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16:9 = Hd?
- Thread starter veo321
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What make/model is it? It might be but if you give the model then somebody (even you) could look it up!
Not necessarily. I have a Digital8 camcorder and it shoots in 16:9. I have a hunch yours is not HD.
16:9 is also present in SD camcorders, and the fact that it is a miniDV camcorder tells me that it records in SD, unless you meant HDV.
If the camcorder would be able to record 720p or 1080i or even 1080p there would be some sticker on the camera, just for bragging rights.
So the maximum resolution you will get out of this camcorder is 720x576 (PAL) or 720x480 (NTSC).
Be aware that there is a real 16:9 record mechanism, and a fake one, where the image gets recorded in 4:3 and just black bars are put on the top and bottom of the picture.
The real 16:9 record mechanism records in 4:3 too, but the image gets stretched vertically, and no black bars are added, so no information is lost.
^^ The above is absolutely correct.
If it says HDV it is HD and records onto MiniDV cassettes. If it just says miniDV on the camcorder and no mention at all of HDV then it is just standard definition.
See, the resolutions are what counts. A lot of cheaper camcorders that claim to shoot 16:9 widescreen actually record onto a 4:3 chip as mentioned above and then they just put black bars top and bottom. So instead of being 1024 x 576 pixels (That is PAL 16:9) it's more like 768 x 432...
Anyway, if your camcorder is HDV it would either shoot HD 720 (1280 x 720) or Full HD (1920 x 1080)... normally it's the latter.
If it says HDV it is HD and records onto MiniDV cassettes. If it just says miniDV on the camcorder and no mention at all of HDV then it is just standard definition.
See, the resolutions are what counts. A lot of cheaper camcorders that claim to shoot 16:9 widescreen actually record onto a 4:3 chip as mentioned above and then they just put black bars top and bottom. So instead of being 1024 x 576 pixels (That is PAL 16:9) it's more like 768 x 432...
Anyway, if your camcorder is HDV it would either shoot HD 720 (1280 x 720) or Full HD (1920 x 1080)... normally it's the latter.
Those that I have seen shoot 1440 x 1080. They use rectangular rather than square pixels.
1440 x 1080 is the HDV specification.
Full HD is 1920x1080. - better see Lethal's post two below.
'Full HD' is a marketing buzz word. 1280x720 and 1920x1080 are both HD, period. If you are talking about a format that uses 1280x720 or 1920x1080 square pixels to make up the image, as opposed to unsquare/rectangular pixels, the proper term to use is 'full raster.'
Just a pet peeve...
Lethal
On that note...
I recommend doing some tests on your camera. Because if you're seeing a letter boxed imaged on your camera's viewfinder/LCD screen, that does not necessarily mean it shoots a 1:85:1 (16:9) frame letter boxed in a 4:3 frame. Some cameras just letterbox it to make it fit in the LCD screen, but it actually records a 16:9 anamorphic frame.
