Video Quality on DVD

[Genison]

Simple question. I'm learning about the differences in HD camcorders that record in AVCHD format and the older MPEG-2 standard def format. Say you have a standard definition camcorder with a 490,000 pixel image sensor and a high definition 2.99 megapixel image sensor camcorder. Let's say you take a video from each in their respective highest qualities, then convert both to a common 720x480 ratio in xvid to avi using Handbrake.

Would they look the same?

[minidv2dvd]

there's a lot more to it than just sensor size. sorry but there just isn't any easy answer, there are way to many variables. the easiest answer is you get what you pay for. it applies to camcorders for the most part, the more you spend the better the potential of the video will be.

[Genison]

So, a similarly priced Canon HF22 (standard def) and HF200 (high def) may produce about the same quality if their resolutions are equal? I know there are variables, but the point is does converting a high def video to DVD retain some image quality in the avchd file or is it all lost and no better than a cheap camcorder?

[edDV]

Yes difficult to answer because the path from the HD sensor to an SD DVD envolves many steps each with issues.

1. RGB->recording standard (typ. AVCHD or HDV for consumer cams)

2a. Capture and Edit HD 1440x1080i
2b. Capture and edit SD 720x480i (shoot SD or convert in camera to output SD)

3a. Downsize to 720x480i (most challenging)

4. Encode edited result to 720x480i MPeg2

5. Author DVD

Don't confuse SD with "cheap". An alternative is to buy a quality used prosumer SD DV camcorder and edit/author DVD the traditional way. You would only shoot HD if you wanted to preserve an HD copy for the future or are willing to expend time and/or money* for a pro level downsize.


* More time than money unless you outsource DVD authoring.

[minidv2dvd]

again there are high def cams and then there are HIGH def cams. the optics/lenses/compression format/storage format/ and a whole lot of other things come into play.

on average an HD cam should provide a better source picture than an SD cam. but avchd cams record to compressed mpeg-4, which needs to be re-encoded to mpeg-2 for dvd, and is hard to get an editor to work with, so they lose some there. a canon gl-2 would be preferable to a HD avchd cam for sd work only.

i'm not sure i ever heard of a canon hf22, did you mean fs22? if so one has a ccd sensor and the other a cmos. apples and oranges. they do things differently and both have advantages and drawbacks. the hf200 has a smallish cmos sensor that is better in low light but suffers from a rolling shutter. hd does have a higher cache value so some points there. the mpeg-2 of the fs22 would go straight to dvd, the hf200 needs re-encoding.

all in all i'd give the hf200 a slight advantage, especially if you ever wanted to play the video off the cam to a HD tv.

my personal choice would be the canon hv30/40 in that price range. larger cmos sensor, but to HDV tape in a HD mpeg-2 format. a little more editor friendly.

[Genison]

Yeah, sorry I mean an FS22. What brings me to this discussion is my HF200 purchase. I got a really good deal on an open box unit for $540. I know what I have to do to re-encode to a simple MPEG-2 format that is easily editable. What I'm wrestling with is I don't know that I will ever use the full hd file that I would archive. I think I would only use the MPEG-2 version and probably never more than a standard 720x480 resolution. So, I'm thinking about saving some money (plus an easier file format to deal with) taking the HF200 back and going with a simple FS200 which is not the best video quality. What I know for certain is I just don't want to deal with tapes. I am sold on SD card format.

I suppose the only thing keeping me is thinking the HF200 would still produce a better quality video even after re-encoding and reducing the resolution for DVD.

[SCDVD]

Many editors and their encoders do a lousy job of encoding SD from a HD source. In many cases they yield worse results than a straight SD source to SD output.

For more info, read this http://www.precomposed.com/blog/2009/07/hd-to-sd-dvd-best-methods/