Here are some videos of the SD1
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4k2gD6BrPU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGCHhg15WFo&NR
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...&q=avchd&hl=en

one of the biggest selling points of the HVX was the fact taht it does DV, DVCpro25/50, DVCproHD 720 and 1080i...
its this formatting flexibility which makes teh camera so powerful, and the most versatile with regard to cross relations with other studios, be they commercial or private or broadcast

Now with this proven workflow of the P2, plus the coming of this new camera and its particualr recording format, i really wouldnt be surprised if pana decide to ditch the tape deck of the next HVX altogether and opt for an SD array (much like the SPX P2 array)

it would be cheaper, more efficient, definately much more robust and of course, lighter.. and retaining those P2 slots would guarantee that the unit can continue to offer these professionally accepted formats (by professional i mean BROADCAST STUDIO.. ON AIR... ) as well as cater for the "semi" pro formats such AVCHD... DV will be long gone soon enough as HDV (and its AVCHD equivalent) becomes the norm

As for editing, even the gruntiest machine have trouble, so IMO, it would be wise for the manufacturers, to at least offer some insight into hardware decoding. Obviously, they can encode in realtime (as proven by the cameras existance), so theres no reason why they cant decode in realtime either...

Either way, all this is moot and remains to be seen as these formats are still fledglings...

only time will tell

SD1 available now in Seattle area
 

Just picked one up tonight at Circuit City at South Center (they had two or three more on the shelf). Haven't had a chance to decode and look at any footage yet, but it's a neat little cam. Manual settings require some menuing around, but there's WB, shutter, iris, etc. Found an 8 gig SDHC card at Fry's for $129, and it seems to work just fine.

I'll post a little more after I get a chance to really play. Shouldn't this cam get a forum or something?

Aaron
www.navagear.com

My sentiments exactly....
 

This unit has been at CC for a couple weeks now and it's not seeming to generate much interest (although a lot of store inventory shifting). I myself saw it live today and it's pretty sweet indeed! Talk about simple operation--I think there are 5 buttons total on it. I sorely miss a hotshoe for a light or enhanced mic, and why no viewfinder on THIS model is odd...but it really is slick overall. I'm really surprised to see so few real reviews too...

Even though I had a once-in-a-lifetime trip last year, I held off the 1st gen models to see what the current crop would be. 1 down---2 to go (Canon and JVC).

I think Pany was smart with the SD thing--compatible 8gig cards on ebay are now starting around $45. And that's over 80min of taping....

The US version of the SD1 gives a whole lot better picture quality than the SR1 and the Pal version of the SD1 is almost as good as HDV.
Check out these examples of the PAL Panasonic SD1 being compared to the Sony HC3:
http://www.fxsupport.de/17.html

The AG-HSC1U (professional version of the SD1) may indeed have a better picture quality than the Canon HV20, Sony HC7 and even the JVC HD7 when viewed on a standard High Definition screen. It’s just too bad Panasonic is being like everybody else by not including a manual focusing ring around the lens.

This article is obviously about Panasonic’s commitment toward Blu-Ray but the second to last sentence should tell you something.
http://www.ertweekly.com/Default.asp...0l.Lang-EN.htm

Congrats on the cam Aaron. What's your opinion on it after one week? How do you connect it through HDMI? What's your HDTV?

I played with this camcorder in Circuit City last week. It's pretty good so far, but I asked them how could I transfer the recorded video into my NLE. He said I would have take out the SD card and insert in into my pc.

I have Vegas 7 and Adobe Premiere 2.0. Does anyone know if I can edit AVCHD files in Vegas and Premiere 2.0? I need all the info I can get before I purchase.

Also, I don't have a HDTV yet. Are there any A/V cables with the cam?

There is an av cable and a component cable included I think, at least in the Japanese version I own there is. If you should buy it you will be able to use it on your SD TV with the AV Cable. And you could sell me the component cable, I still need one :).
The best thing to watch is to buy a $8 HDMI cable for HDTV viewing.

You can copy the video file from the SDHC card to your computer just like any other file. However, you will need an SDHC card reader, use the SD1 as a card reader, or use the software that comes with the SD1. Regular SD card readers will not work with the SDHC card because they are limited to 2 GB.

You cannot edit AVCHD .MTS files directly with Vegas or Premiere. Vegas is supposed to be updated this Spring to allow editing. In the interim, and perhaps a better long term solution, you can use Nero Vision 4 (part of the Nero 7 Ultra Enhanced suite) to convert the AVCHD file to HDV (MPEG2 at 25 Mbps). Then, you can edit it in just about any NLE.

SDHC card readers can be picked up for as low as $8 shipped to anywhere in the USA on ebay.

Guy,

Have you had any luck getting Vegas 7 or Premiere to recognize the HDV files that Nero Vision 4 exports from an AVCHD file transcode? I'm getting errors on import of these files in every editor or transcoder I've tried to import them into. They play fine either in WMP or PowerDVD, but won't import.

I don’t know if this will help at all but you should try changing the extension to .mpeg.

Guy posted the answer on CCinfo, rather than use the HDV export, use the MPEG-2 export with the output parameters set to 1920x1080. That did the trick!

....did anyone notice these?
 

First, a NEW review from PC World about the HDC-SD1:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,12...1/article.html

and second, Panasonic has finally put the manual online. Looks very nice!:
http://service.us.panasonic.com/OPER...CSD1PP-MUL.PDF

One thing of note: since there is no optical digital feed, to play back 5.1 sound recorded from the 5 mics, you need an amplifier that has an HDMI connection. That's the only way to do it.

I'm still baffled by the lack of interest...have the review sites like CC review gotten this in yet or is Circuit City the only place to get this for awhile?

It definitely is a shame when you consider the video quality of this camcorder is a whole lot better then the SR1 that has a higher bit rate.

As for that review, it’s just like the ones I linked to where they don’t compare the SD1 to an HDV camcorder. Plus the camcorder may retail for 1500 but in B&H and Circuit City, the price is at 1300.

Besides the fact that the PAL version of the SD1 has a better/newer decoder than the NTSC version, the only thing I hate about it is the lack of a focusing ring. I think the reason why a lot of people don’t have in interest in this is because it records to memory cards.

For a 1300 dollar camcorder that includes a 4 gig memory card and ¼” chips, the price isn’t that bad at all; especially if you consider that the chips in the FX7/V1u are of the same size.

I have the newest issue of the German magazine Hifi test TV Video in my hands. They review 5 cams.
Canon HV 10
Panasonic DX1 (SD1 with DVD drive)
Sony HDR-UX1
Sony HDR-SR1
Sanyo Xacti.

Testwinner = Panasonic!
Referenzklasse 1,2 (1= perfect 2= great 3=good 4=bad 5=crap)
So they give it almost a perfect rating!

I haven't read a single negative review of the SD1. The 2 people who bought it at my advice also are very happy with it. Guy's review was the only review with negative aspects on the www.

My review was a first impressions and I don't think it was negative. I didn't have an opportunity to test the cam. In fact, Panasonic personnel hovered over my shoulder the entire time I was trying to shoot something. I had to leave CES early and Panasonic waited until after I left to make the cam available off its tether. I was the only one with software and hardware that could work with the AVCHD files. It is very possible that the SD1 and DX1 have excellent video. Examples I have seen posted since CES are interesting, particularly the comparisions to the HC3. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to really test the SD1.

Hopefully you get to test both the NTSC and the PAL versions to really make a good review because as you know, the PAL version is allegedly much better.

Paulo,
That is not likely. We only get the NTSC versions.

Well, I'm very pleased with the SD1. Even though it's missing a couple things like a viewfinder and a headphone jack, it has surprisingly rich features and a very pleasing image. I have an older Toshiba HDTV, and the component output from the camcorder looks quite beautiful...better than what I've been able to see with computer playback so far.

I've successfully converted the .mt2s files to HDV format and imported them into Vegas. It's my first foray into hidef editing in Vegas, and I'm impressed by how good the performance is. Yay Vegas!

I've also attached a Rode Videomic with a bracket, and it works just great, though the mic looks bigger than the camera.

I've been working on a full writeup on the SD1 on Navagear: http://www.navagear.com/2007/03/pana...review-part-1/

If you leave me comments on the posting, I'll try to address them in the next segment of the review.

Aaron- how are you generating M2t files?

Steve, I am also interested in his reply on how he is generating his m2t files.

I have had my SD1 for about a week and I did a little looking around for a good program for transcoding the files. I found three possible solutions.

1. Nero Vision 4 [demo]. Not really what I was looking for since I don't think there is a way to batch process my files. But it handles the highest resolution.

2. Elecard Converter Studio Pro [demo]: Could have been the best solution, but... The regular version was about $250 or so and they don't advertise the price of the Pro version and you will need the Pro version for the high res and batch processing, so I passed on this option for right now. But I liked the setup and the implementation. It Also handled the highest resolution. I may come ack to this in the future.

3. Adobe Premier Element 3.0 & Main Concept's plugin. Only two negatives here for me. With no batch processing and only having the ability to handle 1440X1080i [it may handle higher res than this, however, I can't seem to find the option] this is not a long-term solution for me. But the positives far outweigh the negatives so far. Implementation is seamless in APE 3.0. Cost of the two together was about $150-160. Quick preview is nice before I convert. Since I would like to shoot most of what I do right now in the 1440x1080i, the limitation on res is not a factor.

Now I found a bunch of other apps that might get the job done in the near future but they didn't seem to work for me right now. The one that I want to keep an eye on is called "Super". Oh, and its free.

Will eRightsoft Super software recognize AVCHD?

Try MPEG Streamclip. SUPER doesn't yet support AVCHD.

Thanks Guy. I had tried this one as well and I couldn't get it to work. I get the error that it can't find the first frame in the video. Have you had success with SD1 clips in this app?

Does this little cam have the ability to do variable frame rates other than standard?

I haven't used MPEG Steamclip except for reading the stream metadata. It requires buying the MPEG2 plugin for Quicktime and I already have other software for that. Others have reported that MPEG Streamclip will work on AVCHD. You might have to change the MTS extension to MPG. I use NERO mostly when working with AVCHD. But, it doesn't have batch features as you noted.

The SD1 only records in 50i/60i.

Mounting External mic/light on sd1?
 

Hi Aaron,
I am unable to see any hotshoe on the camera, would there be a problem if i want to mount an external mike or lighting? how did you do it?

ys

There is no hotshoe on the camera so I mounted a adapter on the bottom of the camera to hold my video-light or microphone.

Like to ask what do you use to edit the video? as i know not many software support it right now?

Nero Vision can edit it or convert it to another format that is compatible with more prevalent editing software. Also, Elecard Converter Studio can convert it.

I've been using Nero. It works, but it's clumsy. Batch capture and render is possible, but you're left with one long clip, which tends to choke a bit in Vegas 7d.

I'm hoping the NAB timeframe brings Vegas 7d into editing AVCHD.

The SD1 review is on Camcorderinfo

Vista Users Help!!!!
 

I have a new computer with Vista and I also got the new Panasonic HDC-SD1. I had read that Nero 7 would allow me to view and edit my video, but I am unable to. I'm not real tech savvy so any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Copy the .MTS files over to your hard drive using HD Writer. Then, you can open them in Nero Showtime. You'll have to use ALL FILES to open them as Nero still doesn't recognize the .MTS extension.

While I can use Nero Vision to convert the files to MPEG-2, is there some trick to getting Nero Showtime to play the files with proper A/V sync? I've got a pretty fast system, AMD Athlon64 4600X2 with 2GB RAM, ATI X800 graphics card (no h.264 acceleration). PowerDVD seems to have no problem playing the files.

I haven't had that problem with Nero Showtime, Windows Media Player or PowerDVD7. I am running an Intel E6300, 2GB RAM, and an ATI X1600-based, hardware accelerated video card.

I have problems with AVCHD audio not quite in sync, and some skips.

I have an Intel E6600 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo, Nvidia 8800GTS, 2GB 667Mhz DDRII RAM, playing from a 7200RPM SATA drive fully defragged, with nothing running in the background. Clean install of Vista, and clean install of Nero upgraded to the latest version.

Nero claims to be Vista compatible. Not sure what the problem is. I have a tech support request in to them.

Windows Media player plays it much better-though a couple of glitches sometimes.

I can covert the file to HD2, Mpeg2 and it plays fine then.

Erik

Ah. Vista. There are lots of problems with that OS.