editing hd

[devdev]

hi

i run a small media transfer company and im increasingly getting asked to capture hd footage and edit/place on a chaptered dvd. since i dont have any hd editing software as yet, i've so far converted to mpeg2 first and then used tmpgenc dvd to cut and author with chapters to dvd.

the camcoders so far were panasonic and sony.

What id love to know is there a generic hd format that i can capture in (ie not proprietary to say sony) and something like tmpgenc that i can use to create authored hd dvds with?

also - is there other software out there that can carry out more advanced hd editing in that doesnt cost an arm and a leg?

cheers!

[minidv2dvd]

as long as the final format is regular dvds, you are handling them about as well as it can be done. until the big cam companies settle on one format for HDv we're out of luck. vegas does a fair job with HD, but you need big cpu horsepower under the hood of your comp.

i'd really like a HDv deck that could at least do both cannon 1080p and sony 1080i HDv tapes but the one sony was supposed to produce, it looks like they took a pass on. they decided to record all their HDV(p) modes as 1080i on tape instead of supporting 1080p.

[devdev]

hello - thanks for that lot!

didnt know much of that!

does the final format - ie dvd or blu-ray matter at all? ie are they simply carriers of info distinguished by capacity only

[minidv2dvd]

the final product matters quite a bit. dvd is still a much more common format and easier/much cheaper to produce. single blank bluray media is still selling for around $10.

[Cornucopia]

You need to try to find out from your clients what they REALLY want...

And learn to distinguish the resolution format vs. the application authoring format vs. the storage media.

E.G.:
You can have SD resolution on a DVD (in authored--aka DVD-Video, or unauthored--aka files on a disk--formats).
You can also have SD resolution on an HD-DVD or BD (in authored or unauthored formats). If they're authored to be set-top compatible, they'll need to have been authored specifically for HD-DVD or BD (though both do include SD resolutions as a subset of available choices).

If you have HD resolution, you usually need it on HD-DVD or BD discs (preferably authored), although there are guides to show how to put it on DVDs in authored format. Think of these as "mini-HDDVDs" or "mini-BDs". They are, however, not always playable on all (or even many) settops.

Scott