GS400 Has 30P

[Guy Bruner]

According to Panasonic, the GS400 has 30P.

I guess I did read the Japanese site correctly.

[Oliver Hu]

So, what does Pana imply ?

30P is easier than 24P ? 24P has better video than 30P ?

[Boyd Ostroff]

Hmm, all this 24p mania makes me wonder.... fast forward about 20 years:

July 2024: Panasonic introduces a new camera that features 60i in response to customer demand for a way to create the look and feel of classic TV programs.

[Tommy Haupfear]

This isn't the first time Panasonic has used 30p to describe a "frame mode" camcorder. The GS100 was often listed on Japanese sites as 30p and occassionally it was followed with an asterik and/or footnote that let you know that their 30p was not progressive scan and suffered resolution loss just like the DV953 and the soon to be released GS400.

[Mark Kubat]

"July 2024: Panasonic introduces a new camera that features 60i in response to customer demand for a way to create the look and feel of classic TV programs."

Boyd, not to start a war here, but can you elaborate?

I think when most people think about the look and feel of classic t.v. programs, they think about shows shot on film (ie. 24 fps) and then telecined to play on NTSC...

[Boyd Ostroff]

Um, I was trying to be a bit sarcastic, sorry if my humor was obscure. It seems that everyone wants to make their new video cameras look like old film cameras these days. Perhaps the circle will complete in the future when everything is progressive scan, and people will want the interlaced look.

AFAIK, TV shows like Wheel of Fortune, Jerry Springer, The Tonight Show, The Peoples' Court, Days of our Lives, etc. are all shot on 60i video (the list goes on and on).

And when such a day comes, and a manufacturer announces the innovation of a new 60i camera, there will be much heated discussion in the forums as to whether or not it's "real" 60i. ;-)

Hey.... it was a joke, not anything to start a 'war' over. Happy fourth of July all! Now back to more serious things...

[Mark Kubat]

and then I thought more about it and you're right - I think shows like Carol Burnett and even All in the Family were shot interlaced - looking at All in the Family re-runs, it's almost like watching a play - so actually, you're very right! even a lot of stuff in europe is shot interlaced and they don't do anything about it but i guess because it's 25 fps pal, it comes out looking more filmic.

the query was made elsewhere regarding this cam - will the european pal version have 25 fps progressive for its cinema mode then since pal is 25 fps? for those 24 fps die-hards, they could then just get the pal version of the camera.

this camera seems very exciting for the price point. considering the high-effective pixel count per ccd for motion, i think it will kill agdvc30 sales unless people want that night-vision mode.

whoa, gotta hand it to panasonic - they are really gung-ho to go after the indie film scene with something like this - even the traditional 1/3" cams are too pricey for some starving artist types, especially those starting out.

i'm supposed to be going to dv expo east next month to cover it for the television show I work on in Toronto about indie filmmaking for a digital channel - I wonder if I'll be visiting with Chris Hurd at the Canon booth to talk about something *very* exciting?

[Tommy Haupfear]

Just so everyone is on the right track.

The GS400 will not have progressive scan. It will continue the DV953 and GS100 tradition of frame mode.

30p is only referring to the 30 frames per second of the "frame mode". I think this is misleading and Panasonic should change the wording. You have to think if the GS400 really did have true progressive scan (no resolution loss) it would be in bold caps.

[Kurth Bousman]

There's the same argument going on about the new sony 350- sony says 30p and everyone is saying "it's not really 30p" and here. panasonic says 30p and it's something else, whatever, frame mode ! Well , just maybe they're saying what they mean and we're getting two , new 30p cameras.

[Tommy Haupfear]

Kurth, that would be nice to have progressive scan on the GS400. Download a copy of the GS400 manual and you will see it also references frame mode.

[Allan Rejoso]

Maybe a stupid question but please allow me :-))

Can a cam both have frame mode and progressive scan mode features (the REAL progressive thingy you guys are talking about) at the same time, or you can only have one or the other?

That illustation posted in camcorderinfo is exactly the same explanation of the procinema mode found in the GS100. As far as I understand (or misunderstand), it is frame mode + cinelike-gamma + HQ widescreen + bass enhancer. If you don't like HQ widescreen and/or cinelike-gamma, it is also possible to activate frame mode and combine it with normal aspect ratio and the user's preferred color settings. Bass enhancer setting can likewise be manually adjusted.

[Allan Rejoso]

For the PAL model, naturally it is expected to be 25 frames per second...because it's PAL :-)).

[Tommy Haupfear]

I've never seen a cam with both frame mode and progressive scan because if you have PS then frame mode is a waste due to its resolution loss. Some get confused by progressive shutter for stills but most cams these days lack progressive scan (unlike a few years back..).

I've removed a section from an official Panasonic DVC30 brochure that is a much better example of them explaining their frame mode and carefully avoiding any confusion between it and progressive scan.

Click here for the DVC30 brochure excerpt

[Allan Rejoso]

<<<-- Originally posted by Tommy Haupfear : I've never seen a cam with both frame mode and progressive scan because if you have PS then frame mode is a waste due to its resolution loss.


Yeah, you're absolutely right. So if this is the real progressive scan thing, then Pany should not be using the phrase "frame mode" anywhere in its manuals and menus. Thanks Tommy.

[Shawn Mielke]

I'm with Boyd, 60fps all the way brotha. But, can it be REAL progressive please?

:-)

By the way, I simply LOVE the 15fps in my PD170. I'm serious!