You should know that if you shoot 24PN using the HVX, the actual compression-ratio is HIGHER than if you shot 720p24 HDV -- as in the commercial shown during the Superbowl.

I think they're legitimately called professional in some areas of work and are going to really take off in areas such as wedding videography, but it's only recently dawned on me that, commercials aside, you couldn't seriously base a production facility creating documentaries and wildlife work aimed at a major TV channels such as PBS and Discovery/History etc. solely on HDV. As Brett has mentioned above, I'm also now looking to acquire an F330/lens XDCam kit, otherwise I'm locking out major potential buyers. I could quite see myself using the V1U for shots where a smaller, high quality cam is needed for inserts and where hauling around a twelve pound XDCam is not practical.

My example was mainly for using the HVX200 as a B camera to coexist with much higher end cameras in programs from both the Discovery HD and the History channel. I didn’t mean every channel since this thread is about giving footage to the Discovery HD channel.

it never fails to amuse me that people expect the same results from a $7k camera as they'd get from a $20+k one.

nor for that matter, it doesn't how hard you try, dv / hdv never quite looks like 16mm.

i can spot hdv shots in a high end production with no problem - simple resolution. softer, not quite 'right'.

but, i guarantee you - shoot a unique, once in a lifetime event on dv, let alone hd, and discovery, history, et al will buy the material - padding it out with gorgeous hd talking heads, expensive animation and cg elements....

leslie

You can say the same thing about a special event uniquely caught by a low res phone camera - it immediately becomes important footage regardless of imaging issues - but that doesn't go to the issue of V1 general use for TV broadcast commissions.

I do think cams like the V1U will be very popular for ultra-low budget indie movies and weddings.

a volcano exploding on a mobile phone would make headlines, captured well on dv it could be the basis for an hour long, suitably enhanced, 'doco'...

i wouldn't limit it to just those examples, well thought out doco's that don't require 'money shots' al la discovery, are regularly shown on national broadcasters here. then again, australia in general prefers thoughtful, let alone beautiful doco's - no flames please - i get paid for shooting sd 4:3 for a national broadcaster - though they want 16:9 by end of year.

leslie

The bottom line really comes down to the bottom line. There ain't no free lunch. *if* your primary target is Discovery, then you'd better plan on shooting only XDCAM, Varicam, HDCAM, HDCAM SR, or open a very large piggybank and move up from there. Camcorders like RED et al might change that, we'll have to wait and see. If you have the only content anyone can get their hands on and it happened to be shot in HDV, on a cell phone, or with an old VHS recorder, it'll get it's 15mins of fame no matter what. The cell vid of Hussein's hanging demonstrated that already, in more depth than we need to discuss.
That said, we've already aired V1 footage on CNN, ESPN, ESPN 2, MTV, and more for more than one event shot with the V1. That's not our target market, it just happens that it all worked out that way. We process it fairly heavily in post as well, but we'd do that with most things, as most folks do.
HDV, HVX, etc all have their place. You're not going to get a quarter of a mil broadcast contract or package shooting HDV exlusively, unless there is a reason for it, such as say....skydiving or other extreme sport where the danger of the sport affects the choices in camcorders. American Chopper uses Z1's on occasion, so do other Discovery productions. It demonstrates the cams work well in those realms, but...no one is giving up their Varicams, HDCAMs, or XDCAMs anytime soon.