HD100 article posted at HDV Info Net

[Tony Sal]

Guys,

I am not saying that the sony Z1/FX1 is the be all and end all.

I have attended a BBC HD evaluation day and must say that looking at the footage from the Sony HDV camera (on a Sony 20" HD Studio monitor), I was well impressed as was most of the engineering department. From such a small and cheap camera and all (it was the consumer version). They have placed a large order for the Z1E and while it has it's limitations (dropouts are a concern), the decision to go for 1080i is a good one.

I am eagarly awaiting the Panasonic HVX and if it lives up to what their site claim then it's the Panasonic that I will be buying.

I am not comparing cameras here, what I am more interested in is the HD recording format.
What I am saying is that limiting yourself to 720/24p is a bad decision for reasons previously stated ie. sports and anywhere you might require to do SloMo...........

Yes, in the US the large Sports Broadcasters might be transmitting progressive images but it's at 60p.

[Frederic Lumiere]

I do feel for the manufacturers.

They deliver 60p, 60i, 30p and everyone says "We want 24p!"

Then they finally deliver 24p and now people are saying, "24p isn't good enough"

If 24p is good enough for Lucas in 1080p, why isn't it good enough for Indie filmmakers in 720p?

Frederic

[Kevin Dooley]

It is, it's more than good enough. And with Panny's new camera giving 720 60p, that's more than good enough for slo motion and motion rendering for sports too. Some people will never be satisfied until they're on a Viper or Origin, so be it...

The real fact of the matter is that the current crop of shipping and expected affordable HD cameras (be they DVCPRO HD, HDV, or ProHD) will revolutionize who, when, where, and what's about HD production. Now the answers are: anyone, anytime, any place, and anything you want to shoot.

That doesn't make any joe schmoe with an under $10k camera Lucas or Rodriguez... but it certainly lets those of us with talent and meager resources to take a big step up.

[Tony Sal]

I'm not saying progressive scan is no good but that having a camera that will only do 24 or 30p in HD is a big limitation. Yes, if you are only doing indie films and know that you will never do anything else with the camera then thats fine.
As long as a camera has 60p or 1080i then I will be happy although if one can do both aswell as a few extras then thats the camera to have.

[Steve Gibby]

The bulk of my business is production of national television programs featuring sports and adventure travel. I produce in nearly every hi-def and standard def format. As Barry has mentioned, for hi-def, Fox and ABC use 720p, with CBS and NBC using 1080i. 720p60 is excellent for sports and adventure travel production. 1080p60 would be even better.

The posts on this thread have overlooked a key feature of the HD100 that JVC has confirmed: the camera will output 720p60 for live transmission or recording to an external video server. This feature definately includes the camera as a possible hardlined camera for Fox and ABC sports productions. For external recording of the 720p60 signal the options are reputedly to feed it to a server or an HDD. JVC has already confirmed that the Focus Enhancements Firestore FS-4 HD can be used with the HD100. If the camera will feed the FS-4 a 720p60 signal, then the camera would be excellent for use on ENG-style shooting of sports and adventure travel.

It's already been stated by JVC that in 720p the camera records to tape in 24p and 30p. What may be demonstrated at NAB is that it also can record in 720p60 to the FS-4.

Panasonic will not be shipping the HVX200 until 2006 sometime. JVC has stated that they will be shipping the HD100 sometime in June 2005. I see myself potentially buying an HD100 in June 2005, and also buying an HVC200 in 2006. Assuming the HD100 can record 720p60 to the FS-4, both of these cameras should be excellent for high-action shooting of sports, travel, etc. The added bonus with both of them is being able to also produce documentaries, indie films, music videos, etc with the same cameras. The interchangeable lenses of the HD100 are a major plus. The 4:2:2 chroma and additional resolutions/frame rates of the HVX200 are a major plus. I'll buy both...