Ulead & DVD-RAM Camcorders

[Jerry Jones]

I'm starting to look ahead to my next generation video editing system... and I'm getting excited about DVD-RAM camcorders.

Yeah, yeah... I know... lots of people have been skeptical about DVD-RAM camcorders and the notion that they might even obsolete mini DV and Digital 8. I agree it's early. I agree image quality is going to be an issue with 1st generation DVD-RAM camcorders.

But I've been pondering this topic during the past couple of days... and I'm starting to sense a major paradigm shift is in the works. Maybe sooner than we think.

Why?

1. We've already heard the big news about the Panasonic DVD-RAM / DVD-R drive.

2. Hitachi is now shipping its 720K pixel MPEG-2 DVD-RAM disc camcorder:

http://www.hitachi.com/dvdcam/

3. Panasonic is about to ship the new VDR-M10 DVD-RAM camcorder.

4. I've just done some internet *searches* of "ulead AND hitachi" and I was quite surprised to find so much activity involving Ulead & Hitachi and DVD-RAM.

For example, on this Web page... you can scroll down to the news about the "World's First DVD-RAM Camcorder" and you will note that Hitachi is partnering with:

1. Cyberlink
2. ULEAD
3. Sonic Solutions

http://www.hitachi.com/about/pressro...ZIZTOIWLC.html

In addition, there have been - interestingly - some rather quiet market tests conducted by Ulead in places such as the UK. The following VideoStudio 4.0 offer, for example, references a SPECIAL VERSION "designed to support Hitachi DVD CAM functions."

http://216.6.15.204:8050/hitachi/jsp...deostudio.html

Unless I'm mistaken, this SPECIAL VERSION of Ulead software allows one to edit native Hitachi MPEG-2 files with all of the Smart Render, titling, transition features we've associated with DV in the past. Undoubtedly, this SPECIAL VERSION should also work with the upcoming Panasonic VDR-M10 DVD-RAM camcorder and its MPEG-2 files.

DV and Digital 8 may indeed be on the way out... to be replaced by DVD-RAM MPEG-2 recording and native MPEG-2 editing.

Think about it:

1. No more capturing required if you have a DVD-RAM drive. You just take the DVD-RAM disc out of the camcorder and pop it into the drive. Bingo - you've saved yourself the time it takes to capture.

2. Image quality: When you really think about it - the real question is which is best... DV transcoded to MPEG-2? Or native MPEG-2 edited using Smart Render software? Personally, I'm inclined to think the latter is going to get better and better.

3. No more having to encode DV video to MPEG-2 because MPEG-2 is the native format of the camcorder.

It would likely happen gradually - as DVD-RAM camcorder image quality is the question mark right now.

Another news item, which I totally missed earlier this year in January, explained that Ulead and Heuris (the well-respected MPEG-2 encoding software company) have partnered with Hitachi.

Apparently, there's a Heuris ConnexIT software bundled with VideoStudio and the Hitachi DVD-RAM camcorder.

This Heuris ConnexIT software would allow Ulead customers to "record their video material directly in VR (or DVD-RAM) format using Hitachi or Panasonic’s DVD-RAM cameras. They could then use DVD ConnexIT to easily edit the video in its native format as well as add titling and special effects within Ulead Video Studio. When finished editing, the user could write the video directly to a rewritable DVD device such as a DVD-RAM, a traditional DVD or even to videotape."

http://www.heuris.com/Press/heuris_ulead_oem.htm




[This message has been edited by Jerrold Jones (edited 22 June 2001).]

[paulw]

Good post Jerry,

I read the review of the NTSC version of the Hitachi DVD Cam in the Austrailian Video Camera April addition. Looks like the way to the future. I'm holding off buying a new camcorder untill the second generation comes out. One down point that the reviewer noticed was that the PAL version will be European spec .. ie NO ANALOG INPUT!!!!!!!. Can you believe it these days?? Here's hoping that the non Europe PAL version will have analog in. The article also says that the new Panasonic DVD Can is made by Hitachi..

[Jerry Jones]

Thanks. Yes, I suspected the Panasonic model was really made by Hitachi.

That's interesting about the PAL versions not having the analog input.

I know the NTSC versions do have it, which is quite cool.

[Jerry Jones]

I have only two questions that I will personally answer very soon when my local electronics store gets the Hitachi model in stock.

I'm going to compare the image quality to that of a single chip mini DV.

I'd also like to figure out how to copy the MPEG-2 file and experiment with transitions and titles.

I'm very curious to know how editing in MPEG-2 really affects those aspects.

[Jerry Jones]

Well, as I expected, the image quality of the new Hitachi DVD-RAM disc camcorder is still not quite "there."

I tested one this morning in the local electronics superstore.

It's definitely better than Sony's mini disc camcorder.

But the quality of the image was not up to Digital 8 / mini DV standards.

I'll be interested to see the next generation model, though.

The price needs to come down, too.