DV Info Net - Coming out of A1 via component video

I've been looking for info on this exact subject., re composite vs firewire capture.

I have the XH-A1 (which I love dearly) and am trying to find a way to get the absolute best captured footage out of it for a project I've currently got going. For this project the camera is locked down in an overhead rig shooting straight down. We don't need sound for it (I usually record sound separately anyway and sync in post), just the clearest richest image we can get under controlled studio lighting.

I have tried capturing directly from On Location via firewire straight to disc, but the footage seems to be exactly the same as that captured from the tape via firewire, which makes sense to me.

However, we're using a 24" Samsung HD touch screen monitor as the preview monitor for the shoot, (the same monitor that this particular interactive HD application will be ultimately delivered on), to get the focus as sharp as humanly possible. We're going into the monitor via component for the preview.

One thing I noticed is a very big increase in the overall visual quality of the signal on that monitor when viewing via component. Colors are richer and more realistically saturated, and strangely, the focus is much more sharp.

When I capture the footage via firewire from the tape, it's noticably duller, on the grey side, and slightly fuzzy, like it's a bit out of focus. Still don't understand the drop in focus though. Why would that be, other than I really may not have had it in focus to begin with; but I had two other sets of sharp eyes to confirm the focus on the monitor.

But hooking the component outs from the camera to the component in on the same monitor at the same time I'm looking at the captured footage in Premiere Pro CS3 shows that same taped footage looking pretty much exactly like it looked when we were monitoring it live. I'd like to be able to deliver that better looking footage as our end result (h.264 full 1080p at a data rate of 10-12Mbps or more), if at all possible.

I'm about to buy a Xena LHe and Cineform Prospect HD in the hopes that I can get the very best out of the camera, since it looks like I might be doing a lot more of these interactive HD projects in the near future.

The increase in complexity and time for the component workflow is not a deterrent to me. Ultimate visual quality is the goal. Even if I had the XH-G1 I'd still have to have a similar capture capability and workflow for the digital SDI footage, correct?

Eventually we'll most likely go to the RED in the future, but that's a whole other story.

Actually, I wonder if there is anyone in the DFW area that has a Xena setup like the one I mention above. I'd be more than willing to pay for the time it would take to capture a test of our latest shoot (approx. 3 minutes) so I can do some more R&D. If anyone has or knows someone locally with such a rig, I would greatly appreciate contact info.

DVinfo is a fantastic educational resource and it has taught me so much. But I've got a long way to go before I understand all this as deeply as I need to.

Thanks for any input from any of you knowledgable types out there.