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After selecting the videos to be burned, the program determined that most of the videos were in NTSC format and offered to use this format rather than the default PAL. Since my TV system is using PAL, I stuck with PAL. Half an hour later, I had my first DVD at my first attempt, thanks to my LG DVD burner. I then tried it on my DVD player with my PAL TV and I found the video rather jerky. I read in some forums that conversion from one system to another will result in this jerkiness and they are right. So I burned the same videos again, this time using the NTSC format. The results were better and smoother than the one done in PAL. However, the video quality was not as good as when watching directly from the videocam. Later I found out that the DVD videos were burned with a resolution of only 720x480 with a frame rate of 30 fps.
I am not sure if this resolution is a standard for videos burned onto DVD or there are other DVD burning programmes with a higher resolution. Thus there is still a lot to learn about this subject.
These are my preliminary opinions and findings after playing with the Sanyo VPC HD2000. The video quality is great if your watch it on HDTV; there is no problem to watch the video on older type of TV but the quality would only be as good as that of the TV. It is easy to just drag and drop the video files from the videocam to a PC, since the files are in MPEG4 format.
However, not many programs can play these files, especially at the highest resolution and you will need a high-end PC to play these videos satisfactorily even if you have the right software. (BTW, I upgraded my PC memory from 1G to 3G RAM but the result of playing the video on Nero Showtime was the same, still jerky at the highest resolution. This means I would need to upgrade to a faster processor or need a dedicated graphic card or both if I want to watch these videos on my PC or shoot at a lower resolution.) As for my Lenovo S10, it can handle only the 640x480 resolution, beyond that it is all jerky. There's no problem to burn the videos onto DVD but at a lower resolution and quality.
I suppose all these points are also applicable to other HD videocams since this high quality is too much for normal PC and software to handle. You need to have a high-end PC to run these video effectively. And the files size of these video are huge. Here are sample sizes of the video files for the various resolutions for a one minute clip each. The names are those used by the HD2000.
TVSHQ - 640x480, 30fps (30p) 23.2M
HDSHQ - 1280x720, 30fps (30p) 62.4M
FULL SHQ - 1920x1080, 30 fps (30p) 89.1M
FULL HD - 1920x1080, 60 fields/s (60i) 117.9M
FULL HR - 1920x1080, 60 fps (60p) 175.2M
The manual also lists the recording time for various sizes of SD card. For a 8GB SD cards, the times are as below.
TVSHQ - 5hr 32min
HDSHQ - 1hr 50min
Full SHQ - 1hr 27min
Full HD - 1hr 5min
Full HR - 43min 50sec
You will need a lot of SD space to shoot your videos at the higher resolutions and I suppose this is the price of quality! I believe this is also true of other makes of videocam with full HD and not just for the Sanyo HD2000.
Thus it is a good thing that you can connect an external HDD (Hard Disk Drive) directly to the HD2000 via the USB port for storing and managing your library of video files without the need of a PC. I am not sure if this function is also available in other makes of videocam. This will be great if you are travelling and you need not invest in too many SD cards. I will detail my experience on this function in my next post once I get hold of a suitable external HDD.
Ronald Kwok
http://ronaldkwok.atomicblog.hop.clickbank.net/
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ReplyDeleteIf you let nero handle everything to burn DVD. maybe the video quality is a bit lower. The video quality very much determine by the bit per second (kbps). The higher the kbps, more info in the video. The max kbps for DVD is 9000kpbs. If there is an option in nero for setting, try to go in and set the kbps higher. That would give you a better quality. But the file size will increase also.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. I'll try it out and see if it improves the quality of the video on DVD. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteHi Ronald- 720 x 480 @ 30fps is the standard resolution for Standard Definition NTSC footage. PAL is 720 x 576 @ 25fps, so that's why you notice a resolution shift when burning two different DVD standards. If you want HD output, you need to get yourself a Blu-Ray burner- the good news is these have gotten WAY cheaper in the past few months.
ReplyDeleteI'm developing an editing workflow using Adobe Premiere Pro CS4.1 (i'm a pro user) but I'm yet to get picture perfect results. Swing by my blog sometime- I'll be writin' about my experiences with my HD2000 also!
Hi Dan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insight. I am just a casual user so I am not too concerned about the technicals but still, it is good to know. Do not have a Blu-Ray player yet so burning BR discs will be something for the future.
Will visit your blog. Maybe you can have an editing workflow for Cyberlink Power Director too since it may be easier for casual user than Adobe Premiere Pro.
And glad you have the HD2000 as well. Cheers.
hi, is there any way to watch the recorded videos on the camcorder (going fast and slow forwards and backwards to search through the sceanes), and then, when found the scene that we want, we cut the scene, maybe on the camcorder or on the pc and we copy it to the pc ?
ReplyDeleteThank you
Yes you can. There is a simple cut function in the HD2000 to do exactly what you described. You can save the cut video as a new file or override the original file. You can then copy (or just drag and drop) the file to your PC. The fast foreward and backward can be done at x2, x5, x10 and x15 speed. For slow speed, you can step through the video, seems to be frame by frame.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reply.
ReplyDeleteIs that possible to fast foreward and backward also the videos when looking at them on the pc , without freezing the pc ?
thank you
I take it that you mean watching the video on a PC using a media player or a video editing program. It all depends on the state of the PC and the software used for viewing since HD videos are more demanding than SD video. If you have the right software, it would not be a problem especially if you PC is also powerful. So the answer is, it depends. You will have similar issues viewing HD videos from other camcorders, not just the Sanyo. But since softwares are being improved to handle HD videos so it may not be a problem after a while.
ReplyDeletedoes this camera work with 16 gb sd card or 32 gb sd card?
ReplyDeleteIt should work with both 16 and 32GB SDHC cards with at least a Class 4 rating.
ReplyDeleteawesome blog, I found this vid cam on the net for 450, Im deciding between this and the Sony pistal grip hdr tg1, but Im pretty sure Im going with the Sanyo cuz it shoots 60p..
ReplyDeleteHi Ultraman38,
ReplyDeleteJust be aware of its limitations and quirks and you will not be disappointed with the HD2000. The 60p is a two-edged sword; not many external editing program can handle this resolution, at least not yet but you can also shoot at the lower 60i which is the highest resolution of all the other consumer camcorders. Enjoy!
i will be using Adobe Premiere Pro Cs4 vs. I also like that it exports in mpeg 4, if Adobe cannot handle the 60p, then I will go with 60i, and hopefully Adobe will update so it will handle 60i...
ReplyDeletehey, another question. can you actually transfer video files with the HDMI on the dock, transfer to PC that has a HDMI input? Or is that HDMI only for output to HD tv?
ReplyDeleteDo share your experience using Adobe CS4 with the MP4 files. The supplied Nero software can handle the 60i files without problem but it is jerky with 60p so it could be my old laptop that is not up to the mark. The HDMI port can only be used for playback. Anyway it is easy to drag and drop the video files by accessing the SDHC card using a card reader as each clip is a single MP4 file.
ReplyDeletehey I got my hd 2000 today, I wanted gold so I got the imported version.. I was able to import into Adobe but for editing Adobe doesnt have anything for 60p, but I got a plug in, Mpeg Pro HD and it does 1080p 60i, am experimenting, might start my own blog.
ReplyDeleteHi ultraman383, congrats on your new arrival and have fun. Have you tried the supplied Nero Vision editing software with the 60p video? Playback is jerky on my laptop but OK with 60i so not sure if it is my old laptop. The Nero I got is version 8 but they are up to version 9 now so don't know if they supplied you the latest version. Happy blogging!
ReplyDeleteHey Ronald, no I havnt tried the Nero that came with it, but I am tempted to try it, I think the Nero that comes with it is tailor made specific for Sanyo cameras? In other words its not like the Nero you would buy at the local Best buy. Anyway, since I got this plug in and works with Adobe at full 1080p @60p I havnt really worried bout it. But I will install the Nero Essentials that came with it to see if it is laggy. Hey I got a semi fisheye lens for the cam, looks great! Now Im waiting for my wide angle and telephoto lens.
ReplyDeleteI'll keep you updated.
Hi Ultraman38, wow, you have a lot of toys to play with your HD2000 this holiday season. Hope you are having fun. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeletehey, check out my vids on youtube under 38ultraman, I have posted a vid of raw footage and will also post vids on how the wide angle lens looks, as well as the semi fish eye lens..
ReplyDeleteHi Ultraman38, thanks for sharing. Was the dog video shot with full auto or some manual settings?
ReplyDeleteIve bought a Sanyo Xacti VPC-WH1 Camera but i'm having trouble view the video files in Adobe Premiere CS4 Iv'e tried a few things but still cant get it, i think its something to do with the sequence preset, as i cant find an exact one? any clues on how to fix this? I'm filming in HD-SHQ mode at 1280x720p 30fps, and is recording a MPEG-4 file...... any help would be great! Thanks Jimmy
ReplyDeleteHi Jimmy, sorry I can't help you since I do not have Adobe Premiere CS4. I have tried Nero Visions (that came with the HD2000) and also Corel Video Studio X12 and they can play all the HD2000 videos except those with the highest resolution of 1920x1080, 60p (Full HR) so you may want to give these a try. Or others who use Premiere CS4 may want to advise.
ReplyDeleteHey Ron, it was shot w/ auto but @ highest quality, I was surprised YT accepted it, but it uploaded no prob. I will shoot some more raw footage with the wide angle and semi-fisheye lens as well as 2x telephoto lens soon!
ReplyDeletefor the anonymous poster w/ a question regarding Adobe Premiere CS4, try getting the Mpeg Pro HD plug in, you might have better luck!
ReplyDeleteHi Ultraman38, thanks for the feedback. Hope the anonymous poster can get his Premiere CS4 to work with his video. You clip with auto focus is not too bad but sometimes it can be quite slow; I suppose it depends on the subject, the background, the colour, the lighting, etc.
ReplyDeleteits so awesome that the cradle has HDMI out, Im doin some research and finding using a capture card such as the one made by Blackmagic Intensity Pro can really make a diff. The video is somehow compressed when recording to the SDHC card, but if you have it connected to HDMI with the BM card you can capture up to 1080i/59.99 fps uncompressed! It will require a RAID video card w/ lots of memory and 3 harddrives becuz the files will be so huge, but the possibilites are endless! But this will be more for studio recording where you have the computer and camera connected.
ReplyDeleteWow! This is stuff for Pros as I thought the HDMI port is only for playback on a HDTV.
ReplyDeleteI tested and hooked up the cam with cradle to LCD thru HDMI and the camera outputs to LCD while connected to HDMI in record mode! I even was able to zoom in and walk around a lil bit, but Im limited as the HDMI is connected. If you wanna see how awesome the potential for capturing live uncompressed HD is, do a google search for Black Magic Intensity Pro Capture, you will come across sites that state how wonderful it is to be able to capture raw, uncompressed HD.
ReplyDeleteHi Ultraman38, very interesting. What exactly is the setup to view on external LCD while recording? Normally once recording starts, the output to HDMI is cut off and only the camcorder LCD shows the recording.
ReplyDeletewell, yes, it doesnt record when you press record but that dont matter your not recording the video with the video camera(that would be compressed HD and defeats the purpose), your capturing it with the BM capture card, just make the settings the highest setting- 1080p and then the footage will be captured by the card. The video will go out from the cradle HDMI and directly into the capture card. I will update you on this as Im awaiting the card. I also understand the BM card works will w/ Adobe Pro CS4. keep in mind all this uncompressed video is more suitable for studio shoots and indoors where the camera will be connected to your computer while capturing.
ReplyDeleteOK, thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi, Ultraman38! I'm also trying HD2000+BM Intensity Pro -- not working, the card can't see camera. I'm in Win 7, all the drivers are new. If you get luck please share =)
ReplyDeleteFunny, right after I wrote here I get first pictures.. If anybody interested: in the camera tv out mode is auto, hdmi-cec is on (but maybe it doesn't make difference), in Media Express v 2.0.1 (program frome the Black Magic site) input mode either 1080i 59-something or 1080i 60, unfortunatelly Intensity doesn't support 1080ps.
ReplyDeleteBy the way camera in this mode doesn't show anything on it's LCD, and ON LED is orange when connected.
yeah, I had the same problem, called tech support and told me to make sure the cam is outputting 1080i NOT 1080p. I changed the output in the cam and finally got a picture to capture. To give you an idea how much space uncompressed HD holds, Adobe Premiere gave me an estimate of 1 hour video/ 500GB space! Now Im having problem with getting sound and also not getting the BM card to record my PS3 thru compenent video. I may return this card and get another it may be defect, called tech support countless number of times and not resolved it.
ReplyDeleteHi Ultraman38 and Khalis, looks like you guys are having a great sharing session. Maybe I should start a new post just on this subject quoting both your comments??
ReplyDeleteHey Ron, sure its your blog, do whatever you like!
ReplyDeleteHi Ultraman38 and Khalis, I have just posted the new post, "Uncompressed video form HDMI out" based on both your comments on this subject. You can now post your comments under that new post all in one place, otherwise they may be lost here. Other readers interested in this subject should also post there comments there. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi, I would like to post something on that thread with the BM card, but there is no where there that says POST A COMMENT, how do I post there?
ReplyDeleteHi Ultraman38, if you click on the line that says "X Comments" at the end of the post, you will get to a page with the Post A Comment window. See if it is OK. Or maybe it is there now. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI purchased the Sanyo VPC HD2000A a short time ago and have run in to similar problems in both viewing and editing my 1080p 60fps footage on my five year old Athlon 64 based computer with 2 gigs of ram. To have smooth playback to view on Windows Media Player or the Sony Vegas Pro 9 editing window, you need at least a duo-core processor, the ideal being the Intel i7, 860 or the 920, with hyper-threading. I get smooth playback with 720p 30fps but these clips are about half the size. The video cards are less important as most of the processing is CPU. I haven't yet tried clips recorded in 1080i yet but am inspired to try by the postings here.
ReplyDeleteIn exploring "new" computer options most entry-level gaming computers will suffice, but then again, if you are looking to edit HD video look for a Intel i7 based machine, with 6 gigs of ram or more, with 500 gig to 1 terabyte sata drive as a minimum. Most start, (computer only), no monitor, for $1099 to $1200). If you also intend to use Adobe Premiere, After Effects or Photoshop, go with one of the Nvidia cards, as their Quadro and Geforce lines are now optimized to utilize the full power of these in viewing and rendering HD content. ATI GPU's, while great, and perhaps a better value for gaming, are not currently the best option for NLE video editing.
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ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI found this review really usefull, but only wish I had read it sooner. I have a major problem.....
My friend just brought this camera so I could film his wedding last weekend. Without thinking too much into it I went ahead and filmed the whole day in full 1080p/60p.
When I went to view the files on my computer (2ghz processor and 2GB of ram) the videos were jerky and seemed to skip frames. I now undertand that why this is but i desperatly need a solution. I need to know if there is a way of downgrading the video quality so that I can edit them on my current laptop and make a dvd for him. It doesnt need to be of a super high quality, just so it looks good when watching on 32" tvs etc with smooth playback and half decent audio.
Ive tried several converters but the jerkyness remains as I presume the source file on the sd card cannot be read properly by my laptop in its current image quality and frame rate.
Is there anything else I can try? Ie capturing whats playing on the video camera directly to pc and saving it in a different quality etc???? Or burning the seperate files so they play perfectly on a DVD then copying files back to pc in a different quality???
Really hope someone can help as ill be devastated if nothing can be done so that I can make him a half decent quality wedding video.
Many Thanks
Mike.
Hi Mike, I think you can try the following options.
ReplyDeleteIf you can edit the videos on your laptop using the Nero software provided, do so and burn them onto DVD as described in my post above, but at DVD quality. Otherwise, do it on somebody's more powerful computer. You can also try burning onto DVD using other video editing software such as Corel VideoStudio.
If you have problem editing, the easiest way is to use the built-in editing functions in the camcorder with the Cut and Join. I find this adequate (all my vimeo and youtube videos are edited just using these two basic functions) unless you want to add fanciful stuff. See my post on this.
If you have problem burning DVD, you can always copy the video files onto a HDD or flash drive and view the captured videos (raw or editied) on any new HD media player that can play them straight on HDTV in all their glory. See my Blog on this. Files can also play on normal TV but at reduced quality, of course.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Thanks for the advice.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is, i need to totally edit the footage to make a film with lots of fancy bits and bobs. Normally I use Windows Movie Maker or Adobe Premiere when I want to test my abilities.
The main problem I have though is converting the full 1080p footage to a lower quality that does not jerk or stutter. I may try to burn the raw footage to a dvd at dvd quality, which will hopefully mean the footage is playable and editable on my pc. When I convert the footage using several conversion tools, the jerkyness is also converted so I feel like its a problem with actually reading the source data. In this case I think im probably going to experience the same issue if i burn the data to a dvd at dvd quality???
Its really annoying as the files play perfectly on the camera screen, but not on a laptop or pc! Thats why I was thinking of trying to capture the video playing on the screen via windows movie maker (or similar)like you can with mini dv cameras. Not sure if that is possible with solid state cameras though. Ill give it a try tonight.
Cheers
Mike.
Hi Mike, in that case you'll probably need to do your editing on the most powerful computer that you can access with the newer editing softwares that may be able to handle the 60p videos. Cheers. Hope you can do it!
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