HDMI Cables/Firewire

[mbamber]

Sorry if my question sounds noobish ( I just got my hv20 2 hours ago, havent even used it yet) but I can't see any HDMI cable that came with my camera. From what I thought I knew, HDMI cable is the highest quality uncompressed direct link for getting video from one place to another...do I need to buy an HDMI cable?

Ok maybe I should read the manual because I have absolutely no idea how to transfer footage on to my pc....firewire while playing back the footage? I have no idea how this works, somebody I need a simple quick explanation! Thanks!

Mbamber

[24Peter]

Sorry if my question sounds noobish ( I just got my hv20 2 hours ago, havent even used it yet) but I can't see any HDMI cable that came with my camera. From what I thought I knew, HDMI cable is the highest quality uncompressed direct link for getting video from one place to another...do I need to buy an HDMI cable?

Ok maybe I should read the manual because I have absolutely no idea how to transfer footage on to my pc....firewire while playing back the footage? I have no idea how this works, somebody I need a simple quick explanation! Thanks!

Mbamber

You will need to purchase both a HDMI and firewire cable for your camera. I paid $5.99 for firewire and $15.99 for HDMI from buy.com. Work like a charm.

To transfer (capture) footage on your PC (assuming you are on a "PC" and not a Mac) you will need software that has a capture utility. You'll need to do a search to find out which might be best for you. (There are some free applications and some paid.) Once you have the right software, you can capture and edit your footage on the computer and then (again assuming you've got the right software) output back to the camera, burn to DVD's or create computer files for downloading/sharing.

[mbamber]

what kind of free programs???????? I'm sure I can get something free from torrents but that could take days or even weeks to download...anything fast and easy?

[joseph soriano]

get your firewire cable here:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/su...d=10301&style=

and your hdmi cable here:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...ormat=2&style=

been using them for years and the cables have been flawless...

[hizbiz]

what kind of free programs???????? I'm sure I can get something free from torrents but that could take days or even weeks to download...anything fast and easy?

You can use HDVSplit (a free program) to get the clips from your cam to the PC through firewire.
Assuming you have win xp sp2 it works just in fly.

[mbamber]

I have Windows Vista...which I'm assuming will work even better. What exactly does the split in HDVsplit mean? Thanks for all the great info everyone.

[crewe1000]

I have Windows Vista...which I'm assuming will work even better. What exactly does the split in HDVsplit mean? Thanks for all the great info everyone.

When using HDV split, I believe that you have an option for the software to automatically split the footage as its capturing it. I think it is able to identify where there are different points in the filming and this may help youif/when you go to edit the footage.

I have only used it once and chose not to split the footage beforehand so someone else maybe able to give you some comments regarding their hands on experience.

[Domenico C]

I want to know, if there is any difference between capturing recorded footage form firewire or HDMI? I wont be capturing live streams. Does HDMI upconvert the recorded video from from HDV 1440×1080 to HD 1920 X 1080?
Would be much obliged for an answer.
DC.

[sean90291]

Nope, it does not up-convert. When you recorded to tape, you already compressed the image. It remains compressed forever, and using HDMI won't give you an improved capture from that tape. HDMI can allow you to VIEW the images on a better monitor, right out of the camera. But again, no improvement in actual capture. You only get an improved capture from the camera via HDMI when you RECORD straight to a computer's hard disk using something like the Black Magic Intensity card. Then you're staying in HD 1920x1080, and getting full benefits of that higher resolution.

[hizbiz]

Nope, it does not up-convert. When you recorded to tape, you already compressed the image. It remains compressed forever, and using HDMI won't give you an improved capture from that tape. HDMI can allow you to VIEW the images on a better monitor, right out of the camera. But again, no improvement in actual capture. You only get an improved capture from the camera via HDMI when you RECORD straight to a computer's hard disk using something like the Black Magic Intensity card. Then you're staying in HD 1920x1080, and getting full benefits of that higher resolution.

Sean,
are you sure that it does not do upconvert? I do agree with you that HDMI capture from tape DOES NOT give any extra information as the footage was already compressed. And PROBABLY there is NO Advantage over Firewire capture. But I think it does upconvert while sending signal via HDMI.

[hizbiz]

I have Windows Vista...which I'm assuming will work even better. What exactly does the split in HDVsplit mean? Thanks for all the great info everyone.

Well not. I found Vista does not support a lot of older software and eats up a lot of system resources itself. Making video editing a pain...

Anyway HDVSplit does support Vista!
Enjoy!

[FreddieZ]

Nope, it does not up-convert. When you recorded to tape, you already compressed the image. It remains compressed forever, and using HDMI won't give you an improved capture from that tape. HDMI can allow you to VIEW the images on a better monitor, right out of the camera. But again, no improvement in actual capture. You only get an improved capture from the camera via HDMI when you RECORD straight to a computer's hard disk using something like the Black Magic Intensity card. Then you're staying in HD 1920x1080, and getting full benefits of that higher resolution.

sean, the Intensity product seems interesting- especially for HD quality, as you mentioned. Are you doing shoots with it connected to a workstation? What editing software? The Intensity site shows a two-card system with some kind of video switcher-- are you using that as well? Thanks for sharing your experience.

freddie

p.s. I just read ALL the posts about Intensity & the effort to make it portable- this is just a remarkable group here.

[Atnas]

Just read this thread, and i wonder:

Why do you NEED a HDMI cable, I thought that you could import with the firewire cable and have the footage on your pc. Then for what do you need the HDMI cable? for exporting back to the camera? Isn't that possible with the firewire cable? or will that limit the outputted signal in some strange way?

Also, When you record video direct from the camera (not using the limitations of the HDV codec) you have a full HD image available. Do you need to use a HDMI cable to get benefit from this feature, isn't it possible with firewire?

Btw, ordered my HV20 an hour ago

[24Peter]

Use the HDMI for digital connection to your HDTV (component is analog).
(Some TV's have firewire too.) You can use firewire to transfer footage back to your camera - don't need HDMI for that.

[Atnas]

Thanks for the quick response, solved my first question, but the second still remains

When you stream direct from the camera (not using tape) you have a full HD image available. Do you need to use a HDMI cable to get the full signal to the computer?, isn't it possible with firewire?

[sean90291]

Yes, you get the full signal via firewire when capturing. There is no "extra information" when capturing through an HDMI cable versus a firewire cable.

[sean90291]

Yes, you get the full signal via firewire when capturing. There is no "extra information" when capturing an HDV tape through HDMI cable versus a firewire cable.

The only time you get "extra information" (higher resolution) capturing via HDMI is when you're LIVE RECORDING to a RAID array via HDMI, thereby bypassing the HDV tape altogether. You'd be recording to a hard drive not a tape. But so far, I haven't heard of a single soul doing this with an HV20. Eventually it will be practical. To date, it is not.

[stactum]

Yes, you get the full signal via firewire when capturing. There is no "extra information" when capturing an HDV tape through HDMI cable versus a firewire cable.

The only time you get "extra information" (higher resolution) capturing via HDMI is when you're LIVE RECORDING to a RAID array via HDMI, thereby bypassing the HDV tape altogether. You'd be recording to a hard drive not a tape. But so far, I haven't heard of a single soul doing this with an HV20. Eventually it will be practical. To date, it is not.

Is that true? Could anybody else confirm that?

I thought that capturing through HDMI with BlackMagic Intensity card for example versus firewire will give you native 1920x1080 (firewire only 1440x1080) and 4:2:2 color.

[white_2kgt]

I thought that capturing through HDMI with BlackMagic Intensity card for example versus firewire will give you native 1920x1080 (firewire only 1440x1080) and 4:2:2 color.

How would that be possible when what is on the tape is 1440x1080 (HDV)? Nothing can magically recreate the missing 480 pixels, even if it does have Magic in it's name

[Atnas]

white_2kgt
As I understand it, you ONLY gain the extra 480 pixels when capturing a live stream, connecting the HDMI cable to your computer and capture what the camera sees in the very moment.

The thing that I think about all the time is though, Can you do a live stream with firewire? Is it limited to 1440x1080?

Firewire has 400 mbps of bandwidth available
HDV is 25 mbps
The extra pixels cant take up 375 mbps...
Shouldnt it be possible to do this in some way, gaining a full HD image from a Firewire cable by live streaming?

[Erik Bien]

From my reading, sean90291 is right: you will always be limited to 1440-line HDV when *capturing* a previously-recorded tape from the HV20, whether you use HDMI or FireWire for the capture.

Also, I'm pretty sure the HDV-over-FireWire spec probably limits live *recording* over FireWire to that size as well. As has been stated, the only way to get 1920x1080 out of the camera is to live-record the HDMI output to an outboard recording device of some sort (probably a desktop computer with a BlackMagic Intensity card and a RAID, but I suppose you could probably record to some sort of HD VCR this way as well, assuming you have $60K+ HD-VCRs lying around) ...

Once you've recorded to the HV20's matchbox-sized HDV tape, however, nothing will bring back the missing 480 lines of resolution thrown away by HDV compression.

[FreddieZ]

I'm wondering: What can we expect from the people that Firestore portable harddrive recorders? Perhaps they are already working on it! http://www.focusinfo.com/solutions/catalog.asp?id=149

[stactum]

How would that be possible when what is on the tape is 1440x1080 (HDV)? Nothing can magically recreate the missing 480 pixels, even if it does have Magic in it's name

Good point, I didn't think of that!
Does here anything has to do with pixel aspect ratio?