HD on DVD?

Geebob69

Newbie Joined: Sep 09, 2008 16:30 Messages: 19 Offline

Solved by

Jul 19, 2009 13:00

I know this is a stupid question but after 3 hours of searching this morning I'm tired of looking for the answer.
I've been using PD to make videos from our atv rides. I've been using a couple of sd cameras for raw footage and I'm pleased with the way the movies look on our 42 plasma. I have been looking at a new hd camera as we are preparing for a ride out west next month.
My stupid question is...... If I shoot in hd and edit in PD and only plan to output to dvds will I see any improvement by going to a hd camera??? Plus will I have problems combining video from sd alongside with hd video? If this has been covered in another topic I would appreciate a link.

THanks

pjc

Senior Member Location: Aus Joined: Sep 12, 2008 03:48 Messages: 262 Offline

Jul 19, 2009 16:10

Hi Bob,

I will speak from my experience.

I have an AVCHD HD camera. It looks fantastic and certainly a big improvement over my old SD camera on a 42" HD plasma but this is when played back in HD with a media player
I have converted to DVD for family and friends and the result when using PD is worse than using the SD camera. ie PD with my equipment does a worse job at downscaling to DVD quality from HD than using SD as original footage.

That said I suggest you should seriously consider the upgrade but also factor a HD player in the overall package. The WD HD player is good value and the second version is out soon. Alternatively several BD players play "hybrid" discs which are AVCHD BD format on DVD (about 1 hrs worth). PD can produce these discs.

Geebob69

Newbie Joined: Sep 09, 2008 16:30 Messages: 19 Offline

Jul 19, 2009 16:15

I appreciate the input. The problem is that I make dvds for distribution to friends/family who may/maynot ever upgrade to an hd player.

BarryTheCrab

Senior Contributor Location: USA Joined: Nov 06, 2008 22:18 Messages: 6240 Offline

Jul 19, 2009 16:48

Another route might be to use a 3rd party software to down-convert, then use those files in PD. The koyote is a favorite of mine.

http://www.koyotesoft.com/indexEn.html HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
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ynotfish

Senior Contributor Location: N.S.W. Australia Joined: May 08, 2009 02:06 Messages: 9977 Online

Jul 19, 2009 20:16

Barry -

IMHO, if your main output will be burning the video to DVD, your SD camera will do the job. If you're interested in pjc's suggestion of using the WD HD Media Player (which runs straight off a USB storage device), then it would be worth considering the HD camera.

Cheers -

Tony
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BarryTheCrab

Senior Contributor Location: USA Joined: Nov 06, 2008 22:18 Messages: 6240 Offline

Jul 19, 2009 20:28

Hi Tony!
I just looked at the WD HD player, very interesting bit of hardware. I can see it's usefulness.
I would, however go for an HD camera anyway. Many models shoot both HD and SD, so for me it would be a shame to under-buy.
That doesn't mean you MUST get HD, just another thing to consider.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Jul 19. 2009 20:30

HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT