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  1. Member
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    Hey guys
    Kind of a odd ball question here, but i want your guys opinion. If you had a digital video recorder that records video and audio to a memory card and you had the choice of the format and compression. What format and compression would you want the audio/video to be in so the quality of would be excellent, but would be video editing friendly.

    Thanks.
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    It all depends what format is on your original recording.
    If MPEG, than get Mpeg editor, if AVI (DV format), than get avi editor. The rule is to edit original format before export to DVD or DivX.
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    Tinker,
    I meant like what would be your choice for the orginal recording.
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  4. Member solarfox's Avatar
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    Personally, I would want DV in AVI form, for the best frame-accurate editing, but @ 3.5Mbytes/sec that might be a bit impractical for recording to memory cards...
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    Same here solarfox, what would be your second choice?
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  6. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Second to DV, easiest to edit (ignoring fully uncompressed) would be MPeg2.
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    What about MPEG4 with a H.264 compression or a MOV. with H.264 compression.
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  8. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Higher compressed for more minutes per GB but also more difficult and lossy to edit. If you edit on I frames (half second sccuracy) there is no loss.

    H.264 is intended to be the final playback format and is high quality when used that way. It is more lossy as an acquisition format intended for post editing. H.264 doesn't decompress and recompress well.
    Recommends: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives.
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    If it was to be recorded in MPEG 2, what kind of compression? Also the audio format?
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  10. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by contech
    If it was to be recorded in MPEG 2, what kind of compression? Also the audio format?
    What is your source device format? What is your destination (e.g. DVD, BluRay, other)?

    That usually determines the intermediate format.
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    I don't have a source device format. I was taking about if you had the choice what is the best format if you are recording to a memory card but can be edited. cause i know that alot of the recorders out there that record to memory cards, the video format is not always easily editable. Due to the high compression.
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  12. M-JPEG is also an option (and often used). It is very similar to DV except that it is possible to change the compression level and can encode in a wider range of color spaces (4:4:4, 4:2:2, 4:1:1, 4:2:0). As its name implies, each frame is a JPEG image.

    However, DV can be sent via FireWire. Well, *anything* can be sent by FireWire but DV is well implemented.

    For audio, just common-or-garden PCM.
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  13. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by contech
    I don't have a source device format. I was taking about if you had the choice what is the best format if you are recording to a memory card but can be edited. cause i know that alot of the recorders out there that record to memory cards, the video format is not always easily editable. Due to the high compression.
    That is the trade off. Compression vs. codec losses vs expense.

    At one extreme you have the Panasonic P2 flash ram products (e.g. AG-HVX200) that record 100Mb/s DVCProHD format to P2 flash media. That has very low compression loss, excellent editing but requires very large, wide bandwidth P2 flash cards.
    http://www.panasonic.com/business/provideo/p2-hd/index.asp
    http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=Panasonic+P2+cards&um=1&ie=UTF-8

    The other extreme you have pocket digital cameras recording low quality high compressed H.264 to small flash cards.
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  14. Member solarfox's Avatar
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    I guess one question I'd have to ask you in return, contech, is "why are you asking?"

    Are you contemplating the purchase of a digital camcorder or DVR, and wanting some recommendations on what features to look for or avoid? Are you an engineer who's trying to design a new DVR, and doing some marketing research to find out what features to put in it? Or is this just an abstract exercise in curiosity?
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    Originally Posted by contech
    Tinker,
    I meant like what would be your choice for the orginal recording.
    I am not sure your camera will give you too many choices in compression format. That is usualy set by the size of card it can take, because the space is always a problem. Even with new 4 or 8GB memory cards it will be most likely mpeg2, to get decent recording time.
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  16. ....would be video editing friendly.
    The recording format has nothing to do with how editor friendly it is, other than
    finding an editor that supports the format you settle on.


    P.S.

    I understand that AVCHD used on some HD camcorders is not as widely supported as other formats ...
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    Originally Posted by solarfox
    I guess one question I'd have to ask you in return, contech, is "why are you asking?"

    Are you contemplating the purchase of a digital camcorder or DVR, and wanting some recommendations on what features to look for or avoid? Are you an engineer who's trying to design a new DVR, and doing some marketing research to find out what features to put in it? Or is this just an abstract exercise in curiosity?
    Yes to all your questions
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  18. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Also you need to define "editing" in your mind.

    Lowest: Cuts on I frame can be done to ~half second accuracy without recoding.

    Low-Mid: Cuts can be done within the GOP with only the GOP recoded.

    Mid: Transitions or levels correction filters required.

    Mid-High: Simple title or graphics compositing.

    High: Broadcast level do anything*.


    * This generates maybe 5 more levels.
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