Author Chris Hurd

After completing my degree in Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas, I managed a video production studio "back in the tape days" while waiting for the digital video revolution to arrive and for the internet to become mainstream. Things started to get interesting in November of 1997 when I launched The XL1 Watchdog, my first web site dedicated to digital video technology. In January of 2001, that site morphed into DV Info Net — the Digital Video Information Network. More than fifteen years later, the longevity of DV Info Net is exceeded now only by its popularity and reputation as one of the leading technology information resources in the broadcast and professional video markets.

Everything Else
RED Dawn, Part One: Ripping the Fabric of the Space – Time Continuum

Having had the privilege of meeting Jim Jannard early in the initial phase of the RED concept and getting a close look behind the scenes at RED Digital Cinema practically its start, I wanted to shed a little more light on the significance of the impact it’s going to make on the HD acquisition market as well as clear up a major misconception that has propagated online amid all the recent RED speculation flying around the internet.

Canon DV / HDV
The Watchdog’s Skinny on the Canon XL2

The Canon XL2 replaces the XL1S, which is now out of production. Outwardly, the XL2 is fairly similar in appearance to the XL1S except for a few significant body styling changes. Inside, however, it’s an entirely new camcorder with all new circuits, components, image sensors and feature sets.

Canon DV / HDV
The Watchdog’s Skinny on the Canon XL H1

The Canon XL H1 does not replace the Canon XL2, which is still in production and will continue as Canon’s flagship 3CCD standard definition DV camcorder. What the XL H1 represents is an entirely new market for Canon as its first high definition video camera.

Canon DV / HDV
Guide to Canon XL2 Lens Options

Here is a brief summary of the various XL mount lenses available for the Canon XL2. Remember that all XL-series lenses will mount to any Canon XL2, XL1S or XL1, regardless of whether the camera head is an NTSC or PAL model.

Canon DV / HDV
Guide to XL1 & XL1S Lens Options

Here is a brief summary of the various XL mount lenses available for the Canon XL1 and XL1S. Remember that all XL lenses will mount to either camera. Personally I have not had the opportunity to check them all out for myself, but I have included links to user reviews where they exist (lens attachments such as wide-angle adapters, filters, matte boxes, etc. are not included..

Canon DV / HDV
JVC GY-HD100 and Canon XL H1 Feature Set Comparison

This page offers a chart which compares some basic features and specifications of the JVC GY-HD100 and Canon XL H1 camcorders. It is certainly not intended to position one model as being better than the other; it is really intended for casual perusal only. It is my very strong opinion that a person who is actually considering a purchase of either camera should most definitely not use this chart as the basis for a final decision.

Panasonic P2HD
Recording Capacities of H-Series P2 Cards

P2 cards come in two flavors; there’s the S-series for standard definition video which have a data transfer speed of 320mbps, and the H-Series for DVCPro HD which have a data transfer speed of 640mbps. I’m not too concerned with S-Series cards as they’re not compatible with the DVCPro HD recording capabilities of the new Panasonic AG-HVX200 camcorder, so this chart details only the recording capacities of various H-Series cards.

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