Advanced tech questions re: XL-H1 features
 

This is my first posting. Excuse me if I'm retreading any ground.

I am a new owner of the H1. I have scrutinized the manual as well as many postings here, as well as talked to people at Canon, and am still in need of some answers to pressing questions. I am looking for your real expert knowledge here. Please help!

Question #1: WHEN RECORDING, does the camera output in better frame rate-quality from the HDV/DV port than from the SDI and Component ports?

The manual clearly states that WHILE RECORDING, the stream from the HDV port is 24fps progressive, while the SDI and Component outs are downconverted to 60i. It also clearly states that WHILE PLAYING BACK, the signal from ALL 3 ports is downconverted to 60i. ARE THESE STATEMENTS CORRECT? They have gone to a lot of trouble to make this distinction, so one would think it is, in fact, true. If true, than there is a definite frame-rate advantage to recording to Firestore, etc., than playing back from tape--and this is what I'm trying to determine.

Question #2: Is there ANY known way to use the Flip EVF function the camera offers, and that the manual clearly describes???

This was another major reason I chose the H1 over other cameras. I had been told before purchasing that the feature will not work with the HD 20x lens attached. The manual, however, only states that if the HD compatible XL lens is attached, the EVF feature will not work IF THE ON-SCREEN INFORMATION IS ON THE SCREEN. But if you remove all on-screen info, the feature will still not work with the HD 20x lens. Fine. But I've even tried the 14x Manual lens as well, and the Flip EVF function still doesn't work, even though the camera states "Non-HD compatible lens." It's a TOTAL contradiction from the manual. I want to use the M2, and I'm counting on the Flip EFV feature.

Thank you very much for your time on these!

No, in fact the opposite is true. Output from the SDI jack is uncompressed, with a throughput of nearly 1.5 gigabits per second. Output from the HDV/DV jack is compressed, with a throughput of 25 megabits per second. Component output is analog only.

"Downconverted" is a poor choice of words. If anything it's cross-converted. They should have simply said "converted." And the output must be converted to interlace, otherwise you wouldn't be able to play it back on a video monitor.

No, not really. There's no difference in image quality or the way the video is recorded to the FireStore. The advantages of the FireStore are first, that it completely bypasses the tedious video capture process by writing edit-ready files, and second, it bypasses the time recording limits of tape by offering three to six hours of continuous, uninterrupted recording. However there is no "frame rate advantage."

The EVF Flip function was built in to the camera for compatibility with future products which don't yet exist.

Sorry, the EVF Flip feature will *not* work with the RedRock M2. Hope this helps,

Follow up
 

Thanks Chris for your definitive answers. One follow up: I certainly understand the non-compression advantage of the SDI out over the HDV out. But can you explain why Canon's documentation (in the "Frame Rate" section) makes the distinction between what the camera's HDV port exports while recording (24p) vs. what it and the other outs export while playing back (60i)?

Also, it seem deceptive for the manual to describe the EVF flip function in detail, without a statement that this is a feature not yet usable.