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I agree with Jason Preston. HD is not required.

I saw Robert Scoble’s new HD camera at the Podcast Expo a few weeks ago. It was nice, although I didn’t notice which brand and model it was. Is an HD camera a requirement for Video Podcasting (or vlogging)?

Jason Preston, over at the Blog Business Summit, doesn’t think it’s required, and I agree with him. I’ve never used HD for Izzy Video. I don’t own any HD equipment yet, not even a television (I can’t justify spending that kind of money on something I’m constantly setting a goal to do less of).

The list of HD advantages that Jason mentions is all true. I also want to add that most HD footage I see online seems to have slightly better color than the DV equivalent. I’m guessing that the three CCD’s in the newer cameras work with color better than the DV cameras.

That said, the main advantage of HD is increased resolution, and for web content right now, we just don’t need that many pixels. My five minute Izzy Video installments at 640×480 are already 80megs or more. They already take too long to download. I know I could use one of the many available flash players, but I don’t like how flash video looks. I prefer to wait for the download.

I’m sure at some point I’ll upgrade to HD, maybe over the next couple years, but for the time being, DV is sufficient for my needs. As Jason Preston says:

Finally, and more importantly, I’m always convinced it’s more about the content than the quality.

And I agree.

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  • http://www.convos.com Matt

    I agree as well. We’re starting to see more HD cameras being released by major consumer manufacturers and many people are buying them simply to say the are shooting HD.

    I’m a fan of taking a great 3 sensor camera and making the magic happen in lighting, composition, and solid editing.

    We put together a quick video for our site this past weekend using a panasonic DVC30, handheld steadicam, and Final Cut:

    http://www.convos.com/home/video-our-first-video.html

  • http://www.convos.com Matt

    I agree as well. We’re starting to see more HD cameras being released by major consumer manufacturers and many people are buying them simply to say the are shooting HD.

    I’m a fan of taking a great 3 sensor camera and making the magic happen in lighting, composition, and solid editing.

    We put together a quick video for our site this past weekend using a panasonic DVC30, handheld steadicam, and Final Cut:

    http://www.convos.com/home/video-our-first-video.html

  • http://www.izzyvideo.com Israel

    Matt,

    Great stuff. My favorite imagery in your video is the dolly-type movement (I assume with a steadicam) at the beginning of the video, and then again at the end.

    I also liked the lighting on the closeup.

    Are you the actor in the video?

    Thanks for the link. Great work!

    Israel

  • http://www.izzyvideo.com Israel

    Matt,

    Great stuff. My favorite imagery in your video is the dolly-type movement (I assume with a steadicam) at the beginning of the video, and then again at the end.

    I also liked the lighting on the closeup.

    Are you the actor in the video?

    Thanks for the link. Great work!

    Israel

  • http://www.convos.com Matt

    Thanks for the feedback! I did those shots with a Merlin Steadicam. Expensive but a great piece of equipment for the portability and quick setup. Perfect for smooth street scenes here in new york.

    The actor is one of the other founders of our startup. We’re working on filming a new video tomorrow and I’m looking forward to trying some new techniques.

    Hope you get that camera up and running soon. If not, go out and treat yourself. I have some friends that are doing some really great stuff with 24p. Thanks again!

    Matt

  • http://www.convos.com Matt

    Thanks for the feedback! I did those shots with a Merlin Steadicam. Expensive but a great piece of equipment for the portability and quick setup. Perfect for smooth street scenes here in new york.

    The actor is one of the other founders of our startup. We’re working on filming a new video tomorrow and I’m looking forward to trying some new techniques.

    Hope you get that camera up and running soon. If not, go out and treat yourself. I have some friends that are doing some really great stuff with 24p. Thanks again!

    Matt

  • Jef Bray

    Now that HD camera offerings have diversified somewhat, I came across a great deal and purchased a Sony HDR-SR7. Your videos have been incredible helpful and easy to follow.

    My question is as follows: A lot of your tips relate to standard 30fps interlaced video. What I’m finding bewildering is what changes with HD? Is it still 30fps? Is it still interlaced? What’s 1080i mean? 60p? It’s all so confusing!

    Many thanks if you can someday offer an episode on this.

    Cheers,

    Jef

  • Jef Bray

    Now that HD camera offerings have diversified somewhat, I came across a great deal and purchased a Sony HDR-SR7. Your videos have been incredible helpful and easy to follow.

    My question is as follows: A lot of your tips relate to standard 30fps interlaced video. What I’m finding bewildering is what changes with HD? Is it still 30fps? Is it still interlaced? What’s 1080i mean? 60p? It’s all so confusing!

    Many thanks if you can someday offer an episode on this.

    Cheers,

    Jef