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Panasonic HDC-SD1 Camcorder Reviewby John NeelyPublished on Apr 2, 2007 6:00 PM
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Compression (6.0)
The Panasonic SD1 uses AVCHD compression, a consumer-oriented flavor of MPEG-4 H.264 compression that supports both 720p and 1080i. AVCHD was developed by Panasonic and Sony and announced in early 2006, and Sony was the first company to bring camcorders using the new format to market with its introduction of the HDR-SD1 and HDR-UX1. AVCHD is up to 50% more efficient than MPEG-2 HDV compression, allowing the format to be implemented in a range of recording media that many consumers favor over tape, including DVDs, flash memory cards, and HDDs.
AVCHD allows for HD video encoding at lower bit rates than HDV’s fixed rate of 25Mbps of between 9 and 24Mbps. The Panasonic HDC-SD1 supports three bit rates: 13Mbps HF (CBR, or constant bit rate), 9Mbps HN (VBR, or variable bit rate), and 6Mbps HE (VBR). The highest AVCHD bit rate implemented to date is 15Mbps in Sony’s HDR-SR1, available since the fall of 2006.
AVCHD is a format that has great potential, and in our video tests, we have found it to produce video that is noisier than HDV but nearly as sharp, at around ½ the bit rate. Unfortunately, AVCHD is not yet widely supported by NLEs, so working with SD1 footage or any AVCHD footage demands some time-consuming workarounds. Even when AVCHD post-production solutions are implemented, it will require a faster system than HDV editing due to the increased compression/decompression of the new codec. At present, AVCHD is in its infancy, and its advantages over HDV are confined to the benefits afforded by very low bit rates and random access media.
HDV is more stable, superior in terms of performance, and much more widely supported than AVCHD, but can only be recorded to cassette, P2 (in the case of professional camcorders from Panasonic like the HVX200), or DTE devices. If you are willing to wait for AVCHD post-production solutions and have a strong preference for random-access media over tape, AVCHD camcorders are a cost-effective way to record HD video. If picture quality and editability are your foremost concerns, HDV outclasses AVCHD by a wide margin.
The wildcard in the consumer HD realm is JVC’s Everio HD7, slated for release in the states very soon. The HD7 records MPEG-2 video to HDD at up to 30Mbps. That is a higher bit rate than standard HDV MPEG-2, and could give HDV’s performance a run for its money, and we assume JVC’s MPEG-2 compression will outperform AVCHD. In addition to the convenience of HDD recording, the HD7 will include a strong manual image control suite. Stay tuned for our review of this highly anticipated camcorder.
Media (6.0)
The convenience of recording straight to SDHC cards on the HDC-SD1 needs to be seen in the context of AVCHD compression. Standard definition HDD and flash-based MPEG-2 camcorders allow you to easily transfer footage to a PC for archiving to DVD, and many even support one-touch DVD burning. The fact that any home DVD player can play back standard definition MPEG-2 footage makes this level of convenience possible. Unfortunately, there are no DVD players on the market that currently support AVCHD video, so the convenience of easy archiving is absent.
Thankfully, you can now create a DVD with SD1 footage, but the solutions are still extremely limited. The best bet at the moment is Ulead DVD MovieFactory 6 Plus, which does support AVCHD video – and even allows you to burn AVCHD material to a standard DVD. The availability of Ulead’s end-to-end AVCHD solution is a boon to AVCHD camcorder users with the caveat that it’s a consumer application, and editing options are limited. DVD MovieFactory6 Plus is also a Windows-only app, so if your platform is OS X, you’ll need to sit tight until AVCHD support arrives.
Editing (4.0)
There are no NLE’s that support AVCHD footage natively, but Ulead DVD MovieFactory 6 Plus does allow rudimentary editing using the Edit Room feature. This program includes Storyboard and Timeline Modes, trimming, transitions, titling and supports multiple audio tracks. Keep in mind that MovieFactory 6 Plus is a DVD authoring program with embedded video editing functionality, and not a standalone NLE (non-linear editor) like Adobe Premiere or Apple Final Cut Pro.
If you want the robust features of a standalone NLE, you can still work with AVCHD footage, but you will need to convert your footage to a format that your NLE supports. Again, this is a time-consuming and processor-intensive step, as well requiring you to work with second generation footage. MovieFactory 6 Plus probably offers the most seamless way to accomplish this, given that it can import AVCHD video and export it as MPEG-2, DV AVI, AVI, or QuickTime (MOV, QT) – formats that NLEs support – in addition to BDAV, HD DVD, WMV-HD, WMV-SD, and ASF.
Corel (Ulead’s parent company) deserves kudos for rolling out support for the format, however, DVD MovieFactory 6 Plus remains one of a handful of solutions for working with AVCHD footage that doesn’t require a degree in broadcast engineering. If you are serious about editing HD video, HDV remains the vastly superior format. Your video will originate cleaner, sharper and less noisy, and you’ll be able to work with your footage as soon as you import it into your favorite NLE.
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