How do you record or can you in HDTV on a XL1?
 

How do you get HDTV on your final cut? Is HDTV a compression or a feature of the camera? What programs do I need to get?

Unfortunately Adam it is impossible to record HDTV with the XL1 or any MiniDV/DVCAM camera at the moment. Next month JVC are supposedly releasing a consumer version of an HD camera but it's final specs are yet to be released. Early rumors include 720p but in native MPEG2. One thing for sertain is that this camera is only a 1CCD camera not 3CCD.

I had come across something about video scalers and upconverters that are used to enhance picture quality on an HDTV. You plug your video source such as a dvd player into it then plug the scaler/upconverter to the TV and it improves the image considerably(including aliasing). I was wondering if you could connect one of those into a XL-1 then feed the signal into the computer where it becomes a line doubler or quadrupler, improving all aspects of picture quality. Then editing from that master print. But no one has answered me yet on that.

You'd almost surely have to have a HD capturer card. But I think the theory there would have a lot to offer.

Why do you think it would have a lot to offer? I cannot imagine
a single reason, why? Because the original resolution/quality
will not be there. Ofcourse you can upscale a SD signal to a HD
one (either through expensive hardware or a simple computer
algorithgm) but it will not actually gain you more resolution or
quality since it was not there to begin with! The process you are
doing is interpolation and that can result in larger pixel resolutions
but not increase actual resolution/quality.

Now you can do some interesting things with fractal compression
and algorithms.... But that technology does not seem to have
caught on much....

My understanding from what I read is that it will create solid frames by duplicating the odd and even lines, creating 30 solid frames per second. Resolution should not go up, but aliasing would go do considerably, creating a smoother image. It's the aliasing I'm wondering about.

When doing composites aliasing causes rough edges and inaccurate transfers.

Ah... now the little bulb inside my head turns on. You are actually
talking about de-interlacing, or converting your footage from
interlaced to non-interlaced/progressive. I would either do this
in post on your computer with the camera itself if it has that
option.

There have been a lot of posts on this subject and here you can
find a post with an easy way to "fix" it. There is some more
information on this phenomenon here, here and here

Thanks. I appreciate the links. I'm going to look into it.