HD signal formats and recording modes

[ProducerHarley]

Hello all.Depending on what high definition camcorder I get,when I get it how do I determine these 2 things:1.HD signal formats,2.Recording modes.Are there any articles that explain these various high definition modes?Thank you.

[edDV]

Hello all.Depending on what high definition camcorder I get,when I get it how do I determine these 2 things:1.HD signal formats,2.Recording modes.Are there any articles that explain these various high definition modes?Thank you.

Google is your friend. Here is a start on HD camcorder formats.

Pro (if you have to ask price, you probably can't afford it)
HDCAM-SR (1920x1080p RGB 24 fps) --> Star Wars III, IV
HDCAM (1440x1080i/29.97) --> standard for broadcast TV
DVCProHD (1280x960/59.94) --> ABC/FOX/ESPN fast action
AVC-Intra (next generation mid level broadcast)
XDCAM-HD (1440x1080i/29.97 Blu-Ray) --> Network News/Cable Reality
XDCAM-EX (1440x1080i/29.97 Flash Ram) --> Network News/Cable Reality
HDV (1280x720p/59.94) --> High Action Sports
HDV (1440x1080i/29.97) --> Small Market News/Cable Reality/Weddings/Corporate

Consumer
HDV (1440x1080i/29.97) --> Prosumer standard
HDV (1440x1080p/24) --> Sundance wannabe
AVCHD 25Mb/s --> Flash Ram or Hard Disk, (h.264 based, difficult to edit)
AVCHD 15Mb/s --> Flash Ram or Hard Disk, (h.264 based, difficult to edit, low end)
h.264 direct --> Toy class, can play to HDTV (unsupported for editing unless you geek up)