HD Views From Blimp/Sony HD Camcorder vs. pro SD's

Lurf · 09-15-2004, 12:57 PM

Did everyone see and appreciate the sharp aerial views shot from the Goodyear blimp during the U.S. Open Tennis Championship finals on Sunday? No sooner do we read the announcement from JVC and Goodyear two weeks ago (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040825/255580_1.html) then here it is. Nice. Hopefully that annoying schizophrenic mix of same event HD and SD coverage will end sooner than we think. And along this line of thought, I wonder if the new (Nov. release) Sony HD Camcorder, with its 3 chip 1080i technology, might offer good enough quality that it could replace the SD cameras that are sometimes used instead of HD cameras when, like for instance, following a golfer walking in a fairway or grabbing an up close and personal view along a football sideline, etc. Seems to me an HD camera like this with its sharp Carl Zeiss lens, 1080i resolution and native 16:9 aspect ratio would have to be better than a pro SD camera. And a truely professional version of this Sony HD camcorder is supposed to be released, I think, around the end of 2005 and with a price at around $7K. The prosumer model at full retail is supposed to be around $3,700 and weighs a little over five pounds. If expense is the main reason for this bad mix of HD and SD then exchanging an $80-100K 30+ lb camera for the new Sony's seems like a good deal. But maybe these little HD cameras would not be compatible in a system intended to be "broadcast quality". I don't know, I'm no technician. Just some thoughts. Any network sports production people or others out there with some good insights on this?

TeeJay1952 · 09-16-2004, 11:28 AM

I told my wife I wouldn't get HD till the local news was sent in HD. I lied. (Couldn't wait, football was coming) I just thought that that would be a great spot to KNOW HD was catching on. Hopefully this cam will spur locals everywhere to give a great picture of the reporter standing in the rain or next to the accident.

MR151 · 09-16-2004, 06:13 PM

Or being blown away, literally, by a hurricane.

09-15-2004, 12:57 PM	#1
Lurf High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: May 2004 Location: Maryland Posts: 98	HD Views From Blimp/Sony HD Camcorder vs. pro SD's Did everyone see and appreciate the sharp aerial views shot from the Goodyear blimp during the U.S. Open Tennis Championship finals on Sunday? No sooner do we read the announcement from JVC and Goodyear two weeks ago (http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040825/255580_1.html) then here it is. Nice. Hopefully that annoying schizophrenic mix of same event HD and SD coverage will end sooner than we think. And along this line of thought, I wonder if the new (Nov. release) Sony HD Camcorder, with its 3 chip 1080i technology, might offer good enough quality that it could replace the SD cameras that are sometimes used instead of HD cameras when, like for instance, following a golfer walking in a fairway or grabbing an up close and personal view along a football sideline, etc. Seems to me an HD camera like this with its sharp Carl Zeiss lens, 1080i resolution and native 16:9 aspect ratio would have to be better than a pro SD camera. And a truely professional version of this Sony HD camcorder is supposed to be released, I think, around the end of 2005 and with a price at around $7K. The prosumer model at full retail is supposed to be around $3,700 and weighs a little over five pounds. If expense is the main reason for this bad mix of HD and SD then exchanging an $80-100K 30+ lb camera for the new Sony's seems like a good deal. But maybe these little HD cameras would not be compatible in a system intended to be "broadcast quality". I don't know, I'm no technician. Just some thoughts. Any network sports production people or others out there with some good insights on this?

09-16-2004, 06:13 PM	#3
MR151 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 300	Sony HD Cam Or being blown away, literally, by a hurricane.

09-16-2004, 11:28 AM	#2
TeeJay1952 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 75	I told my wife I wouldn't get HD till the local news was sent in HD. I lied. (Couldn't wait, football was coming) I just thought that that would be a great spot to KNOW HD was catching on. Hopefully this cam will spur locals everywhere to give a great picture of the reporter standing in the rain or next to the accident.