#Flyer future consensus
8 messages in this thread
At NAB dig-S was said to be shipping 12/95. BTW, there was an interesting essay
regarding these formats in this months AVvideo magazien by Cecil Smith. I
disagree with a lot of what he projects because I think he doesn't really
understand software nerds and what motivates them and companies made up of
software nerds. Of course, it depends on JVC and Panasonic being a little more
on top of that than is Mr. Smith (who, btw, is the author of "Mastering
Television Technology – A Cure for the Common Video" which is a must have book
for all DTV producers).
I think Panasonic's DVCPro will utlimately fail because it is really just
another attempt to do a Sony – create a new format that becomes a defacto
standard and locks everyone into a single maufacturer or licensed minions (a la
Betacam). Witness D-II and M-II. Part of the bad idea is that DVCPro is
incpompatible with DVC for the consumer, so the S-VHS/VHS type relation is
unavailble.
JVC's approach is to provide a bridge (via KY-19/KY-27 and equipment that
plays/records both formats) from analog to digital formats. So, while waiting
for you customer base to step up to digital, yhou can do all your work in (and
enjoy all the benefits of) digital up until the creation of the final master,
fo example.
However, for JVC to really make that happen, they MUST get software developers
on board to integrate direct use of the digital S-vhs in NLE systems like
RazorPro/Targa/Perception etc. IOTW, they have to treat digital S-VHS as a
public data format for third parties to perform document processing on. So
far, IMix is the only company in the video world that I'v seen indications
conciously recognizes digital video as just another document/data type.
Panasonic is apparently keepin their system closed. If you want it you mus use
their 6 mm tape, their editing computer,software and drives. The other
difference is that they are at a 5:1 compression as opposed to digital S whic
is 3 to 3.5:1. DVCPro is also 4:1:1 as opposed to digital S which is 4:2:2, so
it will probably have lower color fidelity and be harder to expand to meet the
demand of HDTV. S0oI think DVCPro is going to be the digital equivalent of
M-II: looks nice, but compatibility with the market place will be a problem.
Digital S-VHS, OTOH, has a distinct migratory path from current S-VHS/VHS to
digital, to HDTV. So if JVC courts the rights-holders of quicktime, AVI, FLC
and NLE producers, I think they could have the defacto pro-industrial format of
the next 20 years. Again, just my guess based on a minimum of investigation of
the two formats.
wmc – via Autopilot!
Thanks for your insights. It runs contrary to my in the dark
assumptions….which are..
It seems that Sony is also going to use the DVC/pro and come out with equipment
very soon. I just assumed that since Sony was going with this format, that it
would be the Betacam of the new "low end" digital formats and digital S would
be the MII. As I said, this was all based on gross assumption and no real
investigating. As with what happened to Betamax, the "better" format doesn't
always win.
I totally agree with you about treating digital video as a "document type".
However, it it seems that people in the software/data processing industry
(which is where digital video takes us) haven't even learned that lesson. We
have DOS, Windows and Unix to answer that part of the discussion. Anyway, If my
flyer ever works, I just need something better to feed into it! The KY27 is
definitely the camera I would buy for the money I have to spend right now. I
like it (and even the X2) better than the supercam, which is the other
contender. For now, I patiently wait to go thousands more in debt…
Brian
Brian,
I hadn't heard about the Sony DVCPro connection. Interesting. (I'll have to
pump my buddy who works for Sony for some info).
The SW people are on top of the video as a document idea. For example there
are two efforts underway to standardize high res anim/gfx and full motion
video. One camp is the Micorsoft, SGI, SoftImage, Alias, Wavefront group, the
other is IBM, and some other I can't recall at the moment. The catch is that
the video companies (Sony, JVC, Panasonic Hitachi Ikagami) don't seem to figure
prominently in either camp. The first one to pick the right camp and do the
bridging so that one can stay digital from aquisition to master, taking
advantage of lossless digital compression will be the winner. Hopefully,
whoever that is will keep the price around pro-industrial levels instead of
network broadcast levels…
>>For now, I patiently wait to go thousands more in debt…
If you get tired of waiting, I'll spend it for ya :^}
wmc – via Autopilot!
I read that right after NAB in an article about the Panasonic show-n-tell of
DVC. It said that Sony and someone else were licensing the format. Anyone else
out there know anything ? I haven't been to the BP forum lately to see if it is
being discussed over there. I'll get back to you if I find the article
reference…
Maybe there will be a market for DVC and Digital-S to Mpeg/vtasc/wavelet
software.
I think you can count VTASC out of the running. They didn't generate much
notice at the "official" levels at NAB, and I've not seen any anouncement
regarding 3rd party licensing it. I think the forces that plane to capitalize
on ICTV and HDTV are going to do what it takes to see that MPEG-II becomes the
standard. At least that is what is the favorite management hype mnemonic these
days. I also think NewTek was waiting for the industry to beat a path to Topeka
to get access to VTASC but the inauspicous launch of the Flyer I think has
basically killed that opportunity.
BTW, be sure to distinguish between DVC and DVCPro. One is the consumer format
and the other is the pro/industrial format, neither compatible with the other,
according to AVVideo.
wmc – via Autopilot!
RE: DVC DVCpro, I just read that Panasonic's DVCpro equipment will be able to
read the Consumer DVC version. It could have been that Sony is licensing the
DVC for consumer stuff only…
Hey Tom (if you are out there watching this thread), what kind of Sony DVC
stuff are you hoping to get this fall (DVC or DVCpro)?
It would be great if you could start a new thread….
It is a waste of a lot of time to be reading non related subjects undr the
subject of Flyer Future Concensus.
Brian,
I am intrigued by the Sony DVC camcorders, but I don't plan to buy anything
until I see the picture quality. That's always the bottom line for me.
Tom