YUV or firewire?
 

I have just ordered a Datavideo Se800AV vision mixer and waiting for it to arrive. It has YUV inputs and can be upgraded to firewire inputs as well.

Now I fear that the picture quality will not be good enough if I just use the YUV- inputs instead of firewire or worst case scenario, have the picture "bleeding" on me.

I will be using the JVC 201, the Panasonic HVX200 and Sony V1 . Anyone have any ideas to this matter?

Thanks.

I say "it can be DOWNgraded" to firewire!

YUV/component is the highest quality signal, uncompressed analog video, taken right BEFORE the digital compression. So use that for inputs.

What is your final format? If it's DV, then just buy the firewire OUTPUT upgrade card and use that. But if you would like to go higher (DVCPRO for example), then leave it as it is and use YUV inputs, YUV output and a capture card in your computer (or stand-alone digitizing box).

Ervin.
Thanks for your reply. I didn`t know that. I have been lead to belive that digital is always better than analog. Especially since the Datavideo firewire mixer is more expensive.

Actually I haven`t decided what the final format should be yet. I was thinking of upgrading the output of the mixer to firewire since my JVC recorder BR-HD50 only accepts firewire in. Not YUV in.

I am looking for the highest possible picture quality.

What digitizing box would you recommend? I am a MAC user with Final Cut Pro. I haven`t really left the world of tapes behind you see. But that is more the fear of the unknown. Should be a few advantages though.

Svein Rune

Just to be on the safe side (since the JVC deck can also record HDV), you do know that the SE800 is standard definition only, right?

"Highest quality" is a relative thing, it may mean something to me and something totally different to you. The highest possible quality digitized video is uncompressed (in standard definition it's about 125 Mbps) and you need a power-house computer with raid hard drives to capture & edit that. I would say start at the other end: what is your final product? And go from there in determining your needs. If you shoot for a regular DVD, you're probably fine with DV, if you need to apply lots of effects to your footage, then you need something higher.

As far as capture options on the Mac, you better ask that on the FCP forum - I don't venture in MacLand if I don't have to.

Yes, I do know that it is SD. Funny though, the salesrep told me it would be possible to run HD through the mixer, via YUV, and record HD on the output YUV again.

So I thought, hey great bonus. I was only looking for SD. Yesterday, however, he had changed his mind. Salesreps are funny that way. Still I don`t worry. Interesting theory he had though. He meant the mixer wouldn`t downscale whatever was fed through it, except if it was done via firewire.

The end product is DVD for sure, I just want it to look its best.