So what's the deal with HDMOM?

[Mike Beckett]

Maybe "HD Mom" is the "Mom of HD" rather than "HD for Moms"?

In the same way that Meryem is "UWOL Mom", and Chris is "DVi Mom"!

[Jack Kelly]

Just a quick thought...

Perhaps threads (or individual posts?) could be tagged with a "level" rating? e.g. discussions about where to buy replacement battery chargers would be tagged with a level "1" whilst discussions of - oh, I don't know - really detailed and technical nuances of colour management would be tagged with a level "5". The level setting would be editable by all users. That might be a way to allow the content to be shared between DVinfo and HDmom whilst still allowing users to quickly find (or avoid) certain content.

Or... completely scrap the HDMom domain (although I do appreciate that a 5-letter domain name is something to be kept hold of) and send everyone to DVi. Folks who aren't registered with a real name can only post or start threads at level 2 or below. Not sure how you'd police that system though. Probably a crap idea.

[Bryan Daugherty]

For what it is worth, the A1U is over the $2000 dividing line (at B&H)...
Sony | HVRA1U HDV Camcorder | HVRA1U | B&H Photo Video And Martin has a point. I have seen several of these deployed as main cams and many deployed as B cams for wedding and event guys...

Originally Posted by Martin Labelle

As a user of Sony HVR- A1u, I don't like that my camera which I use for pro work qualify me as a Video mom. Its still a professionnal camera as much as the HVR-HD1000 or the Canon GL2. Also, I see a lot of dealers in Montreal who don't advertise(or sell) the Hvr-Hd1000. I don't have much time to spend on the web and I would like to spend my time on dvinfo, I would not be proud to say to people for good information you need HDMOM...

[Bob Thieda]

In reflection, it really has nothing to do with the tool used or the cost of the tool.

Which site you would use would depend on what your are trying to do. What you are trying to learn. What your goals are.

Young, limited budget with a $600 camera trying to make web commercials and start a business? You want DVInfo.net

Hobbyist with plenty of cash and a $4000 camera taking shots of the grandkids? Maybe you only need HDmom.

That really solves nothing. Its just an observation.

Bob

[Bryan Daugherty]

Originally Posted by Chris Hurd

...The delineation between "consumer" vs. "professional" has always been in how it's used...

Bob, I think CH agrees with you (us) based on the above statement even if the current deployment doesn't quite reflect that concept...

[Justin Thieda]

...is if I am in either site and do a search, will the results show all the threads from both sites? If so, it might still allow the separation of sites while not removing the knowledge of non-HDMOM users from those of us that are forced to work within the confines of HDMOM with our camera questions. Not sure if this would ruin what you are trying to do, or if it would even be possible to allow this if one is using real names while the other is not, but it might be something to consider. At the very least, if the threads are labeled with the forum they are located in and coupled with these possibilities, then HDMOM and DVinfo users will have an idea of the level of info.

Justin

[Bruce Foreman]

Having been "dumped" into HDMOM when accessing some forums on dvinfo.net, it needs a color scheme change. The lack of crisp contrast is very hard on older eyes.

Reaching 70 ain't fer sissies...

[Mike Beckett]

One thing I did notice, I was searching for something last night using the forum search, and the links took me to HDMOM - to the forum index page rather than to the specific post I searched for.

I know I could search in both forums, but I was wondering if there was a way for the searches to be unified? Or am I missing something?

[Chris Rackauckas]

I always thought there were too many places to look already. I think right on the top should be a CLEAR DEFINED OPEN FORUM for discussing just about anything, then the main things such as audio and lighting right underneath. Then all the other categories for archives and such. I know you like to keep it all clean and refined but it's just too much. I find that people only respond quickly when it's in the main discussion area, and the moment it gets moved to the "correct category" it dies down quickly. For me personally, I would just like the main discussion area to look at to get the hang of just about everything, then check up sound to see what's going on there (since that's what I do mostly), and then check the part for my camera. Doing all this searching for forums in different areas is confusing, sometimes I just would like to find something I didn't know anything about just by having it in the main discussion! Sorry for the criticism, I really think this is a great forum and the community you have attracted is awesome, but I think a central area that has more too it and the others as more of archives would work much better. I'm a regular at Gearslutz and it's more like this and it's easy, I check the two parts that pertain to me: The main forum for everything and the low end forum for cheapies. Here, if I wanna just pick up new information, I have to search. Maybe check some editing forums, some in a camera forum, some in the news forum, over to the main discussion, etc... I can't say I like that layout.

And now HDMom is really just adding to the amount of searching for information! Now it's going to be two sites? Sorry, I can't say this helps anymore. It's sure isolating me more. Just my oppinion though, others may find such diliniations of information much more organized and better. For me, however, if I want to search for information, I hit up google. If I just wanna see what's talked about today to pick up new information I may have never even thought of before, I go to a forum and for video dvinfo.net has been it. You catch my drift?

[Charles Newcomb]

The name HD Mom doesn't blow my skirt up, either; but seeing I have no interest in a consumer site, anyway, I would have just kept my opinion to myself. The only reason I'm posting this at all is to let our colleagues overseas know it is offensive to some of us when they come here and bad mouth a term that is part of our culture. If, as Lorinda said, the site were Brittish and it was called HD Mum, I certainly wouldn't go there and say it brings to mind bland food and bad teeth. Poor form, mates.

[Graham Hickling]

Well, I think the name is terrible. Yuck. (And if I were British, or Brittish even, HDMum would be just as bad!). For about 5 different reasons all of which have been covered already in the thread.

And the split on price will just make less and less sense over time ... or even now, what with Redrock adapters, the need for B cams with matching footage and Xtreme filming, and so on.

[Dave Blackhurst]

The idea of a nice place for "noobs" or casual shooters is OK, but I tend to suspect that trying to pick an arbitrary point where you "split the market" is probably not going to work all that well.

One of the attractions of the "consumer" cameras is that with a little tweaking and some knowledge, you can get very professional results. Thus why the HV20/30/40 thread is a particularly strange one to have under the "mom" category... not too many casual shooters are going to want 35mm adapters, etc... and we're talking a way under $2k camera... Same for the small Sonys...

My thoughts are that DVi is good for the lurkers to learn, thus why a 10:1 ratio is perfectly fine. Creating a "kiddie park" may not work as well. Nothing wrong with being a "noob", we all were there by default once, but those who don't get into the technology in a "serious" way do so by CHOICE, and it has nothing to do with having a comfy, trendy color lounge to hang out in.

Those who have been on the bleeding edge of HD as it moved from a glimmer to near the standard are going to find the "HD Mom" vibe a bit um... lacking in something... There's a market there somewhere, but watering down a forum doesn't seem like the answer. DVi isn't a scary place to start with, so "mom" shouldn't be worried about coming here and lurking, and maybe kicking in a question once in a while.

[Ervin Farkas]

We are waisting too much energy in the name debate, which can be easily changed, while we are loosing site of the more important thing: it would take away the core of the concept upon which DVi is built - professional expertise, professional attitude.

And I mean both ways. If the new site will not be supported by the same people who made this one so successful, HDMom will soon become nothing more than the cursing, spitting places all the other sites are.

On the other hand, if some people will decide to "go over", that will deprive some loyals on this site, in fact will deprive all of us of sound professional advice in the sub $2K market, which is a very important one for a lot of professionals looking for a second/third camera to complement their big gun.

If there is a way to link content from DVi to the new site, so be it, but please, please, please, keep DVi as it is!

Thank you, Chris,

[Chris Hurd]

Thanks again for all of your valuable feedback -- based on your input I've restored all the consumer fora, so the DVi forum index is once again just as large as it ever was. I am indeed continuing with a separate consumer video forum site, but all of you DVi regulars are now able to ignore it at your convenience.

Originally Posted by Bryan Daugherty

...have you considered the domain "HD4Home.com"

Great idea, thanks Bryan! I went ahead and registered that domain. Much appreciated.

Originally Posted by Phil Bloom

...a lot of the posts from dvinfo.net on the HD-Mom board are going to be WAY over the head of most consumers and scare them away. It really needs to be a back to basics board. They don't care about bitrates, 35mm adaptors, colourspace etc...they care about price, what the picture quality is like and how they can use it in the home video environment.

Agreed; I'll prune away most of the 35mm adapter discussions, etc. If somebody's looking for that sort of thing, they'll find it on DVi (the site where 35mm adapters were invented).

Originally Posted by Mike Burgess

Having trouble logging into your new forum... and my log in is always in upper case.

I think it's a CSS issue and we're working on sorting it out.

Originally Posted by Jack Kelly

...send everyone to DVi. Folks who aren't registered with a real name can only post or start threads at level 2 or below. Not sure how you'd police that system though. Probably a crap idea.

Actually I think it's a good idea; the trouble is that right now it's not very easy to implement. It would involve two username table (one with real names and one with handles), which would require some serious forum software modifications. Anything is possible if enough money is thrown at it though.

Originally Posted by Bryan Daugherty

For what it is worth, the A1U is over the $2000 dividing line (at B&H).[

You're right. On the consumer site I'll keep the HC Series and remove the A1.

Originally Posted by Justin Thieda

...if I am in either site and do a search, will the results show all the threads from both sites?

No, but that's a good idea, so maybe we can implement it into Search.

Originally Posted by Justin Thieda

...if the threads are labeled with the forum they are located in...

Yes, they already are.

Originally Posted by Chris Rackauckas

Doing all this searching for forums in different areas is confusing, sometimes I just would like to find something I didn't know anything about just by having it in the main discussion!

Wow, what a backwards way to use this site, sorry to say it but you're making things so much more complicated than they need to be. I have no idea why you're searching individual fora when both of our search engines (the vB one and the Google one) return hits that are site-wide. Also, the single best way to find out what's going on at DVi at any time is with one single mouse click: Search New Posts. Again, it's site-wide, covers all our fora, and it's the fastest, most concise way to navigate the combination of most recent and most popular discussion topics. The "Open DV" category you're referring to is just a catch-all for unorganized stuff and it's actually one of the least-used boards we have, so I sure hope we can break your bad habits and get you to improve your experience here.

Originally Posted by Ervin Farkas

If the new site will not be supported by the same people who made this one so successful, HDMom will soon become nothing more than the cursing, spitting places all the other sites are.

Oh, I think that's rather an extreme assumption and I disagree with you 100%. First, DVi was well-moderated and super-friendly long before it ever went to the real-names policy, and I plan to run the consumer site the same way. In fact, that's the whole reason why I'm setting up such a thing, because right now it doesn't exist in the consumer market. And while DVi is indeed the best pro-level video forum on the web, that doesn't mean I can't attract another group of folks to help moderate a consumer-oriented forum site. The key group that will make it the same level of success that DVi has achieved won't necessarily come from Dvi; they'll probably come in from other areas of the Web not currently related to Dvi.

Once again, some of you guys are completely missing the concept here. This is not about splitting Dvi; it's about creating a completely new space that will complement DVi. For those of you who were upset about DVi's consumer fora, you can relax since I've now restored them, and you can disregard the new site completely if you wish. Hope this helps,

[Dylan Tobias]

You did the right thing by restoring everything, thank you.