Newbie needs help with Canon HV20...

[shuffle1]

Hey gang,

I just bought a Canon HV20 the other day and I have a couple basic questions that I've searched for, but can't seem to find a clear answer for.

If I shoot something in HD and import it into iMovie to edit it, can I then burn it to DVD with iDVD, like non-HD material? I assume it won't be an HD DVD because of my PB's Superdrive being the wrong type, but thought I would ask. A simpler question is "Can I even use the HD footage at all, to make a DVD, if I'm on a G4 PB?"

Also, can I import 24p footage into iMovie, or would I need FCE. I've read some stuff about having to convert it (or strip it, or something) before using it, and I was wondering if I could use it with some program right from the camera.

Thanks so much for your help, and if you could guide me to some tutorials on HD or 24p, that would be great. I'm having a serious bout of buyer's remorse, since I think the Elura 100 would have been fine for me, but saw this and thought what the heck...

Sincerely,

shuffle1

 

[Carl Spackler]

Hey gang,

I just bought a Canon HV20 the other day and I have a couple basic questions that I've searched for, but can't seem to find a clear answer for.

If I shoot something in HD and import it into iMovie to edit it, can I then burn it to DVD with iDVD, like non-HD material? I assume it won't be an HD DVD because of my PB's Superdrive being the wrong type, but thought I would ask. A simpler question is "Can I even use the HD footage at all, to make a DVD, if I'm on a G4 PB?"

Also, can I import 24p footage into iMovie, or would I need FCE. I've read some stuff about having to convert it (or strip it, or something) before using it, and I was wondering if I could use it with some program right from the camera.

Thanks so much for your help, and if you could guide me to some tutorials on HD or 24p, that would be great. I'm having a serious bout of buyer's remorse, since I think the Elura 100 would have been fine for me, but saw this and thought what the heck...

Sincerely,

shuffle1

Part 1: It's my guess that iMovie would "down res" the footage to 480p.

Part 2: The HV20 does an in-camera telecine, adding the 2:3 pulldown, so it puts your footage onto tape in a consumer friendly 29.97 format. You should be able to edit in iMovie or FCE with out a problem. To use the footage in a 24p (23.98) timeline, you'll need to have Cinema Tools to peform a reverse telecine and FCP as iMovie and FCE do not support 23.98 timelines.

You may find more indepth assistance in the HV20 sections of DVInfo or DVXuser.

 

[shuffle1]

Thanks

Hi Carl,

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. Just one more thing. If I shoot something in 24p and "cine mode" and the camera telecines the footage, will it still have the film-like look to it, or does it automatically look like regular digital video again? Thanks so much!

Chad

PS: It just hit me that I can just try this myself, instead of wasting your time! LOL Thanks for your help...

Part 1: It's my guess that iMovie would "down res" the footage to 480p.

Part 2: The HV20 does an in-camera telecine, adding the 2:3 pulldown, so it puts your footage onto tape in a consumer friendly 29.97 format. You should be able to edit in iMovie or FCE with out a problem. To use the footage in a 24p (23.98) timeline, you'll need to have Cinema Tools to peform a reverse telecine and FCP as iMovie and FCE do not support 23.98 timelines.

You may find more indepth assistance in the HV20 sections of DVInfo or DVXuser.

 

[hvfsl]

You will probably have to wait until the next version of iLife (in October) to burn HD movies. It should technically be possible to burn HD movies onto standard DVDs. Although I guess Apple might not let you do this because they want you to spend extra on a HD-DVD or BluRay writer (when they start selling them with Macs).

 

[bigbossbmb]

24p with a 3:2 pulldown inserted (to make it 29.97) will have the exact same film look as true 24p material in a 23.98 timeline.

DVD Studio Pro can burn HD-DVD's to red laser (normal DVD-r) discs, but I highly doubt that iDVD has this capability. The only ways you can view your footage in high def are the following options:

camera hooked directly into an HDTV
on your mac
on an HDTV via an TV

 

[shuffle1]

Thanks again

bigbossbmb & hvfsl,

Thanks so much for your replies. I can't wait to get using this thing. One last thing, I promise. Why would someone want to reverse-telecine converted footage back to true 24p for editing when it still has the "film look" after being converted to 29.97? Thanks so much..

Chad

24p with a 3:2 pulldown inserted (to make it 29.97) will have the exact same film look as true 24p material in a 23.98 timeline.

DVD Studio Pro can burn HD-DVD's to red laser (normal DVD-r) discs, but I highly doubt that iDVD has this capability. The only ways you can view your footage in high def are the following options:

camera hooked directly into an HDTV
on your mac
on an HDTV via an TV

 

[bigbossbmb]

you most likely wouldn't...

Some cameras (like my DVX100b) can record in a different pulldown (2:3:3:2) which is easier to convert to regular 23.98 footage. The problem with doing a reverse telecine on 3:2 footage is that some of the frames compressed together and can have some problems. It is a little complicated, but explained pretty well on this website.

The original reason for creating the 2:3:3:2 pulldown and editing on a 23.98 timeline is that you can go directly out for film. One advantage is that you encoding bitrate for your output becomes more efficient. 'Cuz the same kbps now only have to be spread out of 24 frames/sec rather than 30.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Hi Carl,

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. Just one more thing. If I shoot something in 24p and "cine mode" and the camera telecines the footage, will it still have the film-like look to it, or does it automatically look like regular digital video again? Thanks so much!

Chad

PS: It just hit me that I can just try this myself, instead of wasting your time! LOL Thanks for your help...

Yes, it will have that filmlike motion. You've probably already discovered this.

One of the reasons someone may want to reverse telecine the footage to get 23.98 would be to put it into a timeline with other 23.98 footage, but I guess Final Cut Studio 2 is going to take care of that for us. As bigbossbmb pointed out, working with 23.98 footage can tax your system less. You can also find more info on it here. Though, unless you're using Final Cut Pro, it's all a moot point.

 

[bigbossbmb]

One of the reasons someone may want to reverse telecine the footage to get 23.98 would be to put it into a timeline with other 23.98 footage, but I guess Final Cut Studio 2 is going to take care of that for us.

No, FCS 2 will allow multiple formats on the same timeline...but I'm not sure that it will support different framerates natively.

 

[Carl Spackler]

No, FCS 2 will allow multiple formats on the same timeline...but I'm not sure that it will support different framerates natively.

From: http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/finalcutpro/support.html

Open format Timeline
The new open format Timeline in Final Cut Pro 6 lets you mix and match source material in a wide range of formats and even different frame rates. Just drag your footage into the Timeline. Freely edit a combination of HD and SD, including NTSC and PAL, all in real time. Final Cut Pro 6 offers real-time scaling and playback for video in various camera-native formats as well as Apple ProRes 422.

FCS 2 is quite the beast.

 

[bigbossbmb]

nice... i just ordered my FCS 2 upgrade a couple days ago. just another reason to justify it.

 

[schwartz]

I just picked up an HV20 and I'mm having trouble getting movies from it into my Mac. iMovie HD can control the camera (play, reqind, etc) so I'm pretty sure the firewire is working but the screen in the app is just blue. I'm not sure what I'm missing. Any tips would be appreciated.

thanks,
Bill

 

[smallthintiny]

I cant import the video from my HV20 onto my macbook. The screen just stays blue and the recording doesn't go up.

how can I fix that?

 

[xStep]

Schwartz, perhaps this thread is the same problem.

 

[xStep]

I have it in my mind that iDVD will convert your HD material down. Even if it does not, you can always export to an appropriate wide screen size. As you may know, your PBG4 is limited to iMovie HD, not the newer iM08/09 versions.

I also have it in my mind that DVD Studio Pro can create DVDs that are hi-def based on the now defunct HD-DVD spec, and they are playable on your Mac.

For those interested in creating hi-def DVDs and Blu-Ray discs based on the Blu-Ray spec, see the two links here. You'd still need an appropriate Blu-Ray player.

Also if you really want to know where Blu-Ray stands, listen to the special January 21st show of the Digital Production Buzz regarding "The State of Blu-Ray". This will tell you more than you likely want to know, but will tell you how you can create Blu-Ray discs too.

For you Canon HV owners, someone in another thread just pointed out this HV forum.