Tag Archives: SONY

Steve Jobs on Sony HC1

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Steve Jobs have captured hearts and minds with his Macworld San Fran 2006 presentation (I got it as a torrent for iPod). I’ve seen posts about it all over the place, some praising his presentation skills (Guy Kawasaki), some commenting on the Intel insides of the new MacBook Pro.

There’s a ton of new stuff coming from Apple, but the interesting bit is below. Steve Jobs included one HDV camera in the presentation: the Sony HC1 .

Steve Jobs presents ... Sony HC1

More robust cameras like Panasonic HVX200 and Canon XL H1 shouldn’t feel threaten though. I’d imagine Steve included it because HC1 is an ultra-affordable HDV cam at the $1,500 range, truly a remarkable achievement for Sony. Apple should really look up to Sony – I want them to take one of Sony’s LCDs and put it on the next generation of video iPods, so that they play movies.

As to Steve, what can I say… great minds think alike. I did a review of the Sony Hc1 just a day before Steve :)

Update: Kevin Smith touts HVX200, so Sony HC1 is not the only “winner”.

Four-camera shootout

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Barry Green (from DVXuser) has been teasing us for some time now about a four-camera shootout. The four cameras in the shootout are:

I expect that by the end of the week, Barry will be done. Disclosure: Barry is one of the people behind DVXuser so he faced some “suspicions” from some of the posters there. They expected his report will be skewed in favor of the HVX200. That’s why he has some “witnesses” to verify his findings.

Update: There’s been a major forum war on the finding of the four-camera shootout. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no winner-loser. If you want the raw 40 pages of posts, I have two links: DVX forum and Dvinfo forum.

Sony HC1

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When Sony’s first HDV camcorder, the HDR-FX1, was introduced at $3,000, I thought that this will be the entry-level HDV cam for some time.


In the year that followed, several new HDV camcorders came on the market (Sony Z1 and JVC GY-HD100U). Sony’s main competitors in the DV field both have announced their HD cams: Canon XL H1 and Panasonic HVX200.

Both Sony and (recently) Sanyo have come up with one CCD/CMOS models that are significantly cheaper than the 3CCD FX1. Sanyo has introduced a mini-cam that’s supports HD (720p) – Sanyo HD1. As a Sony owner though, I’ll start with Sony HC1 review.

Sony HDR-HC1SONY HC1 Review – Chips and Video

The HC1 has a single 4:3 aspect ratio CMOS chip. In comparison, Sony FX1 has three CCDs which are natively 16:9. The FX1 pixel count is lower – 1.12 megapixels per CCD – while HC1 has 1.98 megapixels in 16:9 mode. This matches exactly the 1080i standard – 1920×1080.

The HC1 1080i CMOS chip performs very well in well-lit environments, on par with its more expensive brethren. Colors are crisp and the resolution of the video image is really outstanding. A true HD cam.

SONY HC1 Review – Controls

Sony HDR-HC1Although HC1 is considered a lower class cam, it allows certain control over important functions. Most of these are automated but perform relatively well. For example, the auto-focus is quick and responsive – very similar to the FX1. Speaking of AUTO, the HC1 has a master auto switch that will put the camera in a full auto mode. The only thing you’ll be controlling in this mode is the zoom.

Sony HC1 has a touch screen and supports spot focus and spot metering. Touching the screen will reset the focus/metering to match this specific point. Another nice touch is having AE shift that allows four levels of “correction”.

You can also control the shutter speed, focus, zoom, and white balance but these are pretty obvious and taken for granted. The control over the zoom and the focus are pretty good (for a consumer cam).

All things considered, Sony HC1 is a terrific entry-level HD cam. You can use it as a disposable cam for guerilla filmmaking or as a helmet cam for extreme sports videos. Your “other” option for a “lipstick” cam is the Ikegami HDL-20. It’s a fist-size cam with some impressive sensors that’s designed for “trick” photography. The downside is the price tag (~$17,000), roughly equavalent to 10 HC1′s.

Of course, you can shoot your daughter’s birthday in HD too. Nikita Mikhalkov released a feature-long film about his daughter’s first 18 years (technically, from 6 to 18). You could be next! You should keep in mind you won’t come across as a “PRO” with a cam like that … it’s almost like using a webcam for production.

Update: Sony HC3 is HC1′s successor – read the Hc3 review.

Sony Blu-Ray goes with MPEG2

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It’s all over the HD sites now. Let me quote a headline from PCPro that sums it best: “Last century codecs for next-gen Blu-ray.”

Blu-Ray DVD encoded with MPEG2That’s right, Sony’s Blu-Ray DVDs will pack 50GB of data, all encoded with MPEG2. A side note for the tech un-savvy – MPEG2 is the codec that current DVDs are using. I did a recent comparison between Sony Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. I’m not sure what HD-DVD will be using but I think Sony’s making the wrong move here.


There are better codecs available. On paper, Blu-Ray supports MPEG-4 AVC (a.k.a. H.264) which allows much higher bitrates. Apple recently joined the Blu-Ray camp and has built-in support for H.264.

A snail is begging to be painted red so it fits my simile!A race between MPEG2 and MPEG4 is like racing … [writer's block]… a red snail and a Ferrari. Between the two of them, the only common thing is that they’re both red … I mean codecs. MPEG4 is able to pack A LOT more info into a file size that’s equal to an MPEG2 file.

The discussion on why Sony did it still rages on. The only grain of truth that I see is that Sony has invested a ton of dough in coding machines that only do MPEG2. Also, their technicians (for lack of a better word ) are experienced with MPEG2 settings. After all their task is to makes the movies appear their best on an HD screen. Whether the file is 30GB or 45GB is not something that they to worry too much about. At least for the moment.

I fear come Peter Jackson’s King Kong (btw, King Kong trailer is out ) they’ll start feeling the pressure. I bet Peter has extras that will put the Lord of the Rings DVDs to shame. His production diary will take half a blu-ray easy!

As far as I’m concerned, I’d like to put a system together that will make it possible to take the 100MB rate from the Panasonic HVX200 and burn it to a DVD!

Sony HDR-FX1: one year later

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Sony HDR FX1Sony’s first HDV cam, the HDR-FX1, stirred the HD video production world with its introduction an year ago. In that time several new HDV camcorders came on the market (Sony Z1 and JVC GY-HD100U). Sony’s main competitors in the DV field both have announced their HD cams: Canon XL H1 and Panasonic HVX200.


So where does the Sony FX1 stand right now? Is it still a good buy or it’s worth to wait a little longer? I’ll answer these below.

Different shooters have different needs. In my recent post about HD cameras for guerilla filmmaking, the FX1 wins fair and square. What about other uses though?

Let’s look at FX1’s advantages:

  • Affordable (Canon XL H1’s price is almost 3 times higher)
  • 1080i support (actual chip is 1440×1080)
  • Vibrant video with some low light capabilities (3 lux)
  • Long battery life
  • Standard HDV (using MiniDV cassettes)

On the negative side we’ve got:

  • Fixed lens (albeit a good Carl Zeiss one)
  • No XLR inputs for audio
  • No true 24p

If your end-product stays on video (DVD) and you don’t need balanced audio, Sony FX1 offers the best value. Wedding and corporate videographers will have an easy time selling their services as well. The FX1 is black and sexy and although it’s not a shoulder cam (like JVC GY-HD100U or Canon XL H1), it does look professional.

On the other hand, if you need balanced audio and you hope to be able to transfer to film, it’s best to wait a bit. Here’s why:

Canon XL H1 has interchangeable lenses and supports Canon XL mount and full range of lenses. This will allow you the flexibility to simulate a “filmlook” more easily. For example, shooting with a tele lens to create a narrow depth of field.

Panasonic HVX200 is the only cam under $10,000 that supports variable speeds (including true 24p). If you’d like to create filmlike video with real slo-mo effects, this is the cam to get.

In short, the FX1 is best suited for videographers who acquire, edit, and distribute on video. Aspiring filmmakers will find the features limiting, but hey, you only pay a fraction of what others are paying so you can’t complain. If $3,000 is still too much for you, you could get Sony HC1 for less than $1,500 – it’s a more affordable, entry-level HDV camcorder.

Update: Sony released Sony FX7, a three-CMOS sensor camcorder that provides a “horizontal” alternative to the Sony FX1.

Star Wars III – Within a Minute

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This is not exactly a lesson. It’s more like a reminder to get the Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith DVD. The DVD with the extras is an excellent primer for the world for corporate filmmaking. One of the documentaries on the DVD is Within a Minute, a feature-length documentary detailing the work that has gone into just one scene of Star Wars.

The scene in question is SCENE 158: Mustafar Duel. Based on the documentary, the scene required 26 shots, 1185 frames, and 910 artists. The total amount of man hours that went into that scene (I wonder how they tracked this) is 70,441!

The movie provides a step-by-step overview of the whole production process. The narration for the most part is provided by Star Wars’ Producer, Rick McCallum. He exhibits an excellent grasp of the process and leaves you with the impression he personally supervised the thousands of people who worked on the last episode. Here’s the table of contents, department by department:

Story (script), Art Department, Previz, Production Design, Construction (600 people!), Props, Make-up, Costumes, Actors, Directorial, Stunts, Cinematography, Editorial, Visual FX, Sound Design, Score.

Pay close attention to the digital cinematography department – there’s plenty of SONY CineAlta’s around. They always make me drool. A few screenshots from the scene’s progression:

Mustafar Duel: Making of Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith

There’s plenty of other material as well on this DVD: deleted scenes, interviews, etc. but the real money shot is the Within a Minute documentary.

An interesting note in indie filmmaking coming from Lucas – the rehersals for the stunt scenes have all been shot using a Canon XL1S and wheelchair as a dolly. When you compare them to the rest of this gigantic film production, they feel like home: low/no budget video production.

Even if you’re a low/no-budget filmmaker, this is an interesting see. If you’d like a “corporate” career, pay close attention to any occasions of white hair that appears on screen. These are few and far in between but indicate a career that you can retire on. Who wants to hire 65-year-old focus-puller?

HD-DVD vs Blu-ray (status report)

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Blu-Ray DVDThe next generation of HD formats has been split in two for years. There has been some famous switching of sides (Microsoft leaving Blu-ray and joining HD-DVD).


A bit of background: HD-DVD was developed by Toshiba and NEC; Blu-ray is SONY response to a common format. SONY has a proven track record in creating their own versions of just about everything: from Betamax (vs. VHS) to memory sticks (vs. Compact Flash).

The conflict will be resolved by consumers and right now the HD-DVD seems to be in a better position to win popular support. HD-DVD has the backing of Time Warner (that’s Warner Bros. and New Line), Paramount, and Universal. The studios have committed to releasing almost 100 titles on HD-DVD by the year’s end.

Blu-ray is backed by SONY and its two studios, Columbia Tri-Star and MGM. Microsoft pulled out of the Blu-ray camp when they said the XBOX 2 will NOT use Blu-ray. This was turned around when Disney said they’ll release titles on Blu-ray. Apple has also joined the Blu-ray camp recently and one major player, 20th Century Fox, still haven’t made up their minds.

Although tech specs have little to do with who wins the race, here they are: HD-DVD holds 30 GB, Blu-ray holds 50 GB. Another difference could be in the region encoding. There are rumors that the HD-DVD will not support region codes.

SONY seems a bit behind right now. At the same time, they’ve recently announced their TOTAL commitment to Blu-ray as their default high-definition format. MGM’s film library of over 6,000 titles will be made available in the new HD format. The question remains when. The HD-DVD camp will start releasing their titles for the Christmas season when you can already record your HD video to a Blu-Ray DVD!

SONY gets a lead in the space race!

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Sony HVR-Z1 goes in spaceIn a report from the International Space Station (ISS), NASA announced that space tourist Gregory Olsen filmed a TV commercial on the space station. He brought a Sony HVR-Z1J (the more professional version of the Sony HDR-FX1) on board so he could shoot a noodles commercial for a Japanese noodle company. Here’s the “transcript” from the ISS report:

“In a special demo/commercial called SCN (Space Cup Noodles) for Japanese industry, the “taxi” visitor heated two packs of noodles in the water heater, then ate the ball-shaped noodles before the backdrop of the Service Module (SM) starboard crew cabin window. The carefully scripted scenes were filmed by CDR Krikalev with the Japanese Sony HVR-Z1J high-definition camcorder, after a rehearsal of the script.”

As to video productions in space, I know which camera I’m taking with me next time a script calls for a space scene shot on location!