NOTICE: The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and the use of this information and the links provided. This document may be freely copied and distributed subject to the condition that it may not be distributed for profit.

I'm a member of the B&H Affiliate Program, so if you're planning a purchase, you can support Frank's thoughts on HDV by using the links on this page to access the B&H site when you're ready to buy.

Frank's thoughts on HDV
(High Definition Video)

• also includes complete coverage of AVCHD and XDCAM EX •

Synopsis: The mission behind this Web page is to describe the major technical aspects of the HDV high definition digital video tape recording format and to be as comprehensive a reference resource as possible by listing essentially every HDV and HDV-related product ever offered by any manufacturer anywhere in the world. Coverage is also given to the tools commonly used to edit HDV footage and some of the considerations related to the proper display of HDV footage, both during the editing process and at the final stages of delivery and viewing. The Sony XDCAM EX format is also covered, since that's the logical step-up format above HDV in the Sony product line. Complete coverage is also given to the Panasonic/Sony AVCHD format, since that's the next step below HDV in both audio/video quality and cost.

To that end, there's brief coverage of both computer display devices (monitors) and high definition televisions (HDTVs), as well as the new high capacity optical disc storage mediums, including both Blu-ray Disc (BD) and HD DVD (High-Definition Digital Versatile Disc) media. Some comments are also made with regard to the Panasonic P2 HD format and the Panasonic AVC-Intra (H.264 Compliant) codec and the relationship of those formats to the HDV format. There's also mention of Sony's XDCAM HD and HDCAM formats, since there are XDCAM HD and HDCAM products for which HDV-related options are available.

There are no product reviews on this page, nor are there any sample clips or stills from the various camcorders discussed. There are, however, brief descriptions of each product, complete with links to manufacturer's sites for those seeking more detailed information on a given product, and many links to product reviews conducted by third-party sources are included. There are also numerous links to bulletin boards where HDV is discussed, plus links to sites that offer downloadable sample video clips and still images. Also included are links to download PDF brochures (sales literature) and PDF manuals for most of the AVCHD and HDV camcorders and HDV VCRs discussed here.

Reader comments about this page are welcome. Reports of broken links are also appreciated. As noted below, a bulletin board has been set up for this purpose and can be accessed here (opens in a new window/tab). Every effort has been expended to make the information herein as technically accurate as possible. Please post a message if you believe that you've found an error. Information about newly-announced products is added as soon as it's practical to do so, typically within 48 hours of the announcement, but note that maintenance of this page is performed on a "best efforts" basis, as it's purely a spare time activity.

First-time visitors to this Web page are requested to review the Notes, and those who are new to the HDV format are strongly encouraged to begin their reading with the Introduction section. Do note, however, that this Web page was written under the assumption that the reader already possesses a basic technical understanding of both personal computer technology and video technology, although for certain subjects, links to more in-depth technical information are provided.
 

Direct Access

Quickly jump to any part of this Web page:

CONTENTS:

Revision History & Notes
Introduction (What is HDV?)
Technical Overview
Try Before You Buy
Background Materials
Official Reference
JVC HDV Products
Sony HDR-FX1
Sony Qualia 002
Sony HDR-FX1E
Sony HVR-Z1U and HVR-M10U
Sony HVR-Z1J and HVR-M10J
Sony HVR-Z1E and HVR-M10E
Sony HVR-Z1P and HVR-M10P
Sony HVR-Z1N and HVR-M10N
Sony HVR-Z1C and HVR-M10C
Points to Consider (HVR-Z1 and HVR-M10)
Sony HVR-A1U
Sony HVR-A1E
Sony HVR-A1J
Sony HVR-A1N and HVR-A1P
Sony HVR-A1C
Sony HDR-HC1
Sony HDR-HC1E
Sony HDR-HC3
Sony HDR-HC3E
Sony Overseas (JE) Models
Sony HVR-M15 Series
Sony HVR-M25 Series
Sony HDC-X310, HFU-X310, and HFBK-TS1
Sony PDW-F70 and PDBK-102
  - CineAlta
  - XDCAM HD
  - XDCAM EX (PMW-EX1)
  - AVCHD
  - P2 HD
  - AVC-Intra
Sony HDW-D1800/HDW-1800 and HKDW-105
Sony HDR-FX7
Sony HDR-FX7E
Sony HVR-V1 Series and HVR-DR60
Sony HVR-1500
Sony HDR-HC7
Sony HDR-HC7E
Sony HDR-HC5
Sony HDR-HC5E
Sony GV-HD700E
Sony GV-HD700
Sony HVR-HD1000 Series
Sony HVR-S270 Series
Sony HVR-Z7 Series
Sony HVR-M35 Series
Canon XL H1
Canon XH G1
Canon XH A1
Canon HV10
Canon HV20
Editing HDV
Displaying HDV
  - Interconnections
  - Computer video/graphics cards
  - Computer monitors
  - Television monitors and HDTVs
Distributing HDV
HDV Accessories
Where to Buy
Comments on transcoding from DV25 to MPEG-2 for DVD-Video
Contact, trademark, copyright, and validation information

REVISION HISTORY

DATE: May 12, 2004. [Web page originally posted.]
REVISED: July 6, 2004. [Added Official Reference section.]
REVISED: August 29, 2004. [Enhanced the Background Materials section.]
REVISED: September 7, 2004. [Added Sony HDR-FX1 section.]
REVISED: October 10, 2004. [Added link to Sony HDR-FX1 review.]
REVISED: November 14, 2004. [Added Sony HVR-Z1U and HVR-M10U section.]
REVISED: November 18, 2004. [Added Sony HVR-Z1J and HVR-M10J section.]
REVISED: December 1, 2004. [Added Sony HVR-Z1E and HVR-M10E section.]
REVISED: January 26, 2005. [Minor content changes, and updated page to comply with HTML 4.01 Transitional (loose) and CSS 2.1 standards. (Yes, this page is hand-coded.)]
REVISED: January 29, 2005. [Added some additional links.]
REVISED: February 5, 2005. [Minor content changes.]
REVISED: February 26, 2005. [Added some additional links and pricing information.]
REVISED: March 12, 2005. [Added additional links to sample HDV video clips and product reviews.]
REVISED: March 16, 2005. [Added Where to Buy section.]
REVISED: March 27, 2005. [Added Sony HVR-Z1P and HVR-M10P section.]
REVISED: April 5, 2005. [Added Sony HVR-Z1N and HVR-M10N section.]
REVISED: April 7, 2005. [Added Sony HVR-Z1C and HVR-M10C section.]
REVISED: May 18, 2005. [Added Sony HVR-A1U and Sony HVR-A1E sections.]
REVISED: May 21, 2005. [Added Sony HDR-HC1 and Sony HDR-HC1E sections.]
REVISED: June 9, 2005. [Added Editing HDV section.]
REVISED: June 18, 2005. [Added Sony HVR-A1J section.]
REVISED: June 20, 2005. [Added Sony HVR-A1N and HVR-A1P section.]
REVISED: July 11, 2005. [Added Sony Qualia 002 section.]
REVISED: July 17, 2005. [Added Sony Overseas (JE) Models section.]
REVISED: August 16, 2005. [Added some additional links.]
REVISED: August 27, 2005. [Added Sony HVR-A1C section.]
REVISED: September 9, 2005. [Added some additional links and a comment area (bulletin board).]
REVISED: September 15, 2005. [Added Canon XL H1 section.]
REVISED: October 2, 2005. [Expanded the JVC HDV Products and Editing HDV sections.]
REVISED: October 23, 2005. [Added some additional links.]
REVISED: December 6, 2005. [Added some additional links.]
REVISED: December 22, 2005. [Added some additional links.]
REVISED: February 22, 2006. [Added Sony HDR-HC3 and Sony HDR-HC3E sections.]
REVISED: March 29, 2006. [Added some additional links.]
REVISED: April 13, 2006. [Added Sony HVR-M15 Series and Sony HVR-M25 Series sections.]
REVISED: April 19, 2006. [Added Sony PDW-F70 and PDBK-102 section.]
REVISED: May 5, 2006. [Added JVC GY-HD200U, GY-HD250U, and SA-HD50U information.]
REVISED: July 13, 2006. [Added JVC GY-HD110U, JVC GY-HD110E, JVC GY-HD111E, Sony HDR-HC3K(JE), and Sony HDR-HC3EK(JE) information.]
REVISED: July 27, 2006. [Added Canon XH G1 and Canon XH A1 sections.]
REVISED: August 3, 2006. [Added Canon HV10 section.]
REVISED: August 20, 2006. [Added Panasonic/Sony AVCHD information.]
REVISED: August 26, 2006. [Added Sony HDW-D1800/HDW-1800 and HKDW-105 section.]
REVISED: August 31, 2006. [Added Panasonic AVC-Intra (H.264 Compliant) information.]
REVISED: September 7, 2006. [Added Sony HDR-FX7 and Sony HDR-FX7E sections and Sony HDR-SR1(JE), Sony HDR-SR1E(JE), Sony HDR-UX1(JE), and Sony HDR-UX1E(JE) information.]
REVISED: September 9, 2006. [Added Sony HVR-V1 Series and HVR-DR60 section.]
REVISED: September 18, 2006. [Added Sony HVR-1500 section.]
REVISED: September 27, 2006. [Added JVC GY-HD251E information.]
REVISED: November 8, 2006. [Added Panasonic HDC-SD1 and HDC-DX1 information.]
REVISED: December 5, 2006. [Rearranged some sections, wrote a new Introduction section, and added some additional links.]
REVISED: December 11, 2006. [Added Sony HDR-FX7(JE) and Sony HDR-FX7E(JE) information plus Microsummary/Live Title compatibility.]
REVISED: December 19, 2006. [Added some additional links.]
REVISED: January 9, 2007. [Added Sony HDR-HC7 and Sony HDR-HC5 sections and Sony HDR-UX5 and Sony HDR-UX7 information.]
REVISED: January 28, 2007. [Added Sony HDR-HC7E and Sony HDR-HC5E sections and Sony HDR-UX3E, Sony HDR-UX5E, and Sony HDR-UX7E information.]
REVISED: February 2, 2007. [Added Canon HV20 section.]
REVISED: February 8, 2007. [Added Panasonic AG-HSC1U information.]
REVISED: March 3, 2007. [Added Sony HDR-HC7(JE) and HDR-HC7E(JE) information.]
REVISED: April 3, 2007. [Added Panasonic HDC-SD3 and HDC-DX3 information.]
REVISED: April 26, 2007. [Added Sony HDR-UX7(JE) and Sony HDR-UX7E(JE) information.]
REVISED: April 27, 2007. [Added Sony HDR-CX7, HDR-SR5, HDR-SR7, HDR-CX6EK, HDR-SR5E, HDR-SR7E, and HDR-SR8E information.]
REVISED: April 28, 2007. [Added Sony HDR-SR8 information.]
REVISED: May 7, 2007. [Added Canon HR10 information.]
REVISED: May 25, 2007. [Added Sony HDR-CX7K and Sony XDCAM EX information.]
REVISED: June 3, 2007. [Added Sony HDR-CX7K(JE), HDR-CX7EK(JE), HDR-SR7(JE), HDR-SR7E(JE), HDR-SR8(JE), and HDR-SR8E(JE) information.]
REVISED: June 24, 2007. [Added Sony HDR-SR5C information.]
REVISED: July 27, 2007. [Added Sony GV-HD700E section.]
REVISED: July 31, 2007. [Added Panasonic HDC-SD5 and HDC-SX5 information.]
REVISED: August 1, 2007. [Added Panasonic HDC-SD7 and Canon HG10 information.]
REVISED: August 9, 2007. [Added Sony GV-HD700 section.]
REVISED: August 23, 2007. [Added Sony HVR-HD1000 Series section (HVR-HD1000U).]
REVISED: August 24, 2007. [Added Sony HVR-HD1000N, HVR-HD1000P, HVR-HD1000C, and PMW-EX1 information.]
REVISED: August 27, 2007. [Added Sony HVR-HD1000E information.]
REVISED: October 31, 2007. [Added Panasonic AG-HMC70 information.]
REVISED: November 14, 2007. [Added Sony HVR-S270 Series, Sony HVR-Z7 Series, and Sony HVR-M35 Series sections (HVR-S270J, HVR-S270E, HVR-S270U, HVR-Z7J, HVR-Z7E, HVR-Z7U, HVR-M35J, HVR-M35E, and HVR-M35U).]
REVISED: November 28, 2007. [Added Canon DW-100 information.]
REVISED: April 10, 2008. [Added some additional links.]

Notes:

1. All links on this Web page open in a new browser window/tab. Use of a so-called "tabbed browser", such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0, Mozilla Firefox, or Opera, with the option set to open new links in a new tab (rather than in a new window), is highly recommended.
   
   
2. All URLs referenced were correct and working when originally posted. If you should spot a technical inaccuracy or encounter a broken link on this Web page, please kindly use the bulletin board to notify the author so that an adjustment can be made.
   
   
3. If you are the owner of a site (or a file) to which this page links and you would prefer not to be linked, please use the contact information at the bottom of the page to notify me via e-mail and the link will be promptly removed.
   
   
4. This Web page contains numerous links to Adobe Acrobat PDF (Portable Document Format) files. All such links are clearly identified with this icon . Some of these .pdf files reside on the server which hosts this Web page while others reside on third-party servers. In both cases, it is strongly suggested, especially for Windows users, as an alternative to clicking directly on the .pdf file links, to instead download and save a copy of the .pdf file to your local HDD (hard disk drive) for leisurely offline viewing/printing, rather than attempting to display the file directly within your browser window using the Acrobat browser plug-in or ActiveX control. This can be accomplished simply by performing a right-click (Windows and Linux) or Control-click or click-and-hold (Macintosh) operation on the link and in the small pop-up context menu window which appears choose the "Save Target As..." or "Save Link As...", etc. item. This will bring up a file save dialog wherein you can specify the filename and location on your local hard disk where you want to save a copy of the .pdf file. After the download has completed, you can manually open the .pdf file from within your installed copy of the full Adobe Reader program.
   
   
5. Given the not inconsiderable size of this Web page, it's suggested that if you're seeking information on a specific subject, you use your browser's "Find" feature, usually located on its 'Edit' menu but also usually accessible (in most browsers) via a Ctrl+F keyboard sequence. You may want to repeat this procedure multiple times so as to locate all "hits" on the page.
   
   
6. Although all prices were correct when originally posted, this Web page should not be relied upon as a source of accurate pricing information. Both list prices and actual retail selling prices of the products mentioned herein are subject to change without notice. Always check with your reseller for current and up-to-date pricing and availability information.
   
   
7. If you should see a graphic image or a PDF file here that you would like to use on your own Web site or blog, please feel free to save a copy of the file to your local system and then upload it from there to your own server, rather than linking directly to the copy on this Web site. If you're running an auction on eBay, uBid, or a similar site and wish to use one of the images on this Web page and don't have server space of your own to which to upload the image (which is unlikely since most Internet access accounts include 5 to 10 MB of disk space for a small personal Web site), then use one of the many free image hosting services, such as those listed at imageShack. Good choices might be ImageShack, Photobucket, Imagewoof, or Free Image Hosting. In short, I promise not to draw files off of your server (steal your bandwidth) if you promise not to draw files off of mine (steal my bandwidth).
   
   
8. The author has no association of any kind, past or present, with any of the hardware/software companies mentioned herein except as an end-user of some of their products. As a result, except for certain personal preferences, the information presented here is unbiased in nature. For example, almost without exception, I consider all camcorders, regardless of brand, price, or form factor, that have unbalanced 2-pin audio inputs to be consumer-grade products. If a given camcorder has 3-pin balanced XLR audio inputs with switchable 48 VDC phantom power, and especially if those inputs are individually microphone level/line level switchable, then I would consider it to be at least a prosumer product and possibly a professional-grade product, depending upon its other features and characteristics. As another example, I would consider all camcorders with 2/3-inch image sensors to be professional products. I should also mention that, as of December 2006, I feel quite strongly that all high-definition camcorders regardless of format (HDV, AVCHD, whatever) worthy of consideration for purchase should be equipped with either an HDMI or an HD-SDI output connector.
   
   
9. An older, archived version of this Web page, dated September 23, 2006, has been posted to the Web site of the Los Angeles Avid Users Group (LAAVIDUG) here and to the Web site of the San Francisco Bay Area Avid Users Group (SFBAAUG) here.
   
   
10. This Web page implements Microsummary technology. If you bookmark this page (Ctrl+D) in Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or greater, you may choose to select the Live Title option for your bookmark, rather than the page title, by following the instructions found here. The Live Title will indicate the date on which the last update to this page was made as well as a very brief description of the nature of the update. If you have a Web page, blog, bulletin board, or wiki of your own to which you would like to add a Microsummary, follow the instructions given here.
    
    

11. 	B&H Affiliate

    As mentioned at the top of this page, I'm a member of the B&H Affiliate Program, so if you're planning a purchase, you can support Frank's thoughts on HDV by using the links on this page to access the B&H site when you're ready to buy. If the information presented has proved useful to you—if you've found a brochure or user manual here that you've been looking for, for example, or discovered an answer to a nagging technical question—using these links is a great way to express your appreciation and show your support for this effort. Your support directly translates into more and better content. Thank you!
    
    
12. Although, without exception, all vistors from all over the world are welcome here, I would like to extend a special greeting to those from  and  and .
    

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INTRODUCTION (WHAT IS HDV?)

HDV, or High Definition Video, is a digital video tape recording format officially announced in September 2003. The format was developed in Japan by a consortium of companies consisting of Canon, JVC, Sharp, and Sony, and uses both Mini (small) and Standard (large) DV (Digital Video) cassette tapes. It was the first low-cost (under U.S. $10,000) high definition video acquisition format ever offered.

The first camcorders employing the HDV format were from JVC. Sony soon afterward offered both consumer-grade and prosumer-grade HDV products, as eventually did Canon. Sharp has yet to introduce an HDV product. The JVC JY-HD10 was the world's first HDV camcorder, but didn't wear the HDV logo because it was released prior to the finalization of the HDV Specifications document.

Use of ordinary DV cassettes for data storage allowed the format to be developed quickly because a new storage medium and associated transport mechanism didn't need to be designed from scratch. Additionally, the already widely-employed and well-understood long-GOP, MPEG-2 compression algorithm was used for compressing the video datastream, with MPEG-1 Layer II audio, so that new codecs didn't need to be developed. Although long-GOP MPEG-2 is usually thought of as being a distribution format, its use in acquisition in the HDV format, due to the high compression ratios achieved, permitted use of low-cost, limited-bandwidth, DV tape transport mechanisms.

The HDV format supports the two most popular flavors of high definition television (HDTV) — 720p and 1080i. As in ordinary HDTV, the 720p HDV sub-format has a display frame size of 1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels (lines) high progressively scanned, while the 1080i HDV sub-format has a display frame size of 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels (lines) high with interlace scanning. 720p HDV products are offered by JVC. Canon and Sony have embraced the 1080i HDV format and Sony, commencing with their HVR-V1 series camcorders, offers 1080p capability as well.

As with virtually all high definition formats, HDV's display aspect ratio, which is the ratio of the width to the height of a displayed frame of video, is widescreen 16:9 (16 to 9), meaning that there are 16 units (millimeters, inches, etc.) of picture width for every 9 units of picture height. This is in contrast to standard definition television (SDTV), which has a display aspect ratio of 4:3 (4 to 3), where there are four units of picture width for every three units of picture height.

Although 720p HDV video frames are written to tape as full-resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, 1280 pixel wide by 720 pixel high frames, 1080i HDV video frames are written to tape in the form of anamorphically squeezed, 4:3 aspect ratio, 1440 pixel wide by 1080 pixel high frames, so as to further reduce the bandwidth requirement and permit the use of existing 25 mega bits per second (Mbps) DV tape transports. For display purposes, the 1440 by 1080 frames are expanded (stretched) horizontally to 1920 pixels wide by 1080 pixels high, thus forming a proper widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio image when viewed on an HDTV.

HDV frame rates conform to the traditional SDTV rates of 25 frames per second in countries that use the PAL standard, which includes most of Western Europe, and 29.97 frames per second in NTSC areas such as Canada, Japan, and the United States, although some HDV products also support rates of 23.976 (also known as 23.98), 50, or 59.94 frames per second. No HDV products support a film-like true (actual) 24 frame per second rate.

As with most all digital HDTV formats, HDV color space is 709, the field order (dominance) is upper (top) field first when interlaced, and black level is 0 IRE. HDV color sampling is 8-bit 4:2:0. Both the 720p and 1080i HDV sub-formats convey significantly more picture information than standard definition video formats such as EIA 525-line NTSC 480i (digitally, 720 by 480 displayed at 640 by 480) or CCIR 625-line PAL 576i (digitally, 720 by 576 displayed at 768 by 576).

TECHNICAL OVERVIEW

The HDV (High Definition Video) format writes widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio 720p (1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels high progressive scan) 19.7 Mbps (mega bits per second) 8-bit 4:2:0 MPEG-2 (Moving Picture Experts Group-2) TS (Transport Stream) data to 6 mm wide MiniDV tape, less than the 25 Mbps data rate of the ordinary consumer DV (Digital Video) format or, alternatively, anamorphically squeezed 4:3 aspect ratio 1080i (1440 by 1080 interlaced 2 fields per frame) data at a 25 Mbps data rate in an MPEG-2 PES (Packetized Elementary Stream). Tape speed (approximately 18.812 millimeters per second) and track width are identical to that used in standard DV recording. While the majority of HDV products support only the use of the smaller Mini cassette shells and thereby limit maximum record/play time to about 60 minutes, some HDV products can also use the larger Standard size cassettes, thus permitting up to about 276 minutes of record/play time in applications that require it.

Note that the MPEG-2 data on a DVD-Video disc, whether burned on a computer-attached DVD writer or a standalone DVD recorder in a home/office environment or commercially replicated in a factory/plant, is an MPEG-2 Program Stream, not a Transport Stream or a Packetized Elementary Stream, and that HDV MPEG-2 video is always CBR (Constant Bit Rate), never VBR (Variable Bit Rate). In contrast, the MPEG-2 data on a DVD-Video disc is almost always VBR-encoded. Note also that although 1080i HDV data is written to tape in an MPEG-2 Packetized Elementary Stream format, all HDV data, whether 720p or 1080i, is in MPEG-2 Transport Stream format when transmitted over an IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 1394a (aka Apple FireWire 400 / Sony i.LINK) connection.

Important: Those who are considering use of an HDV-format camcorder or HDV-format VCR need to be aware that the 720p and 1080i flavors of HDV are quite separate and distinct from each other. At the present time, JVC is the sole manufacturer of 720p HDV equipment. Also, all HDV products manufactured by JVC are 720p. Conversely, Sony and Canon are the only manufacturers of 1080i HDV equipment. Additionally, all HDV products produced by Sony and Canon are 1080i, although the Sony HVR-V1 series camcorders also offer various 1080 progressive modes using either 2-3 pulldown or PsF (Progressive segmented Frame) recording techniques and the Sony HVR-S270 and HVR-Z7 series camcorders offer native progressive recording capability. Sony HVR-M35 series VCRs support these native progressive modes, which are unique to the HVR-S270 and HVR-Z7 series camcorders. The HVR-M35 series VCRs also have the ability to play 720p HDV tapes.

The 720p HDV format is sometimes referred to as HDV1 (or HD1) and the 1080i HDV format is sometimes referred to as HDV2 (or HD2). The logos shown below are often used to distinguish between the two different flavors of the HDV format.

The HDV 1080i format, because it uses non-square pixels, appears as a 1920 pixel wide by 1080 line high widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio image when displayed on a 1080i-capable television display device. This is a display aspect ratio of 1.7778:1 (16 divided by 9 equals 1.7778). Content acquired in the HDV 720p format, because it uses square pixels, will be shown with a display aspect ratio of 1:1 (1 to 1).

There are 45 blanked (unseen or non-visible) scan lines when material in the 1080i format is displayed on an 1125-line HDTV system. Lines 1 thru 20 inclusive, 561 thru 583 inclusive, and 1124 and 1125 are non-active, and field 1 contains 563 lines while field 2 contains 562 lines. There are 30 blanked (unseen or non-visible) scan lines when material in the 720p format is displayed on a 750-line HDTV system. Lines 1 thru 25 inclusive and 746 thru 750 inclusive are non-active.

The JVC 720p HDV camcorders listed on this Web page employ a 74.25 MHz (mega Hertz or millions of cycles per second) luminance sampling frequency, while the Sony and Canon 1080i HDV camcorders listed on this Web page utilize a lower 55.6875 MHz luminance sampling rate. This contrasts with the various DV25 formats (DV, DVCAM, and DVCPRO), all of which use a much lower 13.5 MHz luminance sampling rate.

Both JVC 720p and Sony/Canon 1080i HDV camcorders use a type of MPEG-2 "profile at level" video compression known as MP@H-14 (Main Profile at High-14 Level).

With the exception of the GY-HD200U and the GY-HD250U in 60p mode, the JVC camcorders listed on this Web page use a GOP (Group Of Pictures) size of 6 frames, whereas the Canon and Sony products use a GOP of 12 (in 50i mode) or 15 (in 60i mode). These long GOPs allow for more efficient (that is, a greater degree of) MPEG video compression, and thus enable the use of 25 Mbps MiniDV cassettes for data storage and an ordinary IEEE 1394a connection for data transfer from HDV device to computer, although they do present certain challenges in a computer-based editing environment.

DV video uses intraframe compression, so the data stored for each frame is complete: for editing/playback purposes, the compressed data for any given, individual frame provides all of the information needed by the decoder to completely reconstruct that particular frame; no reliance is made or need be made upon the information stored for any previous or subsequent frame or frames. This is not the case in the long-GOP interframe MPEG-2 compression scheme used in the HDV format. Here, only I frames are complete frames, containing all of the information needed to decode the frame for editing or display purposes. Decoding of other frames in a sequence (GOP) requires an examination of one or more previous and/or subsequent frames (B frames and P frames), thus making editing of such streams a much more compute-intensive process than is the case with intraframe DV compression.

With the exception of the GY-HD200U and GY-HD250U in 60p mode, the GOP structure (sequence of frame types) used in the JVC 720p HDV format is IBBPBB. The GOP sequence used by the Canon and Sony 1080i HDV products is IBBPBBPBBPBBPBB when operating in the 60i mode, and IBBPBBPBBPBB when operating in the 50i mode.

Another difference between DV video and HDV video is that DV operates in the familiar ITU-R BT.601 (formerly CCIR 601) color space, whereas HDV operates in the ITU-R BT.709-5 color space. Most extant consumer-level NLE (non-linear editing) systems are designed to operate in the ITU-R BT.601 color space. A properly-written HDV editor will operate in ITU-R BT.709-5 color space. Sony claims, for example, that its Vegas+DVD Production Suite package, which includes Vegas 7 and DVD Architect 4, correctly handles 601/709 color spaces.

[Update, April 2007: Several recently-introduced consumer-grade Sony HDV (and AVCHD) camcorders incorporate an optional, user-selectable color recording mode called x.v.Color (American English) or x.v.Colour (British English) by Sony. Sony formally announced their intention to use this newly-defined color space in a press release dated January 5, 2007, available via the following link.

Sony Global - Press Release
Sony proposes a new brand name, "x.v.Color", for the purpose of promoting the standard for wider color space in moving images, "xvYCC"
Commences promotion for industry-wide adoption
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/200701/07-001E/

xvYCC, or Extended-gamut YCC (luma-chroma-chroma), was developed by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Sony Corporation and is defined in the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 61966-2-4 standard, published in January 2006. A copy of this International Standard, entitled Multimedia systems and equipment - Colour measurement and management - Part 2-4: Colour management - Extended-gamut YCC colour space for video applications - xvYCC, can be purchased from the IEC in Genève, Switzerland at the following URL.

IEC Web Store | Publication Detail
IEC 61966-2-4 - Ed. 1.0 - English
http://domino.iec.ch/webstore/webstore.nsf/artnum/035442

The IEC 61966-2-4 standard is based upon the older ITU-R BT.709-5 standard and encompases a range of colors that is approximately 1.8 times greater than the older standard, essentially including the full gamut of colors that can be understood by the human visual system. Instead of 8-bit color representation being limited to a range of values extending from 16 (black) to 235 (white), a value range of 1 through 254 is used. Values of 0 and 255 don't carry color information, as they are used for synchronization purposes. The HDMI 1.3 specification includes support for the IEC 61966-2-4 standard, and Sony now offers HDTVs that can display 61966-2-4 color. The Sony BDP-S1 BD (Blu-ray Disc) player also supports IEC 61966-2-4 color.

Consistent application of the IEC 61966-2-4 color standard throughout all steps of the video acquisition-to-display chain will result in not only the rendering of more lifelike imagery, but will also eliminate the banding effect that's often seen in areas of gradated color when using more narrowly defined color systems. The simplest way to achieve this is to shoot your footage with the camcorder set to xvYCC mode and then play back that footage directly from the camcorder via HDMI to an xvYCC-capable HDTV. For 1080p video, use of a certified Category 2 HDMI 1.3 cable is recommended.]

Black level is always 0 IRE (Institute of Radio Engineers) in HD, and hence HDV. This is in contrast to the 7.5 IRE level used in all U.S. NTSC video (0 IRE in the Japanese flavor of NTSC).

JVC 720p HDV camcorders use square pixels and therefore have a pixel aspect ratio of 1:1 (1 to 1), while Sony (and Canon) 1080i HDV camcorders use non-square pixels and have a pixel aspect ratio of 1.3333:1 (1440 multiplied by 1.3333 equals 1920). For comparison, DV, which also uses non-square pixels, has a pixel aspect ratio of 0.8889:1 (640 divided by 720 equals 0.8889, usually written as simply 0.9) in NTSC and 1.0667:1 (768 divided by 720 equals 1.0667) in PAL.

While NTSC DV video is lossy compressed, after 4:1:1 chroma decimation, at an approximate 5:1 (5 to 1) ratio, 59.94 field per second 4:2:0 1080i HDV video is lossy compressed at approximately 22.4:1 (22.4 to 1). Also, all DV video compression is strictly spatial (spacial) in nature while all HDV video compression is both spatial and temporal in nature, and the temporal compression is even greater in 1080i HDV video than in 720p HDV video due to the use of a longer (one-half second) GOP length (duration) in the 1080i HDV format.

Many MPEG-2 compression experts consider long-GOP MPEG-2 compression to be up to approximately five times more efficient than NTSC DV compression, for equivalent visual quality. If one accepts this 5:1 efficiency claim, then it can be said that 720p HDV, despite its larger 1280 by 720 frame size and lower data rate of 19.7 Mbps compared to NTSC DV at 720 by 480 and 25 Mbps, is more lightly compressed (less compressed) than NTSC DV. Conversely, if one accepts the MPEG-2 long-GOP 5:1 compression efficiency claim, then it can be said that 1080i HDV, with a stored frame size of 1440 by 1080 at 25 Mbps, is more heavily compressed than NTSC DV. It is for this reason that 1080i HDV is sometimes referred to as "looking as good as it does despite being compressed to within an inch of its life".

Standard HDV audio is 16-bit / 48 kHz 2-channel stereo in lossy compressed 384 kbps (kilo bits per second) MPEG-1 Layer II format (.mp2), conforming to the ISO/IEC 11172-3 standard. This contrasts with uncompressed PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) DV Audio at 12/32 (non-linear), 16/44.1 (linear), or 16/48 (linear). HDV audio, compared to 16/48 LPCM (Linear Pulse Code Modulation) audio, is compressed at a ratio of exactly 4:1 (4 to 1). Note that the 384 kbps figure quoted above is the total audio payload data rate. The actual audio data rate, in its 4:1 lossy compressed form, is 192 kbps per channel. Given the rule of thumb of 6 dB of dynamic range per bit of word length (also variously called resolution, sample size, word size, or quantization), the 16-bit word length used in HDV audio offers 96 dB of dynamic range and the 48 kHz sampling rate (Fs) used in HDV audio, as per Nyquist-Shannon, offers an AF (audio frequency) upper limit response of 24 kHz. Both of these figures are theoretical maximums, of course, and will be less in actual practice.

Two exceptions to the HDV audio standard described above currently exist: 1) The JVC GY-HD100, along with recording standard HDV audio, is able to simultaneously record the Channel 1 audio signal in 16/48 DV PCM mode and 2) the Canon XL H1, as an alternative to recording standard HDV audio, is capable of recording four channels of 16/48 MPEG-2 Layer II audio at a 96 kbps per channel data rate. Update: The Sony HVR-S270 series camcorders and the Sony HVR-M35 series VCRs also support MPEG-2 Layer II 96 kbps per channel 4-channel audio.

Transmission of DV data over an IEEE 1394a link is governed by IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) 61883-2 protocol and uses a 480-byte packet size. In contrast, transmission of HDV data over an IEEE 1394a link is governed by IEC 61883-4 protocol and uses a 188-byte packet size. An IEEE 1394a link operates in isochronous S100 mode (98.304 Mbps) when transferring either DV data or HDV data. The S200 (196.608 Mbps) and S400 (393.216 Mbps) modes aren't used.

On Microsoft Windows operating systems, when DV data is transferred over an IEEE 1394a link and saved to a hard disk drive as an .avi* (audio video interleaved) file, there's header information at the start of the .avi file which contains a FourCC (4-character code) identifying the codec (coder-decoder or compressor/decompressor) that was used to encode the video data contained within the file. In the case of DV data, this four-character code is set to 'dvsd', meaning Digital Video Standard Definition. The precise format of this data is officially defined in Part 2 of a document entitled Specification of Consumer-use Digital VCRs, also known as the "Blue Book". Ironically, Part 3 of the "Blue Book" defines a high definition version of DV to which Microsoft has assigned a FourCC of 'dvhd', meaning Digital Video High Definition. High definition DV, however, has never been commercially implemented in the form of available products. Instead, the four companies which comprise the HDV Format Co-Promoters group have developed the HDV format.

* A Microsoft Windows .avi file is just like a Microsoft Windows .wav (wave) file or an Apple QuickTime .mov (movie) file in that it's just a container or wrapper file format. The actual audio and/or video datastream(s) contained within the .avi, .mov, or .wav file can be encoded with any number of available codecs. Many users (mistakenly) believe, for example, that a .wav file can only contain uncompressed linear PCM data. This is quite untrue, as the Windows ACM (Audio Compression Manager) facility allows the audio data within a .wav file to be encoded with any ACM-compatible codec which happens to be installed on the system where the encoding is taking place. Similarly, the video data contained within an .avi file can be encoded with any VfW VCM (Video for Windows - Video Compression Manager) codec or DirectShow (part of DirectX) filter that's installed on the encoding system.

Sample still images in JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) format depicting the difference in frame size between NTSC, PAL, JVC's 720p flavor of HDV, and Sony's/Canon's 1080i flavor of HDV, are available at the following Web page.

HDVxDV Sample Images
http://www.dvdxdv.com/hdvxdv.example.htm

HDV hardware support in the form of camcorders and decks comes from Canon, JVC (Japanese Victor Company), Sharp, and Sony, although as of the latest revision to this document, Sharp had not yet introduced any HDV products to the marketplace.

In this author's opinion, HDV is much more of a prosumer/consumer-oriented format than a professional grade format, although it can certainly have applicability in some production situations—especially where cost is a major consideration. Personally, I'd probably feel better about the HDV format if instead of MPEG-2 video compression and MPEG-1 Layer II audio compression, the designers had chosen to use MPEG-4 video compression (which would have provided better-looking pictures at the same data rate) and MPEG-4 AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) audio compression, which would have provided higher quality sound at a much lower data rate.

Note that according to Dave Walton*, General Manager of Corporate Communications at JVC, both 24p video and LPCM audio are included in the HDV specification, although none of the Sony products mentioned on this page implement these capabilities.

* "The 24p mode and LPCM (Linear quantization PCM recording) record/playback capability have been part of [the] HDV format since it was established."

Reference:
JVC Clarifies ProHD Announcement, by Charlie White, Digital Media Net
http://www.creativemac.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=32220

With regard to post production technique, because it's MPEG-2, cuts-only editing at the GOP (group of pictures) level, with no re-compression of the data, is the best approach to take if a high visual quality level is to be maintained. Note also that since the audio is lossy compressed, care should be taken to avoid unnecessary transcoding operations.

Primarily, I see two major things to like about the HDV format.

1. It's quite inexpensive, especially when compared to the cost of other HD formats.
   
   
2. Because it's 4:2:0, it directly translates to DVD-Video, which is also 4:2:0, so chrominance (color) information is maintained. This is an ideal situation if the material will not be edited/enhanced/altered in any way. See the Comments on transcoding from DV25 to MPEG-2 for DVD-Video footnote at the end of this page for additional information on the topic of color space conversion.

Essentially, HDV is to HD as DV is to SD. Despite being a relatively low grade format when compared to other much more expensive HD acquisition options, in a few years HDV may possibly be as pervasive as DV is today. HDV is an HD format. JVC's 720p flavor of HDV conforms to the requirements of the SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) 296M standard and Sony's (and Canon's) 1080i flavor of HDV conforms to SMPTE 274M.

For a good overview of just how HDV fits into the overall HD picture (no pun intended), see the report by David Tamés on the June 16, 2005 SMPTE New England Chapter's Second Annual HD Boot Camp meeting at the following URL.

High Definition From Near to Here
A report on the 2nd Annual SMPTE/NE High Definition (HD) Boot Camp discussing the latest technology in HD.
http://www.newenglandfilm.com/news/archives/05july/hd.htm

For a variety of tips on shooting HDV and handling HDV footage in post, see the article Hands-On HDV: Navigating production and post with HDV compiled by Bryant Frazer, Alison Johns, Beth Marchant, and Linda Romanello published on the Studio Daily Web site on October 1, 2005.

Studio Monthly | Hands-On HDV
http://www.studiodaily.com/studiomonthly/5451.html

Independent filmmakers may wish to read Mike Curtis' April 6, 2007 blog post rant. My advice — do what he says — or else.

OK Indies, listen up - 10 THINGS NOT TO DO
http://www.hdforindies.com/2007/04/ok-indies-listen-up-10-things-not-to-do.html

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY

A good approach to evaluating the suitability of an HDV format camcorder to any given shooting situation or project is to rent/hire one for a day or two and then carefully review the results in light of one's own perception of what constitutes minimum acceptable production values. Any such evaluation should include the entire post production workflow, from acquisition to process to final output, so that an informed judgment can be made. I also think that if it's expected that your project will involve any chroma key work, that this aspect of the production be tested as well.

Here in the U.S., typical daily rental rates in New York and Los Angeles are about $200 to $300 for the Sony HVR-Z1U camcorder and about $175 to $200 for the Sony HVR-M10U VCR. Rates, especially for camcorders, will vary considerably due to specific kit/package contents.

Although most all large and medium-sized U.S. cities are host to a number of video rental facilities, New York and Los Angeles tend to have the most since they are major centers of both film and television production. Two of the larger and more well-known operations are Abel Cine Tech, with locations in both NY and LA, and Birns and Sawyer, Inc. in Hollywood/North Hollywood.

In the midwest, Fletcher Chicago offers both film and video equipment rentals on a daily basis. They may be visited at either their regular site or their Flash-enabled site.

Those who remain undecided as to whether to switch from shooting DV and migrating to HDV may want to read the following article from EventDV magazine which was posted to the Web on July 8, 2005.

EventDV magazine, August 2005, Volume 18, Number 8
eventdv.net: The Main Event: HDV--Is it for Me?, by Doug Graham, Contributing Editor
http://www.eventdv.net/articles/readarticle.aspx?articleid=10175

Of course, that article was published in 2005, and much can change in two years. In today's world, HDV is rather firmly entrenched. Here's an article, also from EventDV magazine, that was posted to the Web on February 28, 2007 and which attempts to answer the question, "How likely are the new AVC-HD camcorders from Panasonic and Sony to find their way into event videographers' gear bags?".

EventDV magazine, March 2007, Volume 20, Number 3
eventdv.net: HD Today: HDV Today, AVC-HD Tomorrow?, by Anthony Burokas, Contributing Editor
http://www.eventdv.net/articles/readarticle.aspx?articleid=12446

Independent filmmakers working on a tight budget, especially those planning a film-out, will be interested in the following article by John Jackman which appeared in the January 2006 issue of DV magazine.

DV magazine, January 2006, Volume 14, Number 1
"HDV to Film: A Real-World Test", by John Jackman, Contributing Editor
http://www.dv.com/features/features_item.php?articleId=174900673

An article describing the results of a follow-up test, using a JVC GY-HD100U camcorder, appeared in the November 2006 issue of the magazine and is available at the following URL.

DV magazine, November 2006, Volume 14, Number 11
"Filmout! - HDV to 35mm Film Transfer Tests With The JVC HD100", by John Jackman, Contributing Editor
http://www.dv.com/features/features_item.php?articleId=193402656

For some additional technical information on the video-to-film process, see the following FAQ on the Videotape Products, Inc. (VTP) Web site.

Film versus Video (Video to Film. Frequently Asked Questions)
http://www.myvtp.com/htm/vidfilm.htm

And here are two articles from Television Broadcast magazine discussing the use of HDV camcorders, including the Canon XL H1, JVC GY-HD100U, and Sony HVR-Z1U, in real-world production situations at television stations here in the U.S.

Television Broadcast magazine, October 2006 (posted October 13, 2006)
"Low Cost HD & The Bleeding Edge", by Michael Silbergleid
http://televisionbroadcast.com/articles/article_1460.shtml

Television Broadcast magazine, November 2006 (posted November 10, 2006)
"HDV For Broadcast: Good Enough? Good Question.", by James Careless
http://www.televisionbroadcast.com/articles/article_1498.shtml

Posted to the Web by Matt Armstrong on March 27, 2007 and available at the following URL, here are four videos well worth watching, in my opinion, with filmmaker Scott Billups, cameraman Jody Eldred, cinematographer James Mathers, and editor Terence Curren, discussing considerations for shooting and editing HDV.

Studio Daily | The Pros and Cons of HDV
http://www.studiodaily.com/main/video/7871.html

BACKGROUND MATERIALS

Two HDV references from DV magazine. Highly recommended reading.

Pre-Roll column, October 2003, Volume 11, Number 10
"HDV and Me", by Jim Feeley, Editor In Chief
http://www.dv.com/features/features_item.php?
LookupId=/xml/feature/2003/feeley1003

Technical Difficulties column, April 2004, Volume 12, Number 4
"Size Isn't Everything: Aspects of Image Quality", by Adam Wilt, Contributing Editor
http://www.dv.com/columns/columns_item.php?articleId=18902627

Adam Wilt's current views on HDV, including a description of some of the challenges inherent in editing and distributing HDV content, can be found in his March 2005 article HDV: A Hands-On Test Drive on the DV.com Web site at the following URL. (At the end of the article, it's noted that Adam "...has had his FX1 2 weeks longer than Steve Jobs has had his.".)

"HDV: A Hands-On Test Drive", by Adam Wilt, Contributing Editor
http://www.dv.com/features/features_item.php?articleId=159905634

An article from Broadcast Engineering magazine recounting use of the JVC JY-HD10U in the production of a television sitcom pilot. Production costs were reduced to $150,000 from an estimated $1,500,000 by use of a three-camera JY-HD10U shoot.

Broadcast Engineering, February 1, 2004
"HDV transforms sitcom budgets", by L. T. Martin, freelance writer
http://www.broadcastengineering.com/ar/
broadcasting_hdv_transforms_sitcom/

Although now somewhat dated due to newer options having become available since originally written, here's an excellent article from Video Systems magazine describing the format and software considerations involved with computer-based editing of material produced by the JVC JY-HD10 camcorder.

Video Systems, September 1, 2003
"How to Edit HDV", by Steve Mullen, Ph.D., Owner, Digital Video Consulting, New York, NY
From capture to final output, the format of the JVC JY-HD10 poses some unique postproduction problems. Here are solutions.
http://digitalcontentproducer.com/mag/video_edit_hdv/

A more-recent Video Systems magazine article by Steve Mullen entitled "High-Resolution DV" covers the Sony HDR-FX1 and HVR-Z1U camcorders. He begins this article by stating that the Sony HDV camcorders "...might be the most elegant camcorders ever designed.".

Video Systems, March 1, 2005
"High-Resolution DV", by Steve Mullen
Sony's HVR-Z1 and HDR-FX1 1080i camcorders ease the transition from DV to HD.
http://digitalcontentproducer.com/mag/video_highresolution_dv/

Down in San Marcos, Texas, Chris Hurd and friends have "thrown together" a Web site, HDV Info Net, devoted to the HDV video format, complete with a bulletin board containing forums covering JVC HDV camcorders and HDV editing solutions.

HDV Info Net - The HDV Format Information Network
http://www.hdvinfo.net/

The Digital Video Information Network (bulletin board)
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/

The Creative Cow HDV Format Forum, moderated by Steve Conner, Tim Kolb, and Derek Serra, is also a good place to go for some interesting discussions on the subject of HDV.

Creative Cow - HDV Format (bulletin board)
http://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bin/new_view_posts.cgi?forumid=162

HDV is the primary topic discussed in the "HD for the Masses/HDV" forum on the 2-Pop Forums Web site.

HD for the Masses/HDV - 2-Pop Forums (bulletin board)
http://www.2-popforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=194

HDV is also heavily discussed in the "High Definition Cameras & High Definition Camcorders" forum on the High Def Forum - Your High Definition Community & High Definition Resource bulletin board.

High Def Forum - High Definition Cameras & High Definition Camcorders (bulletin board)
http://www.highdefforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=3

More discussions on the subject can be found in the "HDV Forum" on the Video University Web site at the following URL.

Video University Forums: HDV (bulletin board)
http://videouniversity.com/forums/gforum.cgi?forum=19

Users in the U.K. will be interested in the DVdoctor.net "HDV and HD" forums.

HDV and DV - DVdoctor.community (bulletin board)
http://forums.dvdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=35

Users in Germany will be interested in the Videotreffpunkt (Video Meeting Place) "HDV Forum".

Videotreffpunkt HDV Forum (bulletin board)
http://www.videotreffpunkt.com/board.php?boardid=41

Users in Australia will be interested in the "High Def Video" forum provided by the publishers of Australian Video Camera magazine.

Australian Video Camera High Def Video Forum (bulletin board)
http://www.videocamera.com.au/bbs/viewforum.php?f=6

Users in Argentina will want to visit the ClubPremiere HDV forum (bulletin board) at the following URL.

ClubPremiere :: Ver Foro - HDV (bulletin board)
http://clubpremiere.com.ar/foro/viewforum.php?f=23935

Professional video users in Brazil will be interested in Paulo Amaral's Vídeo-BR bulletin board at the following URL.

Vídeo-BR :: Índice do Fórum (bulletin board)
http://videobr.pro.br/forum/

Canadian residents will want to visit the "Digital Cameras and Camcorders Equipment and Software" forum (bulletin board) on the Digital Home Web site at the following URL.

Digital Cameras and Camcorders Equipment and Software - Digital Forum
http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=33

Another good source for HDV-related information is Kerr Cook's Sony HDV Info bulletin board (not associated with Sony Corporation, but registered to Robin Liss of Camcorder Info).

Sony HDV Info (bulletin board)
http://www.sonyhdvinfo.com/

The good folks up at DV Shop in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, have assembled a page of useful HDV-related links at the following URL.

HDV Café Hi Def Video Resources
http://www.hdvcafe.com/

The following link will return a list of links that del.icio.us blogosphere users consider to be noteworthy HDV-related Web-based resources.

del.icio.us HDV tags
http://del.icio.us/tag/HDV?setcount=100

The DVGuys, Philip Hodgetts and Ron Margolis, entitled their live streaming Internet audio show of Thursday, March 3, 2005 "HDV Night". Guests were Jody Eldred, Craig Birkmaier, Mark Shepherd, and Mike Curtis—all of whom had some interesting comments to make about the HDV format. The DVGuys have since evolved into Digital Production BuZZ (now a Creative Planet Community, a division of United Entertainment Media, itself a part of CMP Entertainment Media, Inc., now NewBay Media/Wicks Group), but I've received permission to host a copy of the show on this site. It has a running time of approximately 66 minutes and is available as an AAC LC-encoded (Advanced Audio Coding - Low Complexity) downloadable .m4b* (MPEG-4 Bookmarkable) file via the following link.

* Windows users can play this file using the free Apple QuickTime Player program.

Note that to avoid the possibility of skipping, pausing, and buffering delay issues caused by the clip's high data rate, it's suggested that you use your browser's Save Link As... / Save Target As... / etc. function to download the file to your system for local playback rather than attempting to pseudo-stream it in realtime directly from this Web server.

DVGuys "HDV Night" show of March 3, 2005
dvg05_03_03.m4b [12,499,103 bytes] 

And speaking of Jody Eldred, here's a 3-minute Microsoft .wmv (Windows Media Video) clip of Jody discussing how he used a Sony HVR-Z1U camcorder to shoot some difficult footage for a portion of an episode of the CBS network television series JAG (Judge Advocate General). This footage was shot, edited, and encoded by Douglas Spotted Eagle of VASST (Video, Audio, Software, Support and Training), the training arm of Sundance Media Group, and appears here with their kind permission.

Note that to avoid the possibility of dropped frames and buffering delay issues caused by the clip's high data rate, it's suggested that you use your browser's Save Link As... / Save Target As... / etc. function to download the file to your system for local playback rather than attempting to pseudo-stream it in realtime directly from this Web server.

Interview with Jody Eldred by Douglas Spotted Eagle
Interview_with_Jody_Eldred.wmv [12,470,672 bytes] 

DigitalSolutions A/S in Denmark have posted some HDV samples, taken with a Sony camcorder, in the form of an anamorphic (1440 by 1080) uncompressed .tif (TIFF or Tagged Image File Format) file and an .m2v (MPEG-2 Video) file. These two files are linked from the following Web page, although I've also provided direct links to these files below.

DigitalSolutions Denmark A/S (HDV Samples)
http://www.digitalsolutions.dk/hdv.htm

Direct Links:

Sådan ser en full frame HDV ud - Downloades som TIFF. (Hvidovre havn)
[TIFF - 4,682,172 bytes]
http://www.digitalsolutions.dk/billeder/HvidovreHavn.tif 

Download 5 sekunders Native HDV klip (Kræver HDV-Transport stream afspiller 15Mb)
[MPEG-2 Video - 14,909,846 bytes]
http://www.digitalsolutions.dk/Support/HDV/5secHDV.m2v 

In Germany, HD-Channel.com have posted over a dozen sample HDV clips, in Microsoft .wmv (Windows Media Video) HD (high definition) 1080p and 720p formats, from Sony HDR-FX1 and JVC JY-HD10 camcorders. These clips are available for download via links on the following Web page.

HD-Channel.com (HDV Samples)
http://www.hd-channel.com/

Those who read the Hugarian language will be interested in the excellent technical overview of HD/HDV posted by Gaia-Film Kft. at the following URL.

HD, HDTV, HDV, UHDV
http://www.gaia.hu/hd.htm

Sony has prepared an informative, introduction/overview type of document on the HDV format. It's entitled Sony HDV Technology Handbook and includes a glossary of terms and an HDTV (High Definition Television) historical development timeline. I've made a copy available for download via the link given below. It's not only recommended reading for anyone new to the subjects of HDV and/or HDTV, but can also prove useful in situations where help is needed in convincing someone, such as a business partner or significant other, that an expenditure on HDV/HDTV equipment is an extraordinarily worthwhile, extremely desirable, and tremendously rewarding investment.

Sony HDV Technology Handbook 
[Dated October 19, 2004 - English language - 30 pages - 841,148 bytes]

Sony has also published a consumer-level/sales-oriented booklet entitled The Ultimate Guide to HDTV and HD Audio. I've made a copy available for download via the following link.

The Ultimate Guide to HDTV and HD Audio 
[Dated August 9, 2005 - English language - 16 pages - 1,283,588 bytes]

A Sony-written white paper on HDV can be downloaded via the link given below. [Side note: Page 6 of this Sony HDV White Paper, under the heading "Shooting HDV for SD distribution", states in part, "Shooting HDV original footage and editing in HD produces standard definition DVDs which are visually superior to those using DV content. Since the MPEG-2 compression used by HDV utilizes the same 4:2:0 color space as the DVD standard, the color sampling remains consistent throughout the production, editing, and encoding workflow. In comparison, content acquired in DV is sampled at 4:1:1, then re-sampled at 4:2:0 during the DVD encoding process, yielding a visually inferior 4:1:0 image on the DVD." Coincidentally, this is exactly the same argument that I make in the footnote entitled Comments on transcoding from DV25 to MPEG-2 for DVD-Video, located down at the bottom of this Web page — and no, I did not write this White Paper for Sony.]

Sony HDV White Paper 
[Dated March 2, 2006 - English language - 15 pages - 700,340 bytes]

Sony also offers HDV product information and sampler videos in Microsoft's WMV (Windows Media Video) 720p and 1080p formats. These .wmv files are downloadable via links found on the following Web page. Warning: these four files are fairly large, ranging in size from approximately 82.9 MB to approximately 355 MB.

Sony HDV Demos
http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/minisites/HDV/demos.shtml

Canopus has published an eight-section series of articles about the HDV format. It's available via the following link. Note that I do hold a certain disagreement over their statements about DVI and its (in)ability to support 1080i HD content.

About HDV | Canopus USA
http://www.canopusedu.com/abouthdv/

Doug Jensen, Nate Hill, and Chris Jensen have written and produced a 22-chapter, 90-minute HDV training video entitled HandsOnHDV: A Complete Guide to the HVR-Z1U and HDR-FX1. It's published by Vortex Media of East Greenwich, Rhode Island and JTV Productions of Orem, Utah and is available on DVD for U.S. $85 from the following Web site.

HandsOnHDV: Instructional Videos for Sony HDV Camcorders
http://www.handsonhdv.com/PRODUCT_Z1.html

Douglas Spotted Eagle and Mark Dileo have written a 130-page book (U.S. $24.99) about the HDV format entitled HDV: What You NEED to Know. More information about the book, including downloadable sample pages, can be found at the following URL.

HDV: What You NEED to Know
http://www.vasst.com/printproducts/hdv.htm

A review of "HDV: What You NEED to Know" by Doug Graham, a Contributing Editor at EventDV magazine, was published in the May 2005 issue of the magazine. The review was posted to the magazine's Web site on May 2, 2005 and can be found at the following URL.

EventDV magazine, May 2005, Volume 18, Number 5
eventdv.net: HDV: What You NEED to Know by Douglas Spotted Eagle and Mark Dileo--Book Review by Doug Graham
http://www.eventdv.net/articles/readarticle.aspx?articleid=9873

Update: Douglas Spotted Eagle has produced a revised version of HDV: What You NEED to Know. Information about this expanded, 232-page Second Edition (U.S. $29.99), which includes a DVD containing sample HDV files, demo, trial, and other software, plus an IRE level test chart, can be found at the following URL.

HDV: What You NEED to Know, Second Edition
http://www.vasst.com/product.aspx?id=ed515883-935a-4037-aef0-0ad68139e940

A review by Stephen F. Nathans, Editor-in-chief of EventDV magazine, of the Second Edition of "HDV: What You NEED to Know", was published in the December 2006 issue of the magazine. The review was posted to the magazine's Web site on November 8, 2006 and can be found at the following URL.

EventDV magazine, December 2006, Volume 19, Number 12 - book review by Stephen F. Nathans
eventdv.net: Book Review: Douglas Spotted Eagle's HDV: What You Need to Know, 2nd ed. (The Complete Guide)
http://www.eventdv.net/articles/readarticle.aspx?articleid=12059

Steve Mullen has written a 270-page e-book (U.S. $39.95) entitled Sony HVR-Z1 and HDR-FX1 Handbook: HDV Technology, Production, and Post-Production. Additional information can be found at the following URL.

Sony HVR-Z1 and HDR-FX1 Handbook
http://www.knowledge-download.com/SonyHDV/

Steve Mullen has also written a 280-page-plus e-book (U.S. $39.95) entitled JVC ProHD Handbook. The book covers the JVC GY-HD100, GY-HD110, GY-HD200, and GY-HD250 camcorders and includes production, post production, and distribution information. This e-book can be ordered online at the following URL.

JVC ProHD Handbook
http://www.knowledge-download.com/JVCHDV/

Steve Mullen has also written a 300-page-plus e-book (U.S. $39.95) entitled Sony HVR-V1 and HDR-FX7 Handbook. This e-book can be ordered online at the following URL.

Sony HVR-V1 and HDR-FX7 Handbook
http://www.knowledge-download.com/V1-FX7/

Andrew Lock offers a book (U.S. $24.99) entitled How to Shoot, Edit & Distribute HDV. The book is available through the Edgewise Media Web site at the following URL.

How to Shoot, Edit & Distribute HDV
http://www.edgewise-media.com/howtosheddih.html

A review of Andrew Lock's "How to Shoot, Edit & Distribute HDV" by Stephen F. Nathans, Editor-in-chief of EventDV magazine, was published in the April 2006 issue of the magazine. The review was posted to the magazine's Web site on February 26, 2006 and can be found at the following URL.

EventDV magazine, April 2006, Volume 19, Number 4 - book review by Stephen F. Nathans
eventdv.net: Book Review: Andrew Lock's How to Shoot, Edit & Distribute HDV
http://www.eventdv.net/articles/readarticle.aspx?articleid=11087

In September 2005, the Muska & Lipman division of Thomson Course Technology PTR (Professional - Technical - Reference) published, as part of its Aspiring Filmmaker's Library, a 488-page book (list price $49.99) by Chad Fahs entitled HDV Filmmaking. The book is available direct from the publisher for $44.99 or from Amazon.com for $32.99.

HDV Filmmaking
http://www.courseptr.com/ptr_detail.cfm?group=film&isbn=1-59200-828-3

In September 2006, the Focal Press division of Elsevier B.V. published a 256-page book (list price $34.95) by Chuck Gloman and Mark J. Pescatore, Ph.D. entitled Working with HDV: Shoot, Edit, and Deliver Your High Definition Video. The book is available from Amazon.com for $23.07.

Working with HDV: Shoot, Edit, and Deliver Your High Definition Video
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/product/cws_home/709385

In Australia, two instructional DVDs entitled HandsOnHDV: How to Shoot Like a Pro with the Sony HDR-HC1 Camcorder and HandsOnHDV: A Complete Guide to the Sony HVR-Z1U and HDR-FX1 are available from ON2DVD via the following link for AUS $99.95 and AUS $150.70, respectively, including GST.

HandsOnHDV Training DVD's for SONY HDV Cameras- Australia
http://www.handsonhdv.com.au/

Steve Mullen, in the HDV@Work newsletter that he writes for Video Systems magazine, has published two series of articles, one entitled "Much More about 720p24 HDV" and the other entitled "Just What is 1080i?", both of which are highly recommended reading for anyone interested in gaining a more in-depth understanding of and greater insight into these two topics and related subjects than I've provided here. At the time of this writing, the "Much More about 720p24 HDV" series is comprised of three articles and the "Just What is 1080i?" series consists of five articles and I've provided links to all eight of these articles below.

HDV@Work: Much More about 720p24 HDV

• Part 1 (March 13, 2006)
• Part 2 (March 27, 2006)
• Part 3 (April 10, 2006)

HDV@Work: Just What is 1080i?

• Part 1 (January 23, 2006)
• Part 2 (February 13, 2006)
• Part 3 (February 27, 2006)
• Part 4 (March 27, 2006)
• Part 5 (April 10, 2006)

Videotape Products, Inc. (VTP) of Burbank, California has published a useful HDV FAQ on its Web site at the following URL.

HDV Questions and Answers
http://www.myvtp.com/htm/hdvquest2.htm

OFFICIAL REFERENCE

Official announcement of the HDV format was made in a press release dated September 30, 2003. A copy of this press release is available on the HDV Format Web Site at http://www.hdv-info.org/.

The HDV Format Co-Promoters are as follows:

• Canon Inc.
• Sharp Corporation
• Sony Corporation
• Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC)

Notably absent from the above list, Panasonic (Matsushita Electric Industrial Company), is perhaps more interested in developing its own