Sony HVR-Z1E and HDMI
 

Hi guys,

I'm a happy user of Sony hvr-z1e and hvr-a1e. Soon I will be buying a full HD 1080p tv and don't know what to do with my camcorders? I mean how to get the full resolution of the cameras on a 1080p tv as my cameras (apparently) do not support HDMI connection. Is component as good as HDMI? Is there any adapter to make my camcorders connected via HDMI?
Many thanks in advance.

Component is better than anything compressed digitally, simply because it's uncompressed. Your challange will be the digitizing - depending on how good of a job the internal digitizing/scaling circuitry of your TV will do, you may have a picture better or worse than using your HDMI inputl.

Hi Aki!

Component and HDMI transport the same VIDEO data with different means: Component is analogue, HDMI is digital.

Component is video only. HDMI transports video and audio.
This means that when you connect your camcorder through component to your tv, you would also need to use an extra cable to output the audio from your camcorder to your tv as well.

By definition, Component and HDMI transfer an uncompressed video signal only.

This means that if you connect your camcorder to your tv through either component or HDMI and THEN you shoot, your TV will be displaying an uncompressed signal directly from your camcorder. This is NOT what will be recorded on tape though, since the recording on tape goes through HDV compression first, in order to fit on tape.

In other words, the *live* video signal from your camcorders through component (or HDMI if it had one) is better than the recorded signal on tape.

Since your camera records to HDV (which is a way of compressing the signal to fit on tape), if you playback your TAPE from your camcorder, then this signal is "upconverted" to "uncompressed" by your camera and exported through Component (or HDMI if your camera had one). However, since your original signal on tape is already compressed through HDV, the quality output from Component remains the same (to your eye) despite this "upconversion".

"Component" means that your camera converts internaly the signal from digital to analogue, then exports it through Component. This signal is then converted from analogue to digital by your tv.
"HDMI" means that the camera exports a digital signal through HDMI. This signal is fed directly and displayed by your TV. The potential disadvantage of component lies on the possible loses from the convesion from digital to analogue to digital.

If you wish to use HDMI, check out the Gefen adaptor from component to HDMI. Costs around 170$. I have never used it though, so no promises made! You may wish to contact Gefen directly and ask them if your camera would work with their adaptor before you buy. I would think that the only reason to go this way is if your new tv does not have component inputs.

A bit more info than what you asked for but here you go!

Thanasis

Ervin and Thanasis,

I learnt a lot from your opinions. Many thanks. If anyone else here has something to add, I appreciate in advance.

Aki