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outputs on HD-Connect LE™ connected to an SDI card installed in the
editing computer. The discussion below focuses on the advantages and
disadvantages of these two scenarios.
The DV scenario supports a simple offline capture and edit process that
can be accomplished on a laptop. Since the material is captured in a
format (DV) available as a direct output of the camera, the offline stage
of the process does not require any equipment beyond the camera and
the editing computer. Given minimal equipment and the relatively low
DV data rate, material could easily be captured and edited in the field.
For Avid users, DV also opens up the possibility of capture and edit on
low-cost Xpress Pro systems followed by full-resolution capture and
finishing on high-end Avid products. Of course, capturing and editing in
DV will mean that editors have no choice but to work with lower-quality
standard-definition video. Another problem in the DV scenario is that
timecode for the offline capture will be from one device in one mode (the
camera in DV mode), while the final online capture will be from a
different device in a different mode (HD-Connect LE™ in HD mode). It
may be necessary to set a timecode offset in the capture application to
ensure that the logged DV inpoints and outpoints correspond to the
correct frames during final online capture through HD-Connect LE™. In
addition, some HDV devices will not down-convert to SD and provide a
DV output, so this scenario would not be possible with all HDV devices.
While the need for an SDI capture card (HD or SD) in the SDI scenario
eliminates the possibility of capturing and editing on a laptop or with
Avid Xpress Pro, the SDI offline/online scenario eliminates the
difference in timecode source, since clips are captured through HD-
Connect LE™ at both offline and online stages. Also, the SDI scenario
allows the selection of a number of different codecs for video
compression during the offline tape capture. With SD-SDI output from
HD-Connect LE™ set in SD mode, a software DV codec could achieve
the same savings in disk space as in the DV scenario. For higher-
quality material during offline capture and edit, HD-Connect LE™ could
be set in HD mode and a DVC Pro HD codec used to compress
captured video. Recapture of just the final project clips could then be
done at the full HD data rate. The SDI scenario is also more universal
than the DV scenario, since it covers an HDV source such as the JVC
BR-HD50 deck that do not down-convert to DV.
The table below summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of the
DV and SDI scenarios.
HD-Connect LE™ Guide and User’s Manual.
