Hd dvd

[Robvid]

Hi I'm new to this forum and I have joined because I have just boght a Sony Alpha A55 which records HD video.
I have been videoing family, holidays and general interest for some years using mini tape based dedicated video cameras and then producing DVDs using various versions of Pinnacle Studio.
I am currently using v14 which provides many different output formats including HD DVD.
My question is this :- What is the advatage of capturing in HD (with my A55) over SD tape ?
HD DVD died if I am not mistaken so is BlueRay the only way to see the benifit of the HD capture?
If so I am stuffed as Pinnacle doesn't output to BlueRay and I don't have a BlueRay recording drive.
Comments suggestions and advice would be appreciated.

[Robvid]

I was hoping for some reponse. Do I need to be more specific with the title?

[jagabo]

You can burn high definition video to regular DVDs that can play in Blu-ray players (not regular DVD players). This is called AVCHD. You will get much sharper and more detailed recordings when you watch those on an HDTV. I don't know what Pinnacle Studio supports.

[Robvid]

jagabo, many thanks for your reply.
Now I understand. Pinnacle can indeed burn in AVCHD format which is also the format that the new camera saves in.
I had no idea that that format could be saved to standard DVDs but played back on BlueRay players.
You have helped me to make my decission regarding a replacement DVD player. It has to be BlueRay despite a very minor interest in pre-recored material.
Having an HDTV and a camera that records in HD BlueRay is the only answer-----or should I get a 3D BlueRay player and be future proof?

[edDV]

HD DVD died if I am not mistaken so is BlueRay the only way to see the benifit of the HD capture?
If so I am stuffed as Pinnacle doesn't output to BlueRay and I don't have a BlueRay recording drive.
Comments suggestions and advice would be appreciated.

Not sure what Pinnacle Studio does but there are three ways to prepare video for playback on a Blu-Ray player.

1. Formal Blu-Ray authoring (see https://www.videohelp.com/hd)

2. Simplified "AVCHD" disc folder structure that can use MPeg2, h.264 or VC-1 (must be in m2ts wrapper) to DVDR or BD/BE disc media. A good program to prepare these is MultiAVCHD.

3. Direct playback from USB2 flash, external hard drive, Ethernet, or simple DVDR playback.

All Blu-Ray players do #1, most later models do #2. #3 varies player to player so must be researched.

Another option is a an HD media player.

[edDV]

jagabo, many thanks for your reply.
Now I understand. Pinnacle can indeed burn in AVCHD format which is also the format that the new camera saves in.
I had no idea that that format could be saved to standard DVDs but played back on BlueRay players.

AVCHD format from a camcorder is not exactly the AVCHD disc structure required by Blu-Ray players. The bridge between the two is Multi-AVCHD but some edit programs may directly burn an "AVCHD" DVDR.

You have a problem with your listed computer. Pinnacle requires a Core2Duo/Quad but recommends an i7.

[Robvid]

edDV, Thanks for both your responses - plenty to think about and investigate.
My PC works fine with Pinnacle, its described as a Pentium Dual Core which may be the same as a Core2Duo? It shows as two processors.
Pinnacle accepts the AVCHD files from the camera and allows me to edit them. So far I have only used the DVD output but it can output in many different formats to DVD or File including HDDVD, which I am assuming is no longer, and AVCHD but not BlueRay.
However I guess the only way to find out for sure if the AVCHD output will work is to get a BlueRay player and try it.
Thanks again.

[jagabo]

If you don't want a Blu-ray player you can also get standalone media players that should be able to play your files directly from a USB flash drive, USB hard drive, or network share.

[edDV]

Think of a media player as a Blu-Ray player without a disc slot. They play files directly from drives or networks including internet streams when connected. The only reason to record to a disc is to send to someone else that lacks a fast network connection. Optical discs have failed to keep up on price per GB and are becoming unnecessary. The bookshelf is full and forgotten.