High Definition

Just upgraded from making iMovies with 30 second clips from a stills camera to making them with a Sony High Definition Camcorder, HDR-HC7E(DV Tape) and would appreciate some advice on a few things regarding the 1080i high definition-I have made a few of these in iMovie and export them back to the camcorder for viewing through an HDTV. Since I have not yet bought the latter, I cannot view in HD.

The first question is what happens to stills(say from iPhoto) imported into an HD project in iMovie. I use stills selectively not only in the canned themes but also with a Ken burns effect to make some point in the movie. Specifically, does iMovie convert the imported still into a high definition clip if the project is high definition and does it matter?

Secondly, when exporting directly back to camcorder or via a file, a menu box pops up at or near the end of the transfer and asks if you want to make another copy. If you click no thanks the camcorder is disconnected. Is this what should happen?

Thirdly, can anybody recommend any useful sites/books for getting the best out of camcorder audio accessories- I have a clip on Lavalier which seems straightforward and substantially improves commentary audio whilst filming but I do not really know how to make the most of the shotgun mike which I also have.

Finally an observation. This camcorder is fantastic and works well with iMovie.

iMac G5, Mac OS X (10.4.10), 2GB RAM 400GB Hard Disc

Posted on Jul 25, 2007 9:04 AM

25 replies

Jul 31, 2007 2:02 AM in response to tom lawrence

You're welcome.

Sorry, I've been very busy, but I have made you a demo of what several different mics sound like. I can't post it here today (..I'm sitting in the car repairers', waiting for my suspension to be fixed!..) but I'll post it either tonight or early tomorrow ..plus some other tips, etc.

tom lawrence Author

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Jul 31, 2007 3:47 AM in response to David Babsky

That is more than kind of you David. Thank you very much.

Aug 1, 2007 5:02 AM in response to tom lawrence

Sorry this has to be very quick, and the (visual) quality is rubbish - just my stomach! - but I have to dash off now, and may not be able to post any more replies for a few days.

Meanwhile, I'll post here tomorrow where to view ..or rather, listen to,, a few quick comparisons ..Cheers!

tom lawrence Author

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Aug 4, 2007 1:56 AM in response to David Babsky

For information: recorded in HD1080i a carnival using camcorder mike and it worked great. The 60 minute recording took 1 hour 40 minutes to get into my computer and took up over 33GB.

After editing down to 28 and a half minutes, it took four and a half hours to encode to a File.m2t. Subsequent export to the camcorder was achieved in real time.

So a very long process highlighting the desirability of an even more powerful computer.

I also tried a Magic Movie import which took 40 minutes longer to get into the computer because i should gave deselected transitions. Not convinced that the Magic Movie option has much to offer for High Definition movies.

Look forward to hearing your test audio tracks. All the best....

Aug 4, 2007 3:05 AM in response to Vernon Alexander

Here's a jumpcut back to the mic theme. The folks at transom.org provide a nice mic listening comparison that gives one some clues as to different genres and dynamics. They are audiophiles, and who better...!

Take a listen here: http://www.transom.org/tools/recordinginterviewing/200608_handheld_micshootout/

J.J.

tom lawrence Author

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Aug 4, 2007 8:57 AM in response to J. L. Johnson

Thanks J.L.

The site is great and thanks for keeping us on the audio subject.

I feel I am moving fairly quickly along a steep learning curve and it is well worth the effort.

Aug 5, 2007 1:59 PM in response to tom lawrence

I'm glad your carnival looked and sounded great!

Sorry not to have posted this before (..Wi-Fi at marinas variously doesn't work, or is no faster than a poor dial-up phone line!..)

But for what it's worth, listen to this ..and it's best heard through headphones, as I don't know what kind of speakers you have connected to your Mac..

I'd meant to make it all black, so that you could concentrate on the audio, but inadvertently took OFF the lens-cap after the first couple of clips. Ignore my big tum! ..Just listen to the sounds..!

tom lawrence Author

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Aug 6, 2007 10:29 AM in response to David Babsky

Thank you for going to all that trouble David.

The Beyerdynamic does sound great and so did the Vivanco stereo clip-on. I can now hear the stereo difference.

The stereo mike in the camcorder seems to work best in outdoor settings but ,for a roomset like your trial, the first two mikes seem far superior to my ears.

I looked up the Beyerdynamic and they say that, using the EA 86 elastic suspension with a flash holder, it can be mounted onto the hotshoe of the camcorder. I assume it is omnidirectional so would be a direct substitute for the camcorder in-built mike. I also saw they had a PV CAM version the differences of which I do not understand.

So I think you have demonstrated your point very well, namely that with an HD Camcorder you should go all the way and look at stereo mikes as above.

Guess I will have to wait a while longer before making that extra step but at least you have got me on the right road and saved me a lot of research. Thanks again.

One last footnote re my carnival test. I timed sending the 30 minute movie to iDVD-encoding,burning a disk image,and burning a disk-at around 2 hours compared to the 5 hours it took my computer to encode and send the 1080i movie back to the DV tape of the camcorder. Since the latter is viewable as High Definition and the former is simply a widescreen DVD, it will be interesting to see if the extra 3 hours was worth it. I am betting YES but must look at a more powerful computer.

Alll the best.

tom lawrence Author

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Aug 9, 2007 6:01 AM in response to tom lawrence

This is the MacRumors link which contains a wealth of info and discussion on Sony and Canon HD Camcorders and which influenced my decision to go Sony.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=278617

Aug 10, 2007 11:52 AM in response to tom lawrence

Sorry I can't be of much more help at the moment, am having a bit of a holiday!

Be back later..

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High Definition