Sam, I've read the posts also and haven't had the opportunity to test both methods, but at the very least it means I can capture in whatever codec I want without having to transcode the files.

John, the winning ads will be shown on TV--and that actually is not my license plate number, we "greeked" the numbers with a little careful application of tape.

hello Charles,
was the number of dropouts significant to report using the HV20 as a deck?
or were there any at all?

sincere thanks and kudos on your very well crafted commercial.

Lonnie

Not one dropout in an hour of transferred footage. Everything went smoothly.

Have there been reported issues with this?

It did feel a tad strange, I've owned DV decks for years and don't even remember using a camera as a feeder deck, but I don't really feel like I want to invest in an HDV deck just yet. If I could trade in one of my DV decks, now THAT would be worth it! Somehow I think there might be a depreciation issue...

I will have no worries using a future "B-camera" as a deck... until it rolls over into my pastry sitting atop my desk!

Yeah and I figure a "deck" that serves double-duty as a coverage camera in the field - I'll get over any concerns about the feeling of "this seems a little odd..."

Again, top tier commercial - I hope it garners you in the top 15!

Lonnie

I guess it's something about the size of the tape transport--rewinding or fast-forwarding 30 minutes into a tape taking less than a minute on a full-size deck vs many times that on a camcorder always makes me feel like I'm "asking too much" of the camcorder!

I can't complain about the length of service of my DV decks, seeing as how I've had them for 6 and 8 years respectively! And I do wonder how long I will be working with HDV in comparison.

yes once the image is recorded onto the tape the best you're going to get off the tape is 4:2:0.. only way to get better is to use the component out into a capture card on a laptop or similar.. WHILE you're shooting..
not having to transcode would be nice though.. ;)