HDV 50i or 25p, which is best for future proofing??

[chris langham]

Hi there,
I'M CONFUSED!! I've just bought a Canon HV20 and I just don't know whether it is best to campture in 50i (interlaced) or 25p (progressive mode) for future proofing. I probably can't afford a HD TV and player for many more years, but just wanted to future-proof my home movies now.
I understand the main differences in progressive and interlaced, and the effect on the picture quality (interlaced smoother, progressive a bit more movie-like and jerky), but have also read that most HD TV's will be progressive in future anyway, so which should I capture to?

Also, if I captured to 50i, can the interlaced frames simply be removed later with computer to leave the 25p anyway? Or visa verse (convert 25p to 50i).

Please help - we're expecting a little girl in 2 weeks so I would love to make the right choice from day 1.

Thanks

[racer-x]

If you're unsure, always use Interlaced. More options that way. Yes you can post process the interlaced footage to just about anything you want. Avisynth is a great tool for that. If you shoot high motion scenes like sports, you should use 50i. If you shoot low motion scenes and use a good tripod (preferably one with a fluid head), then go ahead and shoot 25p.........

[chris langham]

Thanks a lot, that's great to know. So basically is the 25 progressive frames still intact in the 50i footage? Does that mean with Avisynth I can remove the interlaced frames and be left with the clearer (but perhaps a little jumpier) 25p??
It's quite confusing which is the best when you get them out of the box. I won't be shooting any sports stuff, mainly just my kids, but even so I want to make sure I can maximise the quality.

Just out of interest then. A good quality LCD/plasma screen with a Blueray/HDVD player uses 1920x1080 i or p doesn't it? But what framerate can be put onto the discs?

Right I'm off to switch off the 25p mode on my Canon then. So why do the reviews say it's so good if you have mroe options with post processing with 50i??

Thanks again, and praise to Videohelp again for havign so many helpful people around who are willing to help a stranger.

[racer-x]

25p (pal) or 24p (ntsc) would be ideal to use for low-motion footage shot by a steady/smooth camera. The problem is that most people shoot hand held. For that, it's better to use 50i (pal) or 60i (ntsc). 50 fields will always be smoother than 25 fps. The Canon HV20 shoots in 1440 x 1080. The 25p are full frames. The 50i mode is made up of fields which measure 1440 x 540, so there is a resolution loss, but you won't notice on the TV.

I have a Canon HV20 and shoot 90% sports with it. I always use 60i for those instances. I'll be shooting a wedding next month. For that, I may shoot 24p because I can take advantage of the slower 1/48 shutter speed for the low-light indoor shooting. I have a nice Bogen tripod with a Fluid Head to keep the camera smooth and steady.

[chris langham]

Thanks again for the info, I'm still a bit confused though.
I opened two short scenes in Vegas, one with the HDV mode and the other with HDV 25p mode, but I couldn't seem to tell the difference or see any properties information to confirm which was progressive and which was interlaced. It seemed to depend on whether or not I opened a p or i project whether or not you could see interlaced artifacts on BOTH scenes. Am I missing something here?

May I just ask a couple of extra questions (I have tried searching for answers but not had any luck):
-Is there a simple bit of software to either view i and p footage, in order to see the differences you mentioned (interlace lines or 25p "stuttering") and decide for myself what I can live with?
-Otherwise is there any way of seeing with Vegas or other software the frame properties
-How can you get the HDV footage to play on Windows Media Player?
-If future TVs and HD players are 25p will 50i footage still look stuttery but with worse resolution than if I shot 25p with my Canon.

Sorry if I'm coming across really dense. I usually pick this stuff up pretty quickly. These Canon HV20 cams are pretty good though aren't they!

thanks again