You want image quality?

hdd-based cams are still not there yet.

AVCHD is dead. Maybe it'll get resurrected later, but I'm not holding my breath If you want to do anything even remotely related to video-editing, avoid AVCHD.

And since you use Bravia, PS3 (OMG WHY!), just go the extra mile and get the Sony camera.

HDV is almost maturity, and unless you have superman eyes, HDV and HD have no difference visually.

Okay here's the thing.

AVCHD is a great format.

but anything else, it's not really up there yet to HDV.

Notice that I said FORMAT, not avchd cams or anything else.


One thing you need to know is that AVCHD uses TONS of memory, compared to HDV. I take it that since you're sort of an indie-amateur camera guy, you'd want ease of use and time more, right?

Well first you gotta need a really powerful PC. Use anything less than a 6 months old PC and you'll gonna kill your family soon

Then, you have to be a one-editing-program guy. No matter how much AVCHD support [insert software name] claims, it's still not as mature as HDV. My experience as someone who makes tv production as a living tells me never to trust whatever software name claims to the heart. Vegas hangs. Premiere crashes. They might say AVCHD compatible, but it might not be 100% supported yet. Think about it: HDV's been there for ages, and still a lot of editing software versions will keep claiming "better HDV support" version by version.

My advice is this: Should you choose the AVCHD way (which judging by your posts is very likely, hey it's your money and sakit kepala anyway ) do keep in mind a number of things:
1. Make sure the camera is supported (even EXPLICITLY!) by your editing software
2. Make sure you edit in it's own harddisk
3. Be prepared to convert/transcode your AVCHD files into M2TS files, or RAW or some generic format. Tools like AvcHD2HQW, TMPGenc, ProCoder, WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE.
4. UNDERSTAND how much AVCHD support your editing software has got. You'd be surprised, some software that says "AVCHD supported" can't even output back to AVCHD!

No matter how much I loathe tapes, auto-dumping one hour of footage while I sleep or taking a shower is no hassle at all. Just needs a bit of extra planning, and editing needs a hell lot of planning right?


Some of the things that I wrote back then:
http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...dpost&p=8405683

This post has been edited by C-Fu: Jun 20 2007, 02:27 PM

That's indie allright You're doing it solely out of passion.

Be it for your family, or for others, or for showing off on youtube.


No such thing as an amateur indie or professional indie

Perhaps I should also warn you, that HDD cams are FRAGILE. Simply put, it is not as hardcore as tape cams when you want to run and gun, point and shoot, or walk and record.

I don't know about the recent cams, but the ones that I peered open last time had cheap cheap harddisks inside them.

To put it simply, I wouldn't trust recording using HDD-based cam on a roller coaster

I wouldn't trust a generic bag to put my camera and accessories into. Dedicated camera bags are ESSENTIAL. You are spending thousands for some electronic gizmo and then paying 2 ringgit for a bag. Crushers are expensive, but I'm not sure if it's meant for storing cams. Remember I said fragile?