Is there really big difference between these two formats?

HD allows you to capture video with far more lines of resolution than DV, you get more pixels per CCD, and you have a dynamic range and outstanding colour depth.

HD is far superior to DV, however there is a big cost difference when it comes to shooting with the two formats.

Not that there is anything wrong with DV, it's just that HD is better.

quote:

Originally posted by Bird_Media:
you have a dynamic range and outstanding colour depth.

That's not necessarily true. The only element HD intrinsically holds over SD is resolution. Everything beyond that becomes specific to either format or camera.

The question is specifically in regards to the HDV format, which records to the same tapes MiniDV does, it's just compressed differently. If you think about the big picture, you have the same amount of bandwidth on the tape, but now you're cramming far more resolution on it. That extra resolution is going to come at the cost of something else.

I haven't personally tested the HDV format, or even seen tests up close and personal so I'm afraid I can't really answer the original question.

quote:

Originally posted by Bird_Media:
there is a big cost difference when it comes to shooting with the two formats.

HDV, in theory, shouldn't cost much more than DV, but I can see there being some things that you can fudge in DV that you couldn't in HDV that might drive up the costs. On set and edit bay monitors would be more. I'm not entirely sure of the post-production aspects of HDV, but there may be additional costs there as well if you have to decompress before editing etc. and any additional software currently required for such an operation.

Nota "They all beat VHS!" Mono

quote:

HDV, in theory, shouldn't cost much more than DV

I don't know what prices are like down in the US but an HDV tape here is about double the cost of a DV tape... You can get DV tapes for approximatly $8.00 each and HDV tapes are anywhere from $16-20 depending on the brand.

If someone is selling you 'HDV tape' they're scamming you. Slap a miniDV tape in and you're good to go.

Nota "$16.00/tape is still cheap in the grand scheme of things" Mono

quote:

You can get DV tapes for approximatly $8.00 each and HDV tapes are anywhere from $16-20 depending on the brand.

Don't you have an FX1, Bird? I was under the impression that HDV cameras use primarily miniDV tapes, and only the high-end HD cameras, like the Sony Cinealta and the Panasonic AK/AJ series, use super expensive HD film.

My FX1 converts... I can shoot on either HD or DV... I just have to change a setting in the camera and I'm good to shoot with what ever I feel like using at the time.