Tag: AVCHD

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Sony HDR-XR520V Camcorder Raw AVCHD Sample

Sony HDR-XR520V – Retail Price $1,499.99
Sony HDR-XR520V is priced as low as $1,240.99 at Amazon.com (July 14th, 2009).
Sony HDR-XR520V is priced as low as $1,248.00 at Buy.com (July 14th, 2009).

Check out the sample video from Sony HDR-XR520V below.

sony_hdr_xr520v_sample

ISO of the raw AVCHD files is also available here.

Sony HDR-XR520V features:

  • 1920×1080 HD video recording
  • 12.1 MP still image capture
  • 240GB hard disk drive
  • 1/2.88″ Exmor R CMOS sensor
  • Geotagging support with built-in GPS receiver

One of the first consumer grade High-Definition AVCHD camcorders with GPS receiver that I have ever played with. Another feature I really like about Sony camcorders is the NightShot capability which is practically absent from other brands. Sony HDR-XR520V is also capable to record up to 240 fps.

Smooth Slow Record:

The Smooth Slow Record mode increases the record rate from 60 frames per second (fps) to 240 fps, allowing you to capture 3 seconds of fast motion and play the video back in 12 seconds. This is a great tool for analyzing a golf swing or a viewing a bird in flight. In addition, you record an audio track to narrate the video footage.

I only have a short time to play with this camcorder, I found the on-screen menu is a little bit less intuitive. Overall I like this camcorder, the sticker price is a little bit high.

sony_xdr_hr520v_side

sony_xdr_hr520v_gps

sony_xdr_hr520v_manual_ring

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Disclaimer:

If you bought anything through Amazon link above, and I get some kickbacks.

“If you buy Stargate Atlantis: The Complete Fifth Season, I can buy this Canon Vixia HV40 HDV Camcorder” to paraphrase the great Robert Schimmel.

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Panasonic HDC-SD100: Raw AVCHD Sample

Panasonic HDC-SD100 is the third Panasonic AVCHD Camcorder that I use. The first one is Panasonic HDC-SD5 and followed by Panasonic HDC-SD9.

I am really impressed with the video quality of HDC-SD5 while I have mixed results with HDC-SD9. It is possible that I have a defective unit, and I did send it back to Panasonic for evaluation and repair. Unfortunately nothing has changed since.

My HDC-SD9 unit has a really poor low light performance even compared to the HDC-SD5 unit. I am hoping that HDC-SD100 would perform better than HDC-SD9 under the same lighting.

hdc-sd100_screencap

I tested Panasonic HDC-SD100 in-store, and recorded two videos on two different settings. The first one is recorded in 24p Digital Cinema Mode while the other is recorded in 60i mode. You can download the disk images below. Both disk images are in .iso format and zipped/compressed to save some disk space and bandwidth.

As of the date of this posting, iMovie ’09 will not import 24p AVCHD video from the camcorder or the disk.

I will be posting more videos recorded using Panasonic HDC-SD100 and some of the Raw AVCHD files.

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iMovie ’09 Disables 24p Video Imports

iMovie '08 imovie09_no_24p

With the release of iMovie ’09, Apple explicitly removes 24p video imports. The same 24p AVCHD video can be imported using the latest iMovie ’08, although 2 seconds were missing in the import.

At the time of this posting, there is no workaround for iMovie ’09 to import 24p AVCHD video.

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Canon Vixia HG21 Raw AVCHD Sample

I was planning to post Canon Vixia HG20 raw AVCHD sample until I get to play with Canon Vixia HG21. Both cameras share similar specifications with the exceptions of larger hard drive and electronic viewfinder on Canon Vixia HG21.

vixia_hg21_still_frame

http://37prime.com/diskimages/vixia_hg21.zip 88.4MB
I forgot to check the date on the camcorder. It says that it was recorded on April 25th, 2008. Check out a different video sample below.

vixia_hg21 2nd clip

http://37prime.com/diskimages/canon_vixia_hg21.zip 87.4MB

Inside the ZIP file, there is an mountable ISO file.

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New Hard Drive, iLife ’09, iWork ’09 and Canon EFS IS Lens.

January has been a relatively idle month, because I have been preoccupied with a lot of things. There are a lot of news that I could repost here, and there are a lot of subjects I could blog about.

Catching up on the “blogging” a little bit, these are a few things I’ll be talking about in the coming week:

  • Installing new hard-drive on my 15-inch MacBook Pro Core Duo 2GHz.
  • The Mac Box Set that includes iLife ’09, iWork ’09 and Mac OS X Leopard.
  • Canon EFS 55-250mm IS lens.

I’ve been playing with iPhoto ’09 for the past few days and planning to post a few fun stuff I found.

I guess I’d better stop slacking and write some more.

Before I forget, I’m eyeing Panasonic HDC-SD100 AVCHD Camcorder.

P.S. Carlos Alazraqui and Jill-Michele Meleán will be performing at The Ice House Comedy Club in Pasadena on February 5th, 2009. Be There!