Panasonic 1080i recording

[tecstar]

I have just bought a Panasonic HC V500 and it records in 1080/60p but also in 1080/60i. It has 4 modes for 1080/60i : HA HG HX HE of which HA is the highest quality and HE is the lowest quality. All are 1080/60i but as you lower the quality you increase the recording time.
My question is ; if all modes are 1080/60i what is being changed to reduce quality?

[transporterfan]

The bitrate.

1080/60p (28 Mbps / VBR), (1920 x 1080/60p)
HA (17 Mbps / VBR), (1920 x 1080/60i)
HG (13 Mbps / VBR), (1920 x 1080/60i)
HX (9 Mbps / VBR), (1920 x 1080/60i)
HE (5 Mbps / VBR), (1920 x 1080/60i)
iFrame (28 Mbps / VBR), (960 x 540/30p)

All modes are variable bitrate so it will fluctuate accordingly (some frames will have more data than others=better quality).

Also if you are in the UK, why are you using settings for NTSC and not PAL? you should be on:

1080/50p (28 Mbps / VBR), (1920 x 1080/50p)
HA (17 Mbps / VBR), (1920 x 1080/50i)
HG (13 Mbps / VBR), (1920 x 1080/50i)
HX (9 Mbps / VBR), (1920 x 1080/50i)
HE (5 Mbps / VBR), (1920 x 1080/50i)
iFrame (28 Mbps / VBR), (960 x 540/25p)

http://panasonic.net/avc/camcorder/hd/v500/specifications.html

[tecstar]

Thanks! Doh! Dont know why i didnt think of that. I got the info from a downloaded manual, so i am using the UK PAL settings - sorry to confuse you. I know you should always record the highest quality, but what would be the lowest acceptable bitrate for both SD and HD recording?

[transporterfan]

Depends on what memory you have to play with. Higher bitrates will use it up faster.
All in all (I haven't actually seen the quality for myself) I would shoot at the highest you can get and down convert for SD. Although the HX setting is upper limit for SD DVD, personally (because of the VBR) I would use the HG setting if you plan on SD most of the time. It's a compromise between recording time vs. quality.

Just my preference. Sure someone else will advise othewise!

[smrpix]

but what would be the lowest acceptable bitrate for both SD and HD recording?

Whatever you are personally able to tolerate in terms of sharpness, macroblocking and other artifacts -- especially in motion-intensive scenes.

[tecstar]

but what would be the lowest acceptable bitrate for both SD and HD recording?

Whatever you are personally able to tolerate in terms of sharpness, macroblocking and other artifacts -- especially in motion-intensive scenes.

Thanks. I guess what I should have said was what would be the lowest RECOMMENDED bitrate for both SD and HD recording?

[jagabo]

what would be the lowest acceptable bitrate for both SD and HD recording?

It depends on what you're shooting. With the camcorder mounted on a tripod, shooting a bowl of fruit, with optimal lighting? Very low bitrates. Handheld, bouncing around, in a darkish room, with the gain turned up high (lots of noise)? Very high bitrates. More spacial detail requires more bitrate. Moving fog or smoke, flames, flashing lights, light reflecting off waves on the water, all require more bitrate. In short, the more the video changes from frame to frame, the more bitrate you need.

[smrpix]

There honestly isn't a simple answer to that question. It depends on the content and the circumstances.

The RECOMMENDATION (rule of thumb, anyway) is to always shoot at the highest quality you can because you can always downgrade it later as transporterfan has said. SD cards are cheap compared to missing a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

[tecstar]

Thanks everyone. Much appreciated. I've got my head round all that now! Time to get a better battery (why do they always ship such low capacity ones?) and a bigger SD card!

[budwzr]

Of course you always shoot at the highest quality. There's no film to waste, and if you're filming pelicans a whale might breach coincidentally, or you might catch something that pays big bucks.

[smrpix]

I HATE it when those damned whales keep photobombing my pelican shots. The sharks are even worse.

[tecstar]

I HATE it when those damned whales keep photobombing my pelican shots. The sharks are even worse.

damned marine life....

[budwzr]

I HATE it when those damned whales keep photobombing my pelican shots. The sharks are even worse.

Those octopus can reach up and grab your camcorder too. They go for something shiny.

[smrpix]

But it's worth it when you recover the camera, many of them are great shooters. Indeed, octopuses are well known for their excellent eye.

[tecstar]

But it's worth it when you recover the camera, many of them are great shooters. Indeed, octopuses are well known for their excellent eye.

Is it Octopuses or is it Octopii?

[smrpix]

Is it Octopuses or is it Octopii?

If the'yre interlaced it's octopii, if they're progressive it's octopip.