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-   (MPG4) Sanyo Xacti (all models) (https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/mpg4-sanyo-xacti-all-models/)
-   -   Hd1ex? (https://www.dvinfo.net/forum/mpg4-sanyo-xacti-all-models/66159-hd1ex.html)

Wayne Morellini April 28th, 2006 10:30 AM

Hd1ex?
 
I've noticed the HD1 was originally referred to as the Sanyo Xacti VPC-HD1EX. Is this still the name in the manual, or did they simply change it? (Yes, I am curious what they would call the next version)

Bo Lorentzen April 28th, 2006 11:27 AM

LOL.. Never thought about it.. will have to check when I get home tonight. Gussing the next version will be teh HD1pro with 24fps and better dynamic range. Hmm or at least I think that would be a nice upgrade for step two...

Naturally it could also be the first pocket camcorder with 1080P though I can only imagine how fast THAT would fill a 2 gig card.


Bo

www.bophoto.com/HDV

Felipe Del Villar April 28th, 2006 07:22 PM

The Manual specifies that it is for HD1, HD1E and HD1EX

I thing that they are all the same camera but with different models for different markets (USA, Asia and Europe).

If you read the manual, one of the difference is the voltage the power cord is rated for, I am sure that the power plug will be different too.

You can see the manual in this link:

http://www.gamersden.com/hd1test/Camera_GB.pdf

Wayne Morellini April 29th, 2006 03:32 AM

Thanks Felipe.

I looked last night just in case it was a Pal issue, and they don't even have them listed in Australia, I wonder if we would get a 25fps one here. 25fps, and firmware upgrade to help with auto functions, the one direction diagonal line bug, auto functions, would help a lot.

Two other improvements that would greatly help the existing camera, is the ability to run the Mpeg4 codec at the highest rate the particular manufactured version of the hardware will allow. If it could run at 19Mb/s it would clear a lot of things up, but anything below that would also be a bit of an bonus. That would still offer the same recording time on an Dual layer DVD disk, as 9Mb/s on a single layer. If they included trans-coding software for 9Mb/s Media Player HD, Divx HD or H264 DVD players, it would be good, it would be the same record time as present but maintain better quality.

The other thing they could do is add better binning support (which reads the charge of multiple pixels as a bigger pixel fro more sensitivity and low light) unless that is what the ISOs do already. If you look at those camcorderinfo review pictures you see there is not too much enhancement in low light with lower resolutions.

Binning depends on what the sensor supports, most likely straight binning, where you would loss colour then resolution, or bayer binning, where you start out by combining the green bayer sub-pixels, then start to loss resolution. These are good for upto 6 stops extra sensitivity (36db, "upto" because it is not necessarily so linear) at 320*180.

I also remember something, to do with problems you get from bayer interpolation, that makes me believe they might be simply generating a 720p bayer pattern from the full resolution, and then interpolating from that, rather then use the extra resolution to get a 4:4:4 720p pattern to better define pixels and colour.

Then there are those other firmware/feature improvements I suggested in the other thread.


Most of what I just suggested can be done in one firmware update, and make the camera of such a quality that even reviewers like camcorderinfo could like it, which could translate into at least double the sales. So, it is well worth doing.

Wayne Morellini June 11th, 2006 12:25 PM

The improvement suggestions in the other thread, I mentioned above, seem to have disappeared and search turns up nothing (actually search has a bug, sometimes nothing when you search all open or subscribed forums, and something when you search this forum).

So, I'm posting some of the improvement ideas here, to go with the remaining message on improvements above, that I am hoping to get a Sanyo rep to look at (but after spending hours looking for the other message it will have to wait till tomorrow now). They refer to binning the 5Mpixel sensor to a 1 mpixel 720p image, greatly increasing the lowlight and latitude of the camera. Of course, only the ones the sensor is made to support can be used.


Binning:
The Bayer resolution is not high enough to gain the maximum advantage of binning at 720p (where you combine like coloured sub pixels into the 720p pixel). But for extreme low light their are three binning options that could be put in the menu to specify which and how far you want to go:

Menu:
Increase Low light preference: Off, drop colour, make courser picture, pixel shift.

"Off" combines only the two bayer green sub pixels, leaving full colour. Can be used as reference against the other colours for maybe a 1 stop increase.

The camera uses the default "Off" low light binning method before applying the following functions:


"Pixel shift"
Sub menu item: Do not make coarser picture (4 stop) medium coarseness (640*360=6 stop), course (320*180=8 stop).

Explanation: Uses staggered 3*3, 9*9, 27*27, 81*81 blocks of primary colours, but because of the interpolation method can retain full colour resolution at 9*9. (as I have written on the Digital Cinema threads).

"Drop Colour"
Sub menu item: Do not make courser picture (2 stop), medium coarseness (640*360=4 stop), course (320*180=6 stop).

Combines the 4 sub-pixels in a 720p pixel into one, loosing colour. 2 stop increase.

"Make courser picture"
Sub menu item: medium (640*360=2 stop, 3 stop green), course (320*180=4 stop, 5 stop green).

Retains colour but sacrifices resolution, by combing like colour together in a sub pixel.

In reality, probably only two of these methods could be included in the sensor because of complexity.

John Carlson June 11th, 2006 08:57 PM

Hi,

I am using the HD1ex actually. I dont think there is a difference at all so far

Wayne Morellini June 12th, 2006 12:31 AM

Thanks
....


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