AudioMedia - June 2008 - (Page 57)

video guide A Sound Pro’s Guide To Video Film And TV Cinematography n e ws Filmmakers today are looking forward to a time when not only film but also videotape is removed from the production process. Panasonic is continuing its part of that campaign with new versions of its VariCam camcorders using P solid state media. The VariCam  (model AJ-HPX) and  (AJ-HPX) are HD camcorders that deliver master-quality, full-resolution -bit :: AVC-Intra  recording; variable frame rates in one-frame increments; HD-SDI output of .PsF/PsF; and a multigamma function to match film stock, which has been an important selling point for the established VariCam cameras. The  is a solid-state version of Panasonic’s DVCPRO HD VariCam and features three /-inch native HD resolution CCDs. It produces cinema-quality, independent frame  and  images with :: -bit sampling in AVC-Intra . The camera records using the more bandwidth efficient AVC-Intra  compression as well as DVCPRO HD. The VariCam  is intended for sports, documentaries, independent films, and any project for which flexibility would be an advantage, and also delivers advanced gamma settings, variable frame rates (from fps to fps in p mode) and two separate HD-SDI outputs. At the top of this new P range is the VariCam , which is aimed at feature films, episodic television and commercials. It gives full native x-pixel acquisition and independent frame recording with -bit/:: sampling. The three HPX /-inch . megapixel CCD camera also gives a :: RGB duallink live output, seen as a benefit for productions working with visual effects. The VariCam  records in full-raster x resolution in AVC-Intra , and records in AVC-Intra  and DVCPRO HD as well. Its variable frame rate function has a range from fps to fps in one-frame increments, and is equipped with three HD-SDI outputs (dual-link plus monitor). Both the VariCam  and VariCam  can be switched between .-Hz and -Hz recording. > Five P card slots allow continuous recording, card selection, hot swapping, loop rec, pre-rec, interval rec, and one-shot recording. Five GB P cards allow recording for up to  minutes in AVC-Intra  at /p,  minutes in AVC-Intra  at /p,  minutes in other AVC-Intra  formats, and  minutes in other AVC-Intra  or DVCPRO HD formats. These capacities will be doubled if operators use the new GB P cards, which are due for release later this year. Among the image enhancing features on both camcorders are -bit A/D processing, Chromatic Aberration Compensation (CAC) to maximise lens performance, Dynamic Range Stretching (DRS) for wide variations in lighting, unique shutter angle settings, built-in scan reverse, and full control of matrix and colour correction for precise image matching. The VariCam  and VariCam  both have a high sensitivity of F at , lx and feature -kHz/-bit, four-channel digital audio recording. Text memos and shot markers can be added to the recordings and an additional circ uit board, the AJ-YAXG, makes proxy data recording possible. Other features include scene files, user buttons, user menu and focus assist functions, and newly designed, two-wheel (ND and CC) optical filters. Pa n a s o n i c ex p e c t s t h e AJ-HPX and AJ-HPX to be on the market during this autumn. Other hardware modifications include a different handle on top of the camera, a new base plate to give greater stability on a tripod, and a voltage distributor with outputs for both and volts. This allows video and film accessories to be connected and run in conjunction with the camcorder. Inside the camera a filter was inserted before the two in-camera filter wheels. Used with Panavision lenses this makes the processing and recording of red light more as it is dealt with by the human eye and film. This means the red amplifier, a necessary device in video cameras to electronically increase sensitivity to this part of the colour spectrum, has been turned down in the HD F. Another electronic difference is the absence of definition enhancement. Traditionally video devices have been fitted with a circuit board to increase the sharpness of images, usually by electronically hardening the hard edges in a picture, thereby producing a sharper effect. Panavision felt this was unnecessary due to its Primo Digital lenses, and so has turned off the image enhancement electronics. Panasonic’s film-style HD camcorder has a definite look of traditional cameras and is designed to operate at a number of frame rates in much the same way as celluloid. Because of this, the AJ-HDC HE is also known at the VariCam but, like the more general production camcorders in Panasonic’s high definition range, it also operates on the DVCPRO HD, or DVCPRO , format. DVCPRO HD uses four parallel codecs and a coded video bit rate in the region of Mbit/s, with the actual rate depending on what format is selected. Pictures are encoded using : : colour sampling. For p, images are pre-filtered to give a recording with a resolution size of x , while i is processed to either x for . i, or x for i. The AJ-HDC HD operates at frame rates from four to frames a second and is able to recreate the speeds found on a film camera, which can be used for different effects, such as slow-motion and time-lapse. The camera also offers gamma image quality that is comparable to film, producing a picture with a full dynamic range that can be projected. While HD has helped create camcorders that cinematographers have started to regard as closer to film than previous video formats there are still doubts over the resolution and the amount of compression involved. Because of this, Thomson (Grass Valley) took a different approach in designing its digital HD camera, the Viper, by using an uncompressed : : signal. This has produced something much closer to film, which was also the aim of the developers of digital cinema cameras. Both will be discussed in the next Video Guide. ∫ AUDIO MEDIA JUNE 2008 57

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - June 2008

AudioMedia - June 2008 Contents Recording Post Broadcast AES Review What's Up UK? Geofocus: Australia For the Record Special Report: Videosonics Newstalk: DPA New Microphones Novation SL Compact Allen & Heath IDR-8 Eastwest Quantum Leap SD2 & Goliath Final Cut: Indiana Jones Merging ADR Module Koolworld SSL Duende Good Product Sampler: Microphones Video Guide AMSR Meyer Sound The Blue Planet Live! Royer Labs Mics R-121 & R-122

AudioMedia - June 2008

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