By Leonard A. Caplan
Making the switch from SD to HD is exciting, scary and frustrating with a pinch of accomplishment thrown in. “Exciting” is obvious. We’re moving into an unknown, unexplored realm in which the ultimate result will be an improved product, crystal-clear, sometimes wide-screen video with that “you are there” feeling. “Scary”, because when contemplating buying something you have little or no experience with, it’s easy to make a wrong decision. “Frustrating”, because the search for good equipment can be a long, round-a-bout journey. The accomplishment comes in when all decisions have been made, purchases have occurred, setup and installation are done and you’re up and running!
Having said all that, where do you begin? In my search for new and improved equipment, I always start with people I know who may have bought or used this equipment. As in hiring an employee, word of mouth from trusted sources certainly beats advertisements. After all, how do you trust someone who’s trying to sell you the thing? This is a lot like buying a house and trusting the owner’s building inspector instead of getting your own. Not a smart thing!
The next best thing to someone you know and trust would be online video forums. Ask some questions and see what the response out there is. If more than one person makes a complaint about the same issue, it’s a safe bet that this is a problem! And if it’s a big enough problem, I ain’t buyin'!!
After your friends and online forum buddies are through with their say, you’ve narrowed it down to maybe two or three brand names and models. Rather than taking a chance on simply buying online, why not go to a retailer and give this new HD equipment a test drive? Nothing beats handling a new piece of equipment yourself so you can be the judge! Ask plenty of questions, and make your final decision!
Just think! When you finally have your HD equipment in your arsenal, new harddrives have been bought, as well as other accessories you may need, you’ll be taking your video projects and your business to the next level!
Do you think that HD is finally going to take center stage in the video industry? Or can we squeeze another five or ten years out of the SD equipment we’ve got?
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2 comments:
Hi Leonard.
Nice blog. At the end of the blog I could felt the "fear" in adquiring a HD video equipment. You're so right about the sellers and also whom to trust when buying a HD video equipment.
I have long debated this same question and I came to a conclusion...
Would you like to know it ??
Are you ready ?
3 ?
2 ?
1 ?
Bummm
If you are in the Videography Business. Events, Weddings, Quinceañeras, Training. it means that you're going to be the role model. It's very important to keep a professional image and a professional equipment.
The best professional HD Videocamera in my opinion is the AVCCAM made by Panasonic.
The reasons are:
* $3900 price range.
* New AVCHD ( Advanced Video Component in HD )
* Image Capture at 1920 x 1080 which as today commercially speaking is Full HD. However Apple has developed a greater commercial resolution screen that surpasses 1920x1080.
* Panasonic is compatible with PC and Mac.
* This gorgeous cam is been used for broadcasting
* It can be used with multiple accesories.
I checked with Canon and Sony and even though they offered great HD Videocameras. The output resolution is only 1440x1080 which is also HD but is a 4:3 image square versus 1920x1080 which is rectangular as the new HD TV's Monitor Screens, Mobile Devices. They are all rectangular.
The sooner a student starts learning HD Videography the sooner will experiment the benefits the ins and outs.
Until next time.
In the very near future, I think that everything is going to be centered (or center stage) around HD. Being an employee of DISH, I get tons (and I can't stress TONS enough) of calls a day from people wanting to purchase or upgrade to HD equipment. With more people expecting and wanting the crystal clear quality, it's more in demand right now than anything else in TV. I would say that it is worth it, and I would suggest it to anyone. I agree that you have to be careful with who you can and cannot trust as far as purchasing outside of your knowledge (or comfort zone), however it is like you said; educate yourself before you buy! If you educate yourself (forums/blogs/internet/networking) then you have no need for regret on a purchase. You can make that educated purchase and feel good about it! I have yet to learn this skill myself, I am more of an impulsive buyer.
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