image and choose 'video size'). This will scale the video to actual size (100%). If you want it to fill your screen, then choose 'full screen' below the 'video size' option. This may not look as good because your computer is interpolating the image.

I have WMP set to actual size (100%) and it only displays on approxamately 1/4 the screen. Setting to 'Full screen' stretches the image.

I've tried capturing with both Ulead and Power Director Pro. Both show 1088 when played back on WMP. Very strange.

Eric

Colin Gould · December 28th, 2006, 10:09 AM

Strange... but WMP is occasionally wierd for me, and playback is very spotty for HDV MPG files on my P4-HT 2.8GHz.
I use VLC player and it's smooth as silk. MS bloat I guess...

Eric Wan · December 28th, 2006, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colin Gould

Strange... but WMP is occasionally wierd for me, and playback is very spotty for HDV MPG files on my P4-HT 2.8GHz.
I use VLC player and it's smooth as silk. MS bloat I guess...

I just tried VLC and it seems to work! I think the issue must be with the codec WMP is choosing. Would still like to find a fix for WMP out of habit. Glad to know it's likely not a capture issue. Thanks!

Eric

December 26th, 2006, 01:37 AM	#1
Eric Wan New Boot Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 5	HV10 Capture/Playback? I recently got an HV10 and have a few questions. I'm new to HD and camcorders in general, so apologies if these are rather basic. 1) Does it really matter what capture software you use (assuming there are no dropped frames)? Is there any compression that is done during capture or am I getting the native HDV out of the camera. I've played with Power Director Pro, Ulead Video Studio, and Pinnacle (though the trail version of Pinnacle wouldn't recognize HDV format). 2) What's the best way to playback the mpg (2) on a Windows XP PC? I'm concerned there may be an issue. If I use MediaPlayer (10 or 11) the file says its 1440x1088 (why 1088 versus 1080) and only takes up roughly 1/4 of the screen (around 720x440 pixels) at 100% on a 1600x1200 monitor. If I switch to full screen mode, it's not clear to me that it's properly using all the HD resolution appropriately. 3) Is the free version of Pinnacle worth using (when it arrives) or should I consider paying for something else? Thanks in advance. Eric

December 26th, 2006, 10:47 PM	#2
Colin Gould Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Foster City, CA Posts: 123	1) Editing s/w is often personal & workflow choice/preference, so keep checking out the trial versions. Important for HDV editing is native-HD format editing, eg M2T or at least MPG2, w/o intermediate codecs changing quality. Good editors will allow you "proxy" files to edit w/ low-res versions if you want, making editing faster, but will use the original native HD file for final processing. Ulead, Vegas, latest FinalCutPro, etc. should all do that... but I think only Vegas7.0 can handle M2T native capture/editing (including scene detection), so far (others please chime in w/ their experiences.) 2) Note that HDV format is limited to 1440x1080, even though the HV10's sensor is true 1920x1080... so WMP's res sounds correct. Always better to have higher specs upstream though, even if end-stream specs are the same... 3) Not sure how good the free pinnacle, is, but I ordered it since it's free :) I already have Ulead editor so likely won't use it... but it's free, might as well order it, only costs you a stamp and cutting out the UPC from the box. Can always eBay it :) PS the software is apparently Pinnacle Studio Plus 10.6 Titanium Edition... website info: http://pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us...tanium+Edition says need a 256mb (true) video card to edit 1080 HD... It says supports native HD, but not sure of the details... hmm, seems 10.7 update also supports HDV scene-detection on capture, better than Ulead, maybe I'll keep it after all :) Last edited by Colin Gould; December 27th, 2006 at 12:13 AM.

December 27th, 2006, 07:55 AM	#4
Lloyd Coleman Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 256	I don't know why your video size is 1088, perhaps it has something with the way it was captured. Mine is reported as 1440x1080. In Windows media player there is an option to 'fit player to video on start' (right click in the video image and choose 'video size'). This will scale the video to actual size (100%). If you want it to fill your screen, then choose 'full screen' below the 'video size' option. This may not look as good because your computer is interpolating the image.

December 28th, 2006, 10:09 AM	#6
Colin Gould Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Foster City, CA Posts: 123	Strange... but WMP is occasionally wierd for me, and playback is very spotty for HDV MPG files on my P4-HT 2.8GHz. I use VLC player and it's smooth as silk. MS bloat I guess...