Panasonic HMC-TM700?
 

I bought a Panasonic HDC-TM700 consumer camcorder that has great quality and records a 1080/60p stream at 28Mbps to a SDHC card...I know the nanoflash won't capture 1080/60p footage, but can I still come out of the HDMI jack and get better quality than using the internal recorder? Just playing around, I have other, more pro camcorders...

Dear Eliot,

You are correct, we can not record 1080p60.

Yes, we can record from the HDMI output but not if it is outputting 1080p60 (or 1080p59.94).

On many cameras, the internal recording is done in 4:2:0 while the HDMI output is typically 4:2:2.

4:2:2 provides more color detail.

I have attempted to find out if this camera outputs 4:2:2 via the HDMI and if it records 4:2:0 internally.
My best guess is that it does.

Thus, my best guess is that the nanoFlash will give you a better image.

In any case, the nanoFlash will give you a file that is easier to edit and you will have more flexibility in terms of quality/bit-rate options.

Then would 1080i/30 or 60 4:2:2 look better than 1080/60p 4:2:0?? Hmmm....

Dear Eliot,

I was not attempting to compare the image quality of 1080p60(59.94) 4:2:0 to 1080p30(29.97) 4:2:2.

1080p60(59.94) is nice.

4:2:2 is nice also, and better than 4:2:0.

And our files are must easier to edit as compared to AVCHD.

And our higher bit rates, say 100 Mbps all of the way up to 280 Mbps may be better than 28 Mbps.

1080p60(59.94) is very nice going from the source directly to your HDMI television, but 1080p60(59.94) can not be broadcast. (I would assume that you would use your pro cameras if you wanted to go to broadcast.)

I welcome comments from others.

Hi Dan,

Just trying to see what the positive effects of having a nanoflash vs not having it are....doesn't anyone rent these things to test?

Thanks,

Eliot

Dear Eliot,

Yes, there are many places to rent the nanoFlash.

I will attempt to send you a private email.

Eliot, you can compare quality but unfortunately two different types.
You can compare 1080p60 versus 1080i30 - same refresh rate but 60 progressive frames is better than 60 interlaced frames - twice the vertical resolution.
You can compare 4:2:0 versus 4:2:2 - 4:2:2 = more color information therefore better chroma keys etc..
You can compare 28Mb/s AVCHD and 100 - 280 Mb/s LongGOP - well clearly the less compressed MPEG 2 is going to outperform the highly compressed AVCHD - especially when you consider at 1080P60 you are shoving a lot more info into the codec.

I would advise you to make a qualitative judgement by comparing moving footage on a true HD monitor that can display 60P

I'm going to rent one of these to test and then see exactly what the quality differences are, thanks.