Hi, I'm looking for advice on a workflow from HDV to DVD and some kind of explanation of the difference between HDV, DV and HD DVD, or just DVD.

I can undertand it simply as a higher resolution is a better image, what i don't undertand is whether you lose quality going from HDV to DVD, and how HD DVD players can "Convert standard DVDs to either 720P or 1080i to match your HDTV's performance"

I'd really appreciate abreakdown of resolutions throughout the workflow. (I will be shooting in the UK btw, and would consider widescreen or 4:3 aspect ratio)

Thanks

Alex

HDV has either 720 lines or 1080 lines. DV has 480 lines. HD DVD is just a format to put your HD movies on. It supports up to 1080 lines. A regular DVD only supports up to 480 lines. So yes, you lose resolution going from HDV to DVD, going from either 720 or 1080 lines to just the 480 lines.

I don't really understand the hype of upscaling dvd players that "play dvd's at 720p or 1080i". I kind of understand the science behind it, but I just don't see a difference on my HDTV. So no, you can't burn your HDV video to DVD and upscale it back to HD resolutions and expect to get the same quality.

From what I hear, 16:9 is now the standard in the UK. Supposedly you guys adopted the widescreen standard faster than we have across the pond. I wouldn't ever shoot 4:3 in the UK, the US, or anywhere else on Earth for that matter, except under very certain circumstances. I'd go with HDV, but it's up to you. Definitely go with something that has native 16:9 though.

Cheers Chris:

I will be shooting on HDV for sure now - and will probably keep an high def master tape while making regular DVDs for now. If the training video I'm making has a shelf life of a few years, maybe I'll get some more money to make HD DVDs in the future.

Alex.

Cheers Chris:

I will be shooting on HDV for sure now - and will probably keep an high def master tape while making regular DVDs for now. If the training video I'm making has a shelf life of a few years, maybe I'll get some more money to make HD DVDs in the future.

Alex.

Images shot on HDV and downrezzed to SD in post then output to DVD often have much better picture quality than video shot and edited in SD all through the chain.