I recently purchased a book “HDV: What you NEED to Know” from vasst.com. The authors of the book explain everything one should know about the HDV format, which is a high definition compression format for certain cameras such as the Sony FX1/Z1U, HC1/HC3/A1, Canon XL H1, JVC HD100, HD10/HD1.

For those of you how don’t understand what high definition is, check wikipedia. Currently there are quite a few high definition compressions out there. HDCAM, Blu-Ray, HDV, and DVCPro P2. There are others out there, but these are the main ones, as far as I know. After having spent hours reading up on the technologies, learning about each one’s work flow, and how much it would cost to purchase one of these kinds of HD cameras, I was split between:

Sony HVR-Z1U:

Sony HVR-V1U:

Panasonic HVX-200:

I had a few concerns (and still do), as to which will give me the best bang for the buck, while giving me a good investment, and having that ability to produce stuff at 24p while still being able to be produced for film. The V1 and HVX200 both have native 24p recording. V1’s image isn’t as good as Z1. HVX200 is completely tape less when it comes to HD recording. Its uses P2 cards instead which are VERY expensive at the moment. All three have the ability to record on hard disk via an expansion, providing a tape less solution for the Sony cams. With all the gadgets and gizmos, they come to about $7,000-$8,000…

…which one to choose…I can’t decide.

The book over all is great when explaining the HDV format (HVX200 and V1U not included). A review of the book can be found on EventDV.net.

     

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