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V for Victory

Oct 1, 2006 12:01 PM, By D. W. Leitner

Sony Breaks 24p Ground with HVR-V1U

Sony invented 24p six years ago when it developed the HDW-F900 HDCAM camcorder at the behest of George Lucas, who wanted to shoot Star Wars: Episodes I, II, and III in a digital medium. But Panasonic and JVC have more fully exploited 24p capabilities across their professional camcorder lines. Panasonic, for instance, introduced 24p to standard-definition MiniDV with its groundbreaking AG-DVX100 and followed it up with the compact AG-HVX200, a DVCPRO HD system that initiated the era of Flash-memory P2 recording.

Now, at long last, with last month's announcement of the HVR-V1U, Sony has extended 24p to a Handycam-style camcorder that requires neither shoulder nor tripod. While the debut of this affordable ($4,800 list) 24p HDV Sony camcorder is banner news to those of us who shoot and produce small-format video, 24p is but one of a clutch of innovations that distinguishes what will come to be known as “the V1.”

In a nutshell, the V1 is smaller than the HVR-Z1U and more than a pound lighter, with a side profile and layout similar to that of a Sony DSR-PD150 or DSR-PD170. Yes, the brilliant placement of the LCD screen atop the handle of the Z1 has been discarded in favor of an LCD tucked conventionally against the operator's side of the camcorder. But if this omission seems like a step backwards, there are so many steps forward in the V1's design that it's hard to keep count: a three-CMOS imaging block — the first ever in a camcorder brought to market — with optical image stabilization, an active histogram in the viewfinder (like in Sony's HVR-A1U), an optional hard disk recording system, and adjustable shutter angle in degrees as with a motion picture film camera (instead of fractions of a second like with a still camera). And that's only the start.

Sony's 16:9 1/4in. ClearVid CMOS chips deserve special note because these wonders introduce a pixel grid that's tilted 45 degrees, such that pixels that would ordinarily be square are diamond-shaped. This makes possible a new zigzag-shaped co-siting of both real and interpolated pixels that effectively multiplies the resolution of these 1/4in. chips. (The specifics are beyond the scope of this short description, but suffice to say, it's not a pixel-shifting technique.) Further, because of Sony's CMOS design, the photosensitive sites of these 1/4in. CMOS chips are identical in size to those of the 1/3in. CCDs used in the Z1.

Internally the V1 processes imagery at a torrential 1080×1920, 4:2:2, 60p. Although there's no way to capture this much information via HDV — which is reduced in pixel count, chrominance sampling, and field output to 1080×1440, 4:2:0, and 60i before heavy compression — the V1 presents an intriguing new possibility: an HDMI connector for an uncompressed HD output (1080×1440). Ostensibly it's there for digital monitoring, but think of HDMI (basically an upgrading of DVI with embedded digital rights management) as a poor man's HD-SDI. Blackmagic Design certainly does. The company has just announced Intensity, its (and the world's) first HDMI editing card, for all of $249. All you have to do is figure out how to capture the resulting flood of data. But hey, the equivalent of HD-SDI from a 24p prosumer camcorder? What more could you ask for?

Speaking of 24p, the V1 adds 2:3 pulldown and records the resulting segmented 24p frames to tape as 60i HDV. In restoring the original 24p for editing, are there compatibility issues with popular NLEs? Not as long as the particular pulldown cadence is understood by the NLE, but it appears that Sony flags its 24p-to-60i cadence differently than Panasonic's, which in turn is incompatible with JVC's solution. (Expect a computer company named for a fruit to supply an answer to all of this mess by the end of this month.) Like the Z1, the V1 internally downconverts and makes a terrific DV and DVCAM camcorder.

The V1's zoom is a new optical 20X Zeiss Vario-Sonnar design — longer than the Z1's 12X — with the addition of a unique 1.5X digital extension based on image processing of CMOS scans. This delivers the equivalent of a 30X zoom. Like Panasonic's AG-DVX100 and AG-HVX200, the focus ring, while electronic, nonetheless achieves repeat focus marks, meaning it can be used with follow-focusing knobs. Manual control of iris by means of a knurled dial is now integrated into the lens barrel, similar in position to a real iris ring, instead of protruding like the Z1's. Sony will also provide an optional zoom-through 0.8X wide-angle adaptor with a unique-locking bayonet mount and extra-wide matte box (about $500).

While the viewfinder is the same as the Z1's (one of the best color LCD finders out there), the flip-out 16:9 LCD monitor is a new design called Clear Photo by Sony. It's 3.5in. on the diagonal like the Z1's, but with slightly fewer pixels (211K vs. 250K). Sony claims improvements in tonal scare and color. Also like the Z1, it's a “hybrid,” meaning you can turn off the backlight in sunlight conditions and view a reflected image instead.

Thankfully the V1 uses the same 7.2V InfoLithium batteries as the Z1, but because of lower CMOS power consumption — 6.8W for HDV recording with the V1 vs. 8W with the three-CCDZ1 — the larger Sony battery is said to yield as many as eight hours of camcorder operation.

Cool Sony accessories for the V1 include a foldable hood for the flip-out LCD screen and a shoe-mounted LED light with a 16:9 shaped spot to better fill the frame. The LED light is dimmable with mini barn doors, a diffuser, and a panel of plastic focusing lenses to throw a tighter, brighter beam. It uses the same InfoLithium batteries the camcorder does.

Last, but not least, there's Sony's parallel announcement of the HVR-DR60 60GB hard disk recorder ($1,800) for the V1. It resembles a cross between a FireStore hard disk recorder and a small hip flask, with a dock for a thin Sony InfoLithium battery (the same used by the V1). Like Focus Enhancements' FireStore, it mounts to the accessory shoe on the camcorder's handle or to an optional rear bracket that Sony will make available. The DR60's operation is tightly integrated with the V1, and DR60 status information is available in the V1's viewfinder. The DR60 can record in parallel to the tape drive or by itself for genuine tapelessness.

Sony says the DR60 provides 4.5 hours of storage for either DV or HDV “footage” (quaint term!), can transfer video files at 3X realtime, and incorporates a 3G sensor that detects drops, automatically retracting the HDD head for instant data protection in case of an accident. When used with the larger NP-F970 InfoLithium battery, Sony claims 13.5 hours of runtime.

Whether or not the DR60 catches on in a big way, the writing is on the wall: Tape is not the future. Just before the V1 was announced at IBC, Sony introduced the HDR-SR1, an HD consumer camcorder. It is single-CMOS and resembles an A1, but instead of HDV, it introduces the new AVCHD standard that encodes full 1080×1920 to MPEG-4 (a new logo reads “Full HD 1080”). With its 30GB internal hard disk, it's entirely tapeless. It's the camcorder version of an iPod.

So, does Sony's introduction of a three-CMOS V1 with true progressive scanning signal an early end to the ever-popular Z1? Sony says no, that it will continue to make and market the Z1 alongside the V1. Sony's rationale is that the V1 will appeal to filmmakers and others who desire 24p capture. Meanwhile, the Z1 enjoys 50i/60i versatility, superior LCD placement, ergonomics, and controls, plus better light sensitivity — 3 lux minimum illumination versus 4 lux for the V1 (at f/1.6, 18dB). These features will enable the Z1 to retain its popularity among news professionals (especially in Europe) and makers of broadcast documentaries.

Moreover, the DR60 hard disk drive recorder works with the Z1 too, starting and stopping in synch with the Z1's tape drive and capturing identical video, audio, and timecode. (The V1's onscreen hard disk drive status check is not available in the Z1, however.) This capability extends to other Sony camcorders that share an External Record Control function with the Z1, including Sony's DSR-250.

Sony camcorders lacking an External Record Control function, such as the diminutive A1 or the PD170, can also record to the DR60, although video, audio, and timecode will be “almost synchronized” (Sony's words) to what's recorded on tape. Meaning that there will be a one- to two-second delay in the start and stop times of a clip's capture to disk compared to the taped version. Put another way, although the first and last frames of a clip captured to both tape and disk will not match, any given frame co-captured to media, video, audio, and timecode will indeed match. This mismatch occurs because without an External Record Control function, which exists to signal the DR60 to start and stop, the DR60 must instead employ a “follow” mode that checks the camcorder's status every second or so. As the DR60 spins up and starts capturing, it's always a second or so behind the tape recording.

As is typically the case with Sony's professionalized Handycams, there is a consumer version of the V1, the HDR-FX7 — 60i only, no 24p, $3,500 — which was announced earlier in September, as well as a European version for 50i (PAL) countries, HVR-V1E, announced at the same time to coincide with IBC in Amsterdam. The HVR-V1E is a 25p camcorder, without 24p. In other words, unlike the Z1, the V1 isn't a world camcorder. If you want 24p, you'll have to use the HVR-V1U (for USA), not the HVR-V1E.

Bottom line: With its V1 and DR60 combo, Sony has delivered a solid one-two punch. Both become available in December. Let's see what the competition swings back with.

© 2008 Penton Media, Inc.