Photo & Video

I recently upgraded from a standard definition to high-definition handicam.  I had always wondered about just how much clearer a high definition camcorder really is.

My first camera was the Sony DCR-PC330.  I had the Ocean Images housing, wide-angle lens and color filter.  That setup really turned out some pretty impressive video.  I used Sony Vegas and DVD architect to capture the video and make the DVD - which was super easy for the beginner, and advanced enough to allow me to get more technical as I wanted.  I pretty much stayed at the easy-beginner level. 

After seeing some high-definition samples on the web, I decided I wanted to give the high-resolution cameras a shot.

I debated between the Sony HDR-HC3, HDR-HC5 and HDR-HC7.  After a bit of research, I found that all were good consumer-level cameras, with similar functions, and so it pretty much came down to the 'still photo' resolution.  Was it worth more to me to be able to get a 6.1 megapixel photo (from the HC7) or stick with a lower resolution of 2.3 or 4.0 megapixels with the HC3 and HC5 respectively.

I ended up going with the Sony HDR-HC7.  I have a Seatool Housing currently being shipped.

Yesterday, I decided to get some video and check out just how good the quality is.  After taking the video, I plugged the camera into my Hi-Def (60 inch) set, and Oh My God!  This footage is litterally so clear it looks almost 3D and the bricks that I filmed are just as clear on TV as they are standing right in front of them - this is no exaggeration.

This got me thinking... I want to compare side by side the standard-def and high-def footage.  So I took both cameras, set them up side-by-side in the back yard and took some video.  I then hooked them up to the computer, captured clips from both cameras, and split-screened the clips.

I output the video to a Windows Video file (at the original 1920x1080 resolution). I had to trim it to 5 seconds to preserve bandwidth. It has been zipped, and you can download it below.

While watching the clip, it may appear that the standard definition (on the right) is blurry.  This is actually in focus and just appears blurry being so close to the high def video.  The original video still looks much clearer playing straight to my TV from the camcorder.  That is because I chose to compress it a bit.

A few very important things to keep in mind when going with high-definition.

1. High definition video capture takes much more hard drive space. (I think it is 5X larger than standard def for similar clips).
2. Relatively decent computer to capture and render the HD video.
3. To burn your video to DVD you will need (at the minimum)
4. Video Capture Software (like Sony Vegas, Adobe Premier, etc) and DVD compiler like Sony DVD Architect. ~ $700 for the Sony software
5. An HD DVD Burner (or Blu-Ray DVD Burner). ~ $500 for Blu-Ray
6. Recordable HD (or Blu-Ray) DVD media. $10-25 per disc.
7. To watch a High Definition DVD on your T.V. you will need a HD DVD Player or Blu-Ray Disc Player. ~$200+

That's getting pricey - and you still have to buy an underwater housing, and video lights...  ACK!

But I can say that if you have the means, this High Definition lives up to it's reputation.

Side Note: For those wondering, the video above was done in Sony Vegas.  Rendered at the original 1920x1080, WMV 9 at 3 Mbps, 30FPS.

Lastly, for S**t's and Giggles, I decided to upload the video to YouTube - just to see the quality produced. The video below is not high definition, it is just the exact clip above uploaded to YouTube.  As you can see, it is degraded so much by YouTube that you cannot tell the difference.