I shot my local fireworks with the HV20 earlier this evening. Set it on Fireworks...adjusted the mic gain on the fly....the result is simply phenominal. The camera never...and I mean never lost focus...not once. Having shot fireworks with other machines in the past I know this can be an issue. The fireworks are vivid, sharp, detailed against a inky black sky.

I played back the show several times on my plasma...marveling at the outcome.

Did the show handheld...the OS did its job.

This is an amazing machine.....

Did the show handheld...the OS did its job.

This is an amazing machine.....

Hey! Maybe I'll buy one of these machines :) .

Seriously, what's holding me back is the fact I don't have a true HD display and there's a lot of confusion about editing, processing and burning the footage to a DVD or Blu-ray disc.

The HV20 is certainly an impressive and affordable machine, but I fear the purchase would lead to even much greater expense.

My projector is a 1368x1024 Hitachi LCOS system with DVI input but no HDMI. Can I connect the HV20 by way of an HDMI/DVI converter to my projector and get the full resolution output the projector is capabale of? Can I then connect the audio output to my Dolby Digital 5.1 receiver and get synchronised sound?

Can I spend the rest of my life tussling with the incompatibility issues and raging against the idiocy of the multiplicity of different formats and standards designed to protect invested interests rather than make life uncomplicated for the customer?

These are the questions that trouble me.

Sounds great. The problem for me is that I know I'll have to buy the wide angle converter ($130) and the camera will then be too large to pocket (in most pockets). I like to shoot on the street with as little equipment as possible. The Panny SD1 is the right size with a much wider angle lens.
The nut to crack is the archiving and the editing of AVCHD material. I do prefer to use a more recognized format: HD and MiniDV(tapes). But the Panny is tempting.
Hmmmm . . .

BTW: The DVI/HDMI adapter should work. And the audio connection to the receiver should be no problem.
The PJ will down scale to 1280X720.

Can I spend the rest of my life tussling with the incompatibility issues and raging against the idiocy of the multiplicity of different formats and standards designed to protect invested interests rather than make life uncomplicated for the customer?Yes. Yes, you can.
For advances and improvements to occur backward compatability is sometimes strained but I think it all works out. You just can't play your LP in a CD player. ;)

The HV10 also does a great job recording fireworks using the "fireworks" setting.
Regarding the focus - I suspect that the fireworks setting changes the focus to "infinite".

I have the HV20 and I did a test to Adobe Premiere 2.0 and Encore, and captured and then burned a dvd. It looks great. Of course not hidef.

My understanding even though it is true HD, that it would be in hdv quality which is about 1080 by 1400.
Adobe is coming out with their new software this month which will burn blue ray. I am still confused about, hD dvd. The hd dvd guys have really dropped the ball.
I have yet to buy a player and I have stopped purchasing dvd's..
gerry

Sounds great. The problem for me is that I know I'll have to buy the wide angle converter ($130) and the camera will then be too large to pocket (in most pockets). I like to shoot on the street with as little equipment as possible. The Panny SD1 is the right size with a much wider angle lens.
The nut to crack is the archiving and the editing of AVCHD material. I do prefer to use a more recognized format: HD and MiniDV(tapes). But the Panny is tempting.
Hmmmm . . .

BTW: The DVI/HDMI adapter should work. And the audio connection to the receiver should be no problem.
The PJ will down scale to 1280X720.

Yes. Yes, you can.
For advances and improvements to occur backward compatability is sometimes strained but I think it all works out. You just can't play your LP in a CD player. ;)

I know I'll also want a wide-angle converter, but also a teleconverter. Since the camera is essentially taking lots of 2mp still images rapidly, the lens quality with converters attached should be good enough for what is basically a low resolution image from a 'still camera' perspective.

I'd also want an external mic, just in case I want to record a song & dance routine :) .

So that's probably doubled the price of the camera already. The next issue would be computer hardware. I've already wasted hours trying to find a program that will do a simple conversion from Windows Media Player audio/video to a DVD format, or S-VCD format that will play on a stand alone DVD player.

No problem converting the video, but the sound gets lost so I'm watching a silent movie. I understand that Microsoft keeps changing the rules as it develops WMP. Now I'm fully confident that if I persevere, I'll get things to work eventually; find out that I need a particular codec or whatever, but do I want these hassles, I ask myself.

Whenever I show my sample HV20 footage of a busy street scene, on WMP 11 on my Win XP 64 bit system, people always comment that the movement of the vehicles is not smooth, and it isn't. I've downloaded the latest Microsoft updates and the latest driver for my video card, and there's no improvement.

In order to give myself the best chance of avoiding such hassles with a new HV20, I think I'd probably want a new, dedicated computer just for video processing; one with a specialised video card that takes on board a lot of the work, as well as lots of RAM, a fast processor and a huge hard drive.

I never had these sorts of problems with audio CD. Out of the hundreds of audio CDs I bought over the years, I remember only ever returning one (maybe 2) discs that wouldn't play faultlessly.

I never had any problems trying to play my vinyl LPs on a CD player. I could see straight away they just wouldn't fit in the drawer, so I never even tried. :)

You might want to try another editing program. (However, I have no experience with Hi Def.)

I used Ulead's VideoStudio 9 to capture my SD footage. It would convert it to Mpeg format. It was pretty good, not sharp but very fluid.
When I rendered I used lower field first. I also rendered using frame and the difference was obvious on my 720P PJ. Lower Field was best.
It's a good idea to try any options offered that might affect PQ. I did try Windows Movie Player when I first got my DV camcorder. I did not like how many problems there were. So I got the Ulead software.
The newer Ulead (actually Corel now) VideoStudio 11 is supposed to be HDV and AVCHD friendly.

My computer at the time I edited was an AMD based 3800+ (single core) machine. 1 Gig of memory (I now have 2 gigs - it's better) and an Nvidia 7600GT videocard.

My next computer will probably (hopefully?) be an Intel. I want quad core and as fast as I can afford.

I almost got a 45 into a CD player once. :)

[QUOTE=Cyrano]Sounds great. The problem for me is that I know I'll have to buy the wide angle converter ($130) and the camera will then be too large to pocket (in most pockets). I like to shoot on the street with as little equipment as possible. ]

FWIW, I bought a 'cheapie' wideangle converter for about $45 bucks on ebay. It turned out to be manufactured by Tokina, which is one of the big 3 aftermarket lens manufacturers. It works amazingly well. Even cheap glass is capable of resolving the requirements of HD...other issues such as CA, distortions, notwithstanding.

As someone else mentioned, the HV20 does fix the focus at infinity without change, in certain modes.

I can post in a couple weeks with the following setup.

HV20
Sony Vegas Studio Platinum 8 (already received), + (HDV and AVCHD compat)

Bought it at the egg after being on auto-notify for 4 days.

Will be delivered Monday by the big brown turd.

I did shoot fireworks Wednesday with my Panasonic PV-GS35.
Did manual, 12db gain, open iris manny focus. Haven't burned yet, but no reason to think it didn't turn out.

I bought the HV20 for my Son's football games, HS and Pop Warner.
Can't wait to try it out, as I scout teams with it as well since I coach.

Thanks for all the info here, as it was one of the reasons I bought the HV20, that and the shootout at cam info.

Regards,
Joe

ps- The egg is out with available stock set at 7/10. If you sign up they will auto notify you when they are back in stock. 30 day exchange return. I was on auto-notify for 4 days when I got my email, and they were gone by the end of the day. Good price too.

Hardware
2 Hard drives at 80 and 300gb
Athlon 3000+ Barton oc to 2.31ghz (somewhere around there)
ATI x1650xt vid card 512mb gddr3
3gb ram on computer

FWIW, I bought a 'cheapie' wideangle converter for about $45 bucks on ebay. It turned out to be manufactured by Tokina, which is one of the big 3 aftermarket lens manufacturers. It works amazingly well. Even cheap glass is capable of resolving the requirements of HD...other issues such as CA, distortions, notwithstanding.

As someone else mentioned, the HV20 does fix the focus at infinity without change, in certain modes.
Hi -
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into a Tokina lens.

- Could you tell me if it affects the auto focus at all?

- Is there any vignetting at any point in the zoom range?

- AND: What is the model # of your Tokina lens?

Thanks!

Big brown turd truck says it's out for delivery. :)

Going home for lunch, ups usually arrives about 12:20 in my neighborhood.
Then I'll charge it up, and when I get home this evening, film some HD stuff, maybe go catch the last part of my son's football practice.

BTW- Anyone else having problems getting the sony HD mini-dv tapes? (at a decent price).

Took me a week to find them. Finally went to cc yesterday, and bought their last 3, so I have a total of 6. Used a BB price match and paid $20.96 for each 2-pack.

Can't wait till tonight.

Regards,
Joe

From what I've read standard mini dvtapes work for HD usage. The only caution I've read is to stick to one brand.

Hi -
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look into a Tokina lens.

- Could you tell me if it affects the auto focus at all?

- Is there any vignetting at any point in the zoom range?

- AND: What is the model # of your Tokina lens?

Thanks!

It doesn't seem to affect autofocus even in low light and it is a macro. I can virtually fill the screen with a shot of my finger tip.

I don't notice any vignetting at any focal length.

There is no model number, only the description. If you type in Canon HV20 wide angle adapter on eBay search, many will come up. The nomenclature around the barrel of the adapter says DIGITAL HIGH DEFINITION 0.45X WIDE ANGLE LENS WITH MACRO.

There is some barrel distortion that will show up on architectural shots taken close but I can live with that for landscape and travel.

It doesn't seem to affect autofocus even in low light and it is a macro. I can virtually fill the screen with a shot of my finger tip.

I don't notice any vignetting at any focal length.

There is no model number, only the description. If you type in Canon HV20 wide angle adapter on eBay search, many will come up. The nomenclature around the barrel of the adapter says DIGITAL HIGH DEFINITION 0.45X WIDE ANGLE LENS WITH MACRO.

There is some barrel distortion that will show up on architectural shots taken close but I can live with that for landscape and travel.
Sounds great. Thanks!

No problem converting the video, but the sound gets lost so I'm watching a silent movie. I understand that Microsoft keeps changing the rules as it develops WMP. Now I'm fully confident that if I persevere, I'll get things to work eventually; find out that I need a particular codec or whatever, but do I want these hassles, I ask myself.

Stop using Media player. It is not the best player - only there to ensure the dominance of MS's formats.

Try VLC - www.videolan.org - it has most codecs installed and works very well.


Whenever I show my sample HV20 footage of a busy street scene, on WMP 11 on my Win XP 64 bit system, people always comment that the movement of the vehicles is not smooth, and it isn't. I've downloaded the latest Microsoft updates and the latest driver for my video card, and there's no improvement.

It IS Microsoft - works 90% of the time. Works reliably 1% of the time. Workd predictably 0% of the time. I'm in IT and deal with MS products on a daily basis. They have gotten better in recent years, but there's way too much inbreeding between the various MS products. Reliability is generally poor WRT most MS products (including servers). Which is why I use none of them in my personal life.

In order to give myself the best chance of avoiding such hassles with a new HV20, I think I'd probably want a new, dedicated computer just for video processing; one with a specialised video card that takes on board a lot of the work, as well as lots of RAM, a fast processor and a huge hard drive.

www.apple.com - best computers I've ever owned. Handles video, audio, etc. flawlessly.

However, a dedicated Windows machine would be a good idea - for video editing. With HD you want most of the CPU and memory available for the software. This would mean no virus scanners, no spyware apps, etc. However, running a Windows machine connected to any network without these protections is INSANE.

www.apple.com - best computers I've ever owned. Handles video, audio, etc. flawlessly.

However, a dedicated Windows machine would be a good idea - for video editing. With HD you want most of the CPU and memory available for the software. This would mean no virus scanners, no spyware apps, etc. However, running a Windows machine connected to any network without these protections is INSANE.

Thanks for the advice. I'm reluctant to switch to an Apple. I've got too used to 'right clicking' :)

I'll bear in mind the networking dangers when I get my dedicated video computer. I'm in no hurry. I'm still smarting from the time I bought a Ricoh DVD burner for $1,000 which could only write to DVD+RW.

Stop using Media player. It is not the best player - only there to ensure the dominance of MS's formats.

Try VLC - www.videolan.org - it has most codecs installed and works very well.




It IS Microsoft - works 90% of the time. Works reliably 1% of the time. Workd predictably 0% of the time. I'm in IT and deal with MS products on a daily basis. They have gotten better in recent years, but there's way too much inbreeding between the various MS products. Reliability is generally poor WRT most MS products (including servers). Which is why I use none of them in my personal life.



www.apple.com - best computers I've ever owned. Handles video, audio, etc. flawlessly.

However, a dedicated Windows machine would be a good idea - for video editing. With HD you want most of the CPU and memory available for the software. This would mean no virus scanners, no spyware apps, etc. However, running a Windows machine connected to any network without these protections is INSANE.


I have no problems with WMV whatsover. It plays back 720 or 1080P flawlessly on my PC. Much better than REAL which causes glitches and crashes on many PCs.
When I edit video or use Photoshop I turn off all the 'protection' and other unused programs running in the background, along with my web access.

Thanks for the advice. I'm reluctant to switch to an Apple. I've got too used to 'right clicking' :)

I used the 1 button for all of 2 minutes. Then in went my Microsoft mouse with wheel and lately my Logitech. I had my right click back! :)


I'm in no hurry. I'm still smarting from the time I bought a Ricoh DVD burner for $1,000 which could only write to DVD+RW.

Ouch. I thought it was bad when I bought my $400 CD Burner that only did CD-R's. :)

Ouch. I thought it was bad when I bought my $400 CD Burner that only did CD-R's. :)
Ah yes, The good old days. :) I have a few boat anchors myself. :rolleyes:

I want an HD camcorder, and after reading up, I just checked out the HV-20... I think I'd have to cut 1" off all my fingers to use it! The combination of the location of the zoom control and its tiny size make it very hard for me to use (I'm 6'6" with hands that match my height). I tried the strap super tight with only my fingers in it, which sucked. I tried having the strap really loose with a gap between my palm and the machine, and I could use it, but it was not conducive to holding the camera steady. Canon has such phenomenal ergonomics on their SLR's... how could they mess up so badly with that zoom control?!?!
--
Jim

I want an HD camcorder, and after reading up, I just checked out the HV-20... I think I'd have to cut 1" off all my fingers to use it! The combination of the location of the zoom control and its tiny size make it very hard for me to use (I'm 6'6" with hands that match my height). I tried the strap super tight with only my fingers in it, which sucked. I tried having the strap really loose with a gap between my palm and the machine, and I could use it, but it was not conducive to holding the camera steady. Canon has such phenomenal ergonomics on their SLR's... how could they mess up so badly with that zoom control?!?!
--
Jim
I've found the only practical way to use it is to preset the speed in the menu. It does suck.

I've found the only practical way to use it is to preset the speed in the menu. It does suck.


It's no worse than any other tiny handycam - they all suck..
That's one of the main reasons I moved from a Sony HC3 - it's zoom was uncontrollable and the EIS was not very good either - both important features to me...
The BIG bonus with the HV20 is that it does have three preset speeds and the slow one is really nice - a very slow crawl - perfect :)
In fact I find the variable zoom on the HV20 a bit easier to control than the HS3 but I prefer the pre-set 1

Actually, I thought I wouldn't like the HV20's zoom, record button and/or strap either but it works well for me. I had a much harder time trying to hold the Panasonic PV-GS320, that was bad! Going to the HV20 was an improvement.