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A Decade of Vanguards, #3

Feb 3, 2010 12:00 PM, By Jan Ozer

HDV.

I reviewed my first HDV camcorder, Sony's groundbreaking HDR-FX1, in December 2004, and I have shot most subsequent projects in HDV. Back then, there was no HD alternative near the $4,000 price tag (or even any reasonable multiple thereof).

In this regard, HDV brought HD video production to the masses. The format was developed by JVC, Sony, Canon, and Sharp. By definition, it's a format for storing video on DV tape—originally a unique strength, but now an Achilles heel. Why? Now that SD cards are affordable and hard drives capacious, everybody hates tape.

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A Decade of Vanguards, #4 The story of web video over the past decade is one of relative scarcity followed by total ubiquity. Two technologies have done much to shape this narrative: Flash and H.264... A Decade of Vanguards, #5 The advent of the Panasonic AJ-HDC27V Varicam in 2001 ushered in a wealth of creative possibilities for video shooters... Sony's HDV Debut It had been a long, quiet summer on the HDV front. Then, a few days before the opening of IBC 2004 in Amsterdam, came Sony's HDV cam-corder announcement.... Shoot Review—JVC JY-HD10 When I titled my January 2003 story about JVC's prosumer HD camcorder — “Is DV Dead?” — I was being somewhat facetious. Little did I know that by July, a group of four manufacturers would announce a new HD format based on MPEG-2. Canon, Sharp, Sony, and JVC have proposed a specification for an HDV format that includes 720p and 1080i versions....

Which is a shame, because though I love AVCHD's quality, it's a pain to edit. HDV could evolve into a higher-data-rate MPEG-2 based standard for storage on solid-state media, which would minimize the prosumer format wars. Failing that, HDV will likely be remembered for its past impact rather than its current relevance.

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