JVC GR-HD1 First Impressions Camcorder Review
by Lorin ThwaitsPublished on Feb 12, 2004 12:00 AM
News: Canon XL H1A, XL H1S, XL H1, XH A1, JVC GY-HD110U, Sony HVR-Z1U, HVRV1U Compared · JVC Introduces GY-HD200 and GY-HD250 · JVC Announces the GY-HD100U: 24P HDV for $6,295 |
PMA Booth
Approaching JVC's booth at the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) 2003 show, it
was obvious that one thing is on their mind: their interest in being the key player
for the future of consumer high-definition video. They've already got a
consumer high-definition VHS VCR built and popularized, so now it's time to move
on to content creation. The majority of their booth space was rightfully
used for no less than eight high-definition monitors continually showing footage
from the new GR-HD1 camcorder. A dynamic overview and slide show was given
every half-hour by two attractive presenters. Five Japanese engineers very
familiar with the new camera were flown in from Japan. Six of the fifteen
hand-built cameras in existence were on-hand, having been flashed with the latest
English firmware to provide a real look at what the menus will be like in the
production camera due out in May. Everything was in high-gear in hopes of
tremendous success for this model, and the attendees at PMA took notice.
So
for all this hype, what is JVC offering? Another mini DVD-recording model
imitating the lead of other manufacturers? No, this camera uses a standard
DV tape to get all the bandwidth possible. Perhaps this is another angle
of Sony's VX2000,
Canon's GL2,
or Panasonic's well-received AG-DVX100?
Not exactly, even though it is in the same price range as these three models.
What we have here is the first foray into the world of high definition video ''for
the rest of us''.
From this look at our Japanese friends at the JVC booth, maybe you can feel some
of the excitement they have for this camera. When May comes around and this
unit rolls out in the American market, it is sure to cause quite a stir.
I had plenty of hands-on at the PMA show with this unit, and it is what it claims
to be: true HD resolution gone mainstream. JVC has done their homework,
and is providing a fantastic way to introduce HD into the pro-sumer market.
The months to come will certainly be interesting as we see how other manufacturers
respond to this unique camera.
What makes economical HD recording possible?
Two major factors have finally allowed very resolute 16:9 widescreen video to
be affordable:
| 1. | Although we've had the appropriate CCD imaging sensors available for a few years now, the sheer volume of data they provide is overwhelming. How can we do justice to all those pixels? Powerful digital signal processors (DSPs) have finally been miniaturized and perfected in recent months to the point that beautiful HD video, each frame offering a megapixel of resolution, can be recorded on common DV tape. The DSP solution chosen by JVC was the new Super Enc-III chip from NTT. |
| 2. | Slowly and surely, average consumers are replacing their aging 4:3 television sets with HDTV models that can show cinematic video. JVC has seen this as an opportunity to open a whole new world to you and I. We are now being offered the first high-definition camcorder priced within the reach of amateur filmmakers, wedding photographers, and even the average parents of cute children. |
A Sample Frame
So enough already, what can this thing actually do? You can see first hand with this image (compressed and uncompressed versions). The image was taken from video shot on the first day of the PMA show in Las Vegas. As you can see from this actual screen grab from the camera, we stand to gain a lot. Lots of pixels, and lots of clarity. Lots of reality. Three times as many pixels compared with the best that NTSC can offer, all encoded as a standard MPEG-2 stream. If you'd like to see an uncompressed version of the sample image above, just click on it for a full-sized 1280x720 BMP file, taken directly from the MPEG stream of the camera. The filesize is 2.8 megabytes, so be prepared for a sizable download! This screen shot portrays the exact quality you can regularly expect from the 720p high definition mode. Nothing special was done when filming the scene. We just put it on a tripod and rolled tape. Here are six more screen grabs, watch out they are each pretty big (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Recording
and Playback Modes
Since the camera intends to bridge the gap between
today's NTSC video and high definition, it can be used in a variety of ways. First,
and not so exciting, you can create standard 4:3 video, the exact same as every
other 480 interlaced DV camcorder out there. Audio is the same standard
PCM 32KHz four-channel or 48KHz stereo rate you find in DV today.
Next, you can create 480 progressive video at 60 frames per second. This captures much better motion, and has no moire effects present in Sony camcorders ''progressive'' mode which really just duplicates scan lines. Since the camera is recording double the framerate, it requires more compression, so the GR-HD1 uses MPEG-2 in a 6 Group of Pictures (GOP) sequence that is standard with this camera. Battery life is slightly better recording at 480 progressive than at 720 progressive (the HD mode) since the digital signal processor (DSP) chip which performs the compression runs at a slower clock rate when doing this kind of compression. Still, the data rate is the same as the HD mode, which is 19.7 Mbps.
Certainly the most interesting mode is the widescreen HD format. With the
bundled software, you can convert 720 lines of resolution progressive scan HD
footage (720p) into high-quality, progressive scan, anamorphic widescreen DVDs.
Adding to the flexibility, material recorded either in DV or HD format can be
downconverted or upconverted as necessary for whatever playback device is currently
attached. The very capable MPEG compression chip from NTT allows all of
this on-the-fly conversion. As to be expected, the best possible quality
is obtained when high definition recordings are played back on a high definition
monitor. This is possible only through the analog component video output
as shown to the right.
Interestingly, on the Japanese model the connector is called a ''D Connector'', and is labelled differently as shown in the picture below. The mention of D1, D2, D3, and D4 corresponds to the resolutions shown in this table:
 | D1 | Standard 480i DV video |
| D2 | 480p - 640x480 progressive at 60fps | |
| D3 | 1080i HDTV | |
| D4 | 720p HDTV | |
Perhaps
you've heard of D5, which is related, but not used at the consumer level. It is
an extremely high quality format designed for transmitting studio masters of HDTV
material in an uncompressed format. Note that while playing back video to
the analog outputs on the side of the camera, the video cannot also appear on
the LCD screen! This message in the picture at the left is shown.
The reason is logical when you think about it. Consider that quite a bit
of calculation is being done inside of the DSP processing chip for it to convert
the signal to analog component video. Piling on the need to also show this
footage on the LCD screen would be ''the straw that broke the ox's back'' so to
speak. This just isn't possible. No big loss. If you preview
HD content without the analog connections hooked up to a monitor, the LCD screen
shows a nice letterboxed version of your video. Audio
in the High Definition Modes
In either of the high definition modes
(both SD and HD, the 480p and the 720p that both use MPEG-2 compression), audio
is recorded in a compressed format using MPEG layer 2 at 384 Kbps. Four-channel
support or ability to dub over the audio as with standard DV is not provided.
Due to the bitrate used, this format should allow for very good quality audio.
I didn't get a chance to test the audio compression or frequency response during
my tests of the camera. The audio I did capture was just of random noise
on the show floor, and it sounded quite clear.
Capturing to a Computer
In
order to further process the high definition material you've captured, the MPEG-2
transport stream information can be relayed to an IBM-compatible computer across
any standard firewire port. Along with the camcorder, JVC provides the software
pictured at the right that captures the video stream.
Once recorded, you can use a frame-accurate editing suite customized for the JVC camcorder. A full range of non-linear editing capability including scene transition effects and audio editing is possible. Once the information is perfected, it can be converted to a downsampled program stream and burned to a DVD to share with friends, or directly stored on D-VHS to maintain its full quality. During this process the video is recompressed. The loss is minimal, unless you decide to repeatedly edit a given section. For those purists out there that just can't bear to have their video go through multiple slightly lossy generations of processing, just convert the video into a standard uncompressed AVI, and then edit using Premiere, Final Cut, or others. In this way there is no loss whatsoever!
Does
DV Tape Really Offer Enough Bandwidth?
It may seem strange that a standard
DV cassette can do justice to high definition content. But to put it in
perspective, let's compare the data rates in use here with the data rates of other
common video streams:
| Data Rate | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.151 | VCD | Video CD |
| 2.756 | SVCD | Super Video CD |
| 6.5 | DVD | Average Data Rate of DVD |
| 8.1 | Broadcast 720p 24 | HDTV: 1280x720 24fps |
| 9.8 | DVD | Maximum Data Rate of DVD |
| 10.2 | Broadcast 720p 30 | HDTV: 1280x720 30fps |
| 14.1 | D-VHS | STD mode: Up to eight
hours of high-quality 480p or 480i |
| 15.0 | Broadcast 1080 24 | HDTV: 1920x1080 24fps Progressive Scan |
| 16.9 | Broadcast 720p 60 | HDTV: 1280x720 60fps |
| 18.6 | JVC Camcorder | Minimum data rate |
| 18.8 | Broadcast 1080 30/60 | HDTV: 1920x1080 30fps Progressive Scan or 60fps Interlaced Scan |
| 19.7 | JVC Camcorder | Average data rate |
| 25 | DV Tape | Stream of independent
frames similar to motion JPEG. Audio bitrate is recorded separately, consuming up to 1.5 megabits per second. |
| 28.2 | D-VHS | HS mode: Maximum quality, up to four hours of 1080i or 720p |
| 50.0 | Straight stream of NTSC I-frames | Used in DigiBeta and for studio editing work. |
| 375.0 | D-5 | Uncompressed format for 1080i content commonly used for studio masters. |
| 400.0 | 1st generation firewire | Maximum speed |
As we see, recording high definition in a 19.7 megabit stream, even with 6 GOP as the JVC camcorder uses, is not so far-fetched after all. 720p mode at 30 fps offers three times the pixels of a standard NTSC DVD, and correspondingly it uses three times the bandwidth of the average DVD video stream.
MPEG-2
Compression Artifacts
After going through many 720p video segments frame
by frame, I can say that artifacts are minimal. As I scrutinized the playback
from the video I recorded at the show, only in one very high-motion scene did
I ever see blocky artifacts, and even then it was minimal. No viewer could ever
notice artifacts without pausing the video and looking very closely. Here are
three very zoomed-in frames, in which only the middle frame contains very slight
artifacts:
The frames above are not directly from a screen grab. I recorded them at 60fps with my Sony TRV-900 pointed at an HDTV plasma display. The camera was zoomed way in on the busiest part of a high-motion sequence. As such, there are annoying moire lines which were obviously not part of the original video. In the middle frame of these three frames, slight blockiness is visible. Again, this is a very high-motion frame! Only in a sequence where the entire frame is in motion will these type of artifacts surface. That is the only price we pay in using the MPEG-2 compression as opposed to a motion-JPEG type thing as DV uses. In another scene where there was high-motion just in one specific area, there were absolutely no blocky effects. The image was perfect.
There is no annoying ''mosquito noise'' evident in any of the twelve video segments that I took. In terms of color signal, the video seems to be equal to the quality of DV video that I've recorded on high-end cameras. As you can tell, I'm sold on the encoding. Lots of buzz has been voiced on message boards with concerns about MPEG-2 artifacts, and perhaps these screen grabs will give reassurance to anyone considering this camera.
I
expect that some may be curious about what it looks like to play back a tape recorded
in HD on a standard camcorder. Confusing, to say the least! The colorful picture
at the right is what you end up with.
The format truly is proprietary to JVC such that playback of HD recordings must be done on a GR-HD1. From there the video can be played back to an HD monitor, copied to D-VHS, or captured to an IBM-compatible computer with the supplied software.
CCD Details
The CCD is a newly-developed 1/3 in. model designed for the best possible balance
between capturing 16:9 and 4:3 images. The majority of the CCD is used both
during 720p capture and during DV / SD 480p capture. In the 480 scan line modes,
lines of resolution are not thrown out, but rather every pixel is sampled and
then the resulting image is averaged while sizing down. This offers much lower
noise and thus a better picture, both in color and clarity. The portion
of the CCD used for each recording mode is shown here:
While the images from the single CCD are good, I would love to see JVC offer a three-chip model that would perform better for filming HD, both in low light sensitivity and for better color purity. Still, how can I complain! This is a groundbreaking first-generation model that offers very good high definition performance.
I think overall that the range of new ideas that have come together in this new camera is remarkable. It has been a long time since any camcorder manufacturer has thought this far ''outside of the box'' when creating a new product. I find this to be a welcome breath of fresh air.
Recording Modes
As
expected, shooting in standard 480i DV mode allows you to record on a DV tape
in both SP and LP modes, fully compatible with existing camcorders. But
when shooting in either of the HD modes, the tape is locked into recording only
in the faster SP mode, thereby offering just an hour worth of time per tape.
A four-position switch allows you to choose the format in which you're capturing
content.
Interestingly, when you first look at the switch that changes the modes on the side of the camcorder, you would expect four notched positions that can be selected vertically. This is not the case! The switch can be moved forwards and backwards both when in the upper or when in the lower position, and this is what addresses the four various recording modes. In either of the upper two positions, such as shown in the picture here with it in the MEMORY selection, you get the ability to record higher definition content. To switch between still picture (MEMORY) and 720p (HD) modes, it requires a small click forward and backward of the switch, still with the switch in the upper range. When you physically move the switch downwards to address either the 480p (SD) or 480i (DV) modes, it must travel all the way down. There is no midway notch partway, like you may expect from the photo. It travels all the way downwards, and when you move it you can feel that there is something optically being moved inside of the camcorder. I personally think that it changes the magnification on the CCD for this mode so that more pixels of the CCD can be averaged together to make up the 720x480 images. It is an interesting feel, anyway. Once in the downward position, again you have both a position forward (towards the lens) that records DV as standard 480i, and a position backwards (towards the eyepiece) that records 480p.
One thing that was noticeable when recording the widescreen 720p format was the 30 frame per second jitters. I personally very much prefer the smooth lifelike quality of true progressive 60 frames per second. This camcorder can provide that at 480p, but at 720p the framerate is locked in at exactly 29.97 frames per second. JVC's sample video wisely avoided footage that pans around, and would then portray the jittery 30 frame per second feel. In a world where so many are crying for 24 frames per second, which still seems like quite a step backwards to me, jittery footage will probably be welcomed.
Making Use of the Video
For many, using
the HDTV footage as-is provides is a great solution. But this camera offers
so much resolution to the independent filmmaker that I'm sure it will become popular
in that arena. To print a video to 24fps film, it would require taking out
one frame in every group of five, except for every thousandth frame, so as to
compensate for the drop-frame timing this camcorder uses. The framerate
is actually 29.97 fps, just like NTSC. Dropping frames in this way results
in a 24p format, perfect for film. Motion would look better if there were
a true 24p mode, and compression artifacts could be further minimized since it
would allow more bandwidth per frame, but that hasn't been offered in this camera...
Something to hope for in future models. There is also no gamma correction
that tries to provide a film look (as found in Panasonic's AG-DVX100), but that
effect can easily be applied in post-production with filters. In short,
transfer to film would be fairly straightforward, and when done right would provide
truly excellent clarity. Filming a feature in this way uses very low-cost
media during shooting and production, and allows for easy non-linear editing.
The video can also then be initially released in an inexpensive VHS or DVD format.
Later if the work sells and becomes more popular, it can easily be transferred
to film, maintaining excellent clarity.
There has been no announcement yet of a PAL version of the camera, so another interest may be in downconverting HD or SD content to PAL video. To convert 720p to PAL requires resizing, cropping, and dropping every sixth frame, ending up with a progressive 25fps stream. Alternatively, for footage captured in the SD mode, smoother motion could be obtained by dropping one frame in every six, and then weaving the resulting 50fps stream, ending up with very nice interlaced 25fps PAL video.
Handling
I would assume that for many, the compelling reason to consider this camera would
be its high definition capability. Secondary is the feel of the unit.
This hasn't been overlooked by JVC. The camera has a nice solid balanced
feel when in use. The mechanics of the unit leave me with the impression
that this will be a workhorse. The die-cast aluminum frame is shown to the
right.
The high-capacity battery does interfere a little bit with the eyepiece when filming, but it's not too bad. Reassuring is the fact that JVC went with a tried and true tape format. I would be more concerned if this camera not only introduced high definition to the consumer, but yet another tape format as well. Wisely, that wasn't done here. We have a solid, proven transport mechanism, and what is added is exactly what I've been waiting for over the past three years: true HD recording at a consumer price-point.
Conclusion
Although the price tag is a little lofty, this camera offers tremendous resolution
and is a great choice for independent filmmakers. The only thing missing
that would push it over the top and make it the absolute perfect choice would
be having three CCDs - providing better color clarity. Considering what
you get for the price though, it's amazing. This is also a wonderful camera
to add to the arsenal of the high-end videographer as it opens more ways to sell
footage, and a way to better differentiate your product from the competition.
I have no doubt this camera will develop a loyal following after being introduced.
The camcorder debuts in Japan next month, and will officially reach American shores
in May at a suggested retail price around $3500. For more information and to talk
about this camcorder, you can check out our JVC HDTV camcorder users group.
