AVCHD On The Spotlight
What is AVCHD? AVCHD is a new video codec better than MPEG-2 or 4, which delivers high definition video compressed from a compact camcorder. AVCHD stands for
Advanced Video Codec High Definition, and Sony and Panasonic are developing it. The downside for now is that this video codec is in the early stage of its development and is hard to find applications to edit this video format. Applications like FCP recently got updated but lower end video editor software are not.
Just last week an update from Apple to its Final Cut Studio gave us the option to import AVCHD, note that Final Cut Pro does not edit AVCHD directly, instead you have to import it as ProRes 422 codec. After the import you are able to handle AVCHD content and export it as almost any file type that FCP has available. The only problem is that FCS2 runs for $1,299, kind of pricey for a hobby.
The advantages of AVCHD video codec are the ability of recording more HD footage with less space taken by the file. We have camcorders like the Sony HDRSR7 holding a 60GB hard drive that gives you up to eight hours of HD video you wont miss a thing. Another common feature is the ability of recording 5.1 audio, lastly HDMI output to plug it directly to HDTV’s or graphic cards available for capturing directly to your computer’s hard drive are all big features.
As a video enthusiastic I think that this new format will complement the high end consumer video sector, giving people the ability to record high quality video and then down convert them to whatever format you need to use on the web, or burn a DVD with the ultimate goal of saving this HD file for the equipment we all will have in the future.
Since the introduction of HD many products had emerge but media consumption has change too, while I believed that many would move to this HD equipment. The truth is that many people are uploading these videos to the Internet making compliance more of a challenge to everyone; there are dozens of video codec available for this purpose.
If you are going to buy an AVCHD camcorder keep in mind that not all the software
available on the market is compatible with this file format. Also, make sure that you read all the specification to get the best input set for manual modes. You may even need to upgrade your computer since most of the software will demand better hardware to be able to handle HD content.
Well, I will be trading my DV camcorder for a HDV, but which one? I think I’ll be waiting until Christmas to get my new HDV or AVCHD camcorder. Which will you be getting? If you already have one share your experience with us, leave a comment on this post to know what is like. Email me for questions at lumencreativegroup (at) gmail.com. Thanks.
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