No brainer...I'd pick the HD cam.

Thanks for your reply.

It is reassuring that even with all of the talked about hoops to jump through to get a clean SD DVD that you would still choose the HD camera.

Hopefully there will be a software-solution showed at the NAB to convert the EX1-HD clips to SD in a good quality. AT IBC when I asked AJA and Adobe about handling EX1 files the first answer I got was "EX-what"? lol Only Mainconcept told me about their Codec.

Think now they all have understand that EX1 will be a big market for them. Still hope to see a good working software-solution for this problem. Maybe ProCoder4 or simililar. Also an update of the Mainconcept pro HD Version would be great. I'll aks them all at NAB again.

I don't like the idea to export with an AJA-Card (sadly I don't have such a card now) to a DVCAM-Camcorder and then to capture it again. That sounds like an expensive and time wasting workflow for me. Really strange that Real-Time Hardware solutions are better than non-realtime software solutions.

I have got great results using this method.

First serious shoot with EX1, over 1 hour long shot. Went straight from HD to SD mpeg-2 and onto a 16:9 DVD using Vegas 8 Pro with DVDA 4.5. Due to the subject nothing in any frame that'd cause line twitter so I had an easy time of it I guess.
Despite forgetting to switch TC out of Clock the clip stitched back together seemlessly. I only shot 50i SP, all fitted onto my 2x 8GB cards.
Double headed the audio with Edirol R-4. All synced with around a 2 frame error after 1 hour. Dead easy to compensate with Vegas.

Would it help to shoot with "detail off"?

I've been doing a fair amount of trials. Indeed, shooting with DETAIL ON, levels "0" will produce a fair amount of twitter/flicker. Once I disable DETAIL, twitter is gone. Recover sharpness in post. Don't fall for the easy trap, ie turning detail on.

I ain't getting any twitter or flicker,it's just all smooth,with pans and everything. I'm using your picture profile Bill,detail on.
1080/50i or 720/50p,i render as interlaced,upper field first.Burn with DVD-A.

I've watched on a CRT tv,top of the range Sony from about 5 years ago,and a Sony 40 inch LCD. Picture's good on both.I can't see any difference between 1080 or 720 once it's downconverted to SD. 720 is a lot easier to edit though in vegas.

Paul.

Paul..

I'm shocked..."ain't" ??

Not the Kings English.

Oh ok,well one is not getting any twitter or flicker on ones television set. :-)

Ps,we've had a queen now for quite a while,not a king !!!
Ha ha.


Paul.

hehehehe

Con su permiso

Everyone should look into the Matrox MXO. I've been using it with my Macbook Pro with incredible results. I usually use the MXO to connect to a 1080P monitor for my HQ 24p footage. When I'm done the project I then use a sony dsr11 to lay the video off the mini dv. Basically the MXO does all the heavy conversion via it's hardware. You connect the MXO via s-video the dsr11 and it does a very good downconvert. Then you can re-import the footage and burn the dvd.

The only other method would be to do what real post production houses do. When they can't run the footage through a professional hardware scaler they usually export the time line as uncompressed SD and then do the mpeg conversion in compressor. This method is the second best to hardware however.

This is what I have found out to be the best way - doing a hardware downconversion - but to go thru y/c (s-video) you are losing a lot.

I hate to be so cynical but those doing software downconverts, short of presenting some "different" workflow, aren't seeing twitter because they're just not using video that shows the issue.

You will NOT see it on most of your video UNLESS you have THIN HORIZONTAL LINES exacerbated by some type of non horizontal movement.

In my case it's very obvious with barren horizontal tree branches with slow zoom. You will NOT see it on talking heads, shooting pebbles, etc. The same tree branches look fine when the shot is held. My source is 1080p and I keep it progressive on down convert.

Craig,i've panned left to right,up and down,slow and fast,past walls,windows and trailers with mesh sides,i ain't getting any twitter or lines or anything,just smoothflowing footage. I've purposely tried to find twitter etc but can only find it if i render wrong. I render main concept mpeg-2 for dvd-a,upper field first,the same is for 720/50p and 1080/50i.

Paul.