HDV

High Definition Video (HDV) is a video format designed to record compressed HDTV video on standard DV media (DV or MiniDV cassette tape). more...

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History

The HDV format was developed by Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC) and Sony. The format was initially supported by three other companies: Canon Inc., Sharp Corporation, and Sony Corporation. These four companies make up the HDV consortium and are all manufacturers of HDV hardware. They announced their HDV partnership in September, 2003. Sharp has not manufactured an HDV camcorder at this time. They have since been joined by other companies, notably Avid, Canopus, Ulead, Sony Media Software, and Apple, Inc.

JVC was the first to release an HDV camcorder, the GR-HD1. With the GR-HD1, the user could select standard DV (480i), or HDV (720p30, 480p60) mode. Sony was next to launch an HDV camcorder. Introduced in September 2004, the Sony HDR-FX1 recorded in HDV 1080i format. Depending on the TV standard in the released market, the unit would support either 50 Hz or 60 Hz recording (but not both.) The Sony HVR-Z1U, the equivalent U.S. professional model, supports both and adds XLR audio plus 44 additional features, most notably a dual clock that could support either 50 Hz or 60 Hz formats, allowing for both PAL and NTSC on a single camcorder. In 2005, Sony released the consumer-oriented HDV Camcorder, the HDR-HC1. A professional version of the HDR-HC1, the Sony HVR-A1E, was released in September 2005. In 2006, Sony released the HDR-FX7, HDR-FX7E, HVR-V1U, and the HVR-V1E, marking the world's first full 1080p camcorders in a small format, with both 24p and 30p (only 25p on the HVR-V1E) features on the camcorder (except for the HDR-FX7 and HDR-FX7E).

JVC has developed its own extension of the HDV format called ProHD which shoots natively at 720p24.

In September 2005, Canon entered the HDV market with the Canon XL H1, a professional, modular HDV camera system, and in July of 2006, Canon announced their XH A1 and XH G1 models which are similar to the XL H1 but in a smaller form factor and a fixed-mount lens. In 2006, Sony appended the HDR-HC1 with the less-expensive HDR-HC3. The HDR-HC3 features a slightly improved CMOS chip, but omits some features (such as external mic-in) of its predecessor.

Canon then introduced the Canon HV10 which is a compact consumer priced 2.76 Megapixel CMOS chip HDV camera system. In April 2007 Canon came out with an even better compact consumer camera model Canon HV-20 which has along with its other features a 24p + cine mode to give the video a more 'Movie' look.

Panasonic took a different approach by pushing its DVCPRO HD format for HD acquisition. The Panasonic AG-HVX200 HDTV camcorder records DVCPRO HD (not HDV) on DVCPRO P2 cards. The built-in Mini DV tape recorder is relegated to standard definition DV only. Although the camcorder is a DVCPRO HD camcorder, it is not generally considered to offer the quality that other DVCPRO HD (such as the Varicam) offer; this is likely due to its smaller CCD size.

Read more at Wikipedia.org