Time Lapse with JVC HD200

[Simon Duncan]

Is it possible to do Time Lapse shots with the JVC HD200?

Eg: Setting the camera up to shoot either 2 or 4 fps?

Thanks

[Jack Walker]

Originally Posted by Simon Duncan

Is it possible to do Time Lapse shots with the JVC HD200?

Eg: Setting the camera up to shoot either 2 or 4 fps?

Thanks

Here is a recent thread on this:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=89936

[Simon Duncan]

Thanks Jack,

I had read that thread.

But for example I know a friend who the the HVX 200 and he can set the camera up to shoot at either 2 or 4 fps and I was just wondering if the new HD200 had this feature.

Thanks

[John Mitchell]

The HVX can do this for two reasons -
1. It doesn't use a GOP (MPEG2) based encoding system which relys on recording 6 frames at a time- it uses a DCT frame based encoding system where every frame is separate.
2. It uses solid state P2 cards to record which means it is not locked into a tape based format.

You can overcome (2) by using a hard disk recorder like the Firestore which has a built in timelapse function. You can only do this in DV and not HDV because of (1). DV uses a similar frame based encoding system to the HVX's DVCProHD.

There is only one way to do timelapse from the 200 in HD and it is circuitous - you would have to first encode the analogue output to a frame based codec (like Cineform, DVCProHD etc) using a transcoder and then have special software to record at the required rate.

However you could record at the normal rate and speed it up in post depending on how long the subject matter required - a Firestore with extra batteries will record for about 8 hours...

[Sean Adair]

Exactly - I use long takes and speed them up in post frequently. There is more control this way. Shooting a 24fps, sped up 6x would be the same as 4fps. If you could be sure that the 1 frmae in 6 you are keeping is the GOP frame, you'd be assuring the best quality.
Sometimes the GOP frames are obvious in looking at frames individually, but is there an easier way to determine when you are on one, and that these are the frames preserved in a speed increase?
I suppose this is an editor specific question - I'm thinking in FCP.

[John Mitchell]

Originally Posted by Sean Adair

Exactly - I use long takes and speed them up in post frequently. There is more control this way. Shooting a 24fps, sped up 6x would be the same as 4fps. If you could be sure that the 1 frmae in 6 you are keeping is the GOP frame, you'd be assuring the best quality.
Sometimes the GOP frames are obvious in looking at frames individually, but is there an easier way to determine when you are on one, and that these are the frames preserved in a speed increase?
I suppose this is an editor specific question - I'm thinking in FCP.

Sean, I would think that being a hardware encoded signal and a 6 frame GOP, once you can identify the first I frame, each subsequent one would be exactly 6 frames later. I'm not sure it's a huge advantage though.