The "DV" in minDV tape = Digital Video. The Digital Video data written to miniDV tape is in the form of zeros and ones - just like the zeros and ones written to flash memory, hard disc drive or optical disc storage media. The magnetic storage oxide bonded to the plastic "ribbon" that makes the digital video tape is similar to the magnetic storage oxide used by hard disc drives. These "zeros and ones" are basically an on/off signal that are created, manipulated, stored, and later transfered and interpreted by the electronics in the camcorder.
For your review: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dv
Please do not confuse digital-anything with Analog information - in this case, camcorders that use non-digital recording. Examples include VHS (and VHS-C), 8mm, Hi8, Beta and others. Analog information stored to analog tape is identified as a series of wave-form information.
For your review: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_signal
Just because the storage media is tape does not mean it cannot be "digital" information. Just as another example, there are external devices available from Focus Enhancements and Sony that use flash memory to store DV format and HDV format digital video. These are the same digital video formats that many miniDV tape based camcorders store to the digital tape.
For your review:
http://www.focusinfo.com/fsh200.asp
http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/cat-broadcastcameras/cat-hdv/product-HVRMRC1K/
Last example - but not directly related to camcorders... DAT tape
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Data_Storage
is commonly used in LARGE data centers to archive digital data from computer based file servers. Your suggestion that tape is somehow not digital holds no water - file servers are computers that store digital information. There is nothing "analog" associated with digital tape...
There is no "generation loss" associated with copying the zeroes and ones from one digital tape to another digital tape the way there is generation loss with analog tape sibling generation.
Your notion of "Pure Digital Media" is misguided. Using your methodology, that means that DV, HDV, DVCPRO HD, DVCAM, HDCAM and other digital formats recorded to tape or non-tape based DTE (Direct to Edit) devices is somehow not digital and prone to generation loss - this is simply not the case.
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The "actual resolution" of video is clearly defined by international standards bodies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_resolution#Current_standards
The horizontal line count is the determining factor. This is true whether standard definition at 480i/p, High definition at 720p or 1080i/p or Ultra High Definition (see Red or Silicon Imaging camera systems). Please note there is no reference to AVCHD anywhere on this linked page. AVCHD is not a "video resolution technology". It is a video data compression method.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVCHD
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"Data format" is independent of the compression method used to store the video.
More video compression = more discarded video data. Generally speaking, this typically meant reduced video quality. This is the reason low compression video capture is preferred - as the inverse: Less video compression = Less discarded video data, applies. The differences lie in the compression process. With DV, HDV, DVCPRO HD, DVCAM, HDCAM, and a few others, the compression is a constant rate.
With more current AVCHD (and we're talking consumer cams, here), the variable bit compression can be severe - or not so much so, depending on the selected "video quality" option used in the camcorder's menu.
There's a big discussion around the industry related to the "group of frames" method that basically uses frame 1 as the "key" and the following 7 frames differences are recorded, while the similarities are discarded. In this method, if any one of the 8 frames has an issue (easy to do when recording fast action), the entire group can be impacted. Assuming NTSC standard 29.97 frames per second, at risk is nearly 1/3 the frames in that 1 second of captured video.
I agree that AVCHD video, when recorded raw (uncompressed), can provide good video. But remembering we're discussing consumer camcorders, there are none that record raw, uncompressed, AVCHD video.
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"AVI" is merely a Microsoft-specific container or envelope in which to store the video data. The same video data can be stored in a "MOV" file as well.
Your suggestion of "AVI format" is absurd. It may be an AVI "file type" (or MOV file type - or many other different video file types) which is computer-readable, but the video in that envelope can be VERY compressed resulting in low video quality or not very compressed resulting in high video quality. The key then becomes the codec used and its efficiency in replacing the the discarded data from the compression process.
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In your third paragraph, you discuss standard definition DVD video compressed to VOB files to high definition AVCHD compressed video data. The attempt at the comparison is irrelevant and *could* be confusing. As well, you are assuming VOB-compressed DVD-player readable files are the only way to use recordable DVDs. SOme people use recordable DVDs for storing data - including video data that cannot be played back by a regular DVD player.
For example, I *could* store an MTS file (this is a video-file type created by camcorders recording AVCHD compressed video) on a regular single layer or double layer DVD. This MTS file is not playable by a regular DVD player, and most likely higher video resolution and quality that the standard DEF VOB video file.
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I agree that digital tape systems using a tape-drive mechanism has more parts - and more moving parts. The "analog" misinformation you push is irrelevant, so your continuing to consider any tape as "non-digital" is inaccurate. Mostly, I use external mics or an audio field recorder for audio. The few times I have used the built-in camcorder mics (concerts), the tape transport mechanism noise is a non-issue because the (concert) audio is loud enough to make the tape-drive noise irrelevant. Generally, the only time the tape mechanism noise is an issue is when there is no audio at all in the environment being captured to video. The bigger issue is the hiss caused by the automatic audio gain control - not the tape drive mechanism. This is an issue for any camcorder - not just tape-based camcorders.
The reason digital tape is still preferable is due to initial cost considerations. You seem to like math (inaccuracies aside):
One 60 minute miniDV tape is around $3.
http://www.tapestockonline.com/son60minprem.html
I am not even going for best price...
Each tape can hold up to 63 minutes of HDV format (digital) video. When imported to a computer for editing, this can consume up to 44 gig of computer hard drive space. After importing, editing, then exporting the final project back to a digital tape for archiving, I make different versions with different compression amounts and file types for the various playback and display methods. One for YouTube/Vimeo type video sharing sites, one for a DVD authoring application to downsample to VOB for standard DVD player playback and maybe a couple more that have more or less compression depending on the requirement. Since I don't re-use tapes, that means I have the original digital video and the archived final project - and I can delete the video editing project files from the computer hard drive. Over the last seven years, I have over 500 tapes. 500 tapes x $3 per tape = $1,500
Assuming, on average, that the whole tape is not used - closer to about 3/4 of the tape is used, or 63 minutes * .75 = a little over 47 minutes per tape has high definition, HDV format, digital video on it.
47 minutes per tape x 500 tapes = 23,500 minutes of video.
Please explain to me where you plan to store - for archiving - 23,500 minutes of AVCHD-compressed, high quality (remember, low compression), video.
The best method is on a RAID1 multi-drive array. In the multi-terabyte range. Buffalo, LG, NetGear and several others make them. They are just now coming into the "affordable" range for many. Another option is to use a BluRay burner and (expensive) BluRay blanks.
For HDV, I just use a $3 tape.
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Using the camcorder as the playback device is great. I do it with my HDV camcorders fairly regularly. Using RGB component + audio or with many HDV camcorders (including the HV40 and HDR-HC9) using HDMI connection makes for very nice large-screen HDTV playback of un-edited or EDITED high definition video.
Please explain to use how you will get EDITED final project video from the computer to the AVCHD camcorder for playback. (Hint: You can't - at least, not today. Unedited, yes - but not edited using a computer-based video editor. There is no "export to MTS", and that is all the AVCHD-compressing flash memory or hard disc drive camcorder can deal with.)
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As previously stated, you responded to a three year old post.
I'll make you a deal: You learn about the difference between "digital" and "analog", how video resolution is determined and why lots of video compression is problematic and I'll keep paying attention to low compression video, affordable process flow and acceptable video archive methods.