Shoot like a PRO Underwater

Few things are more frustrating than a great dive with a pro-sumer camera. HDV is simply inadequate due to Inter-frame or I-Frame MPEG recording. And that’s only the beginning. Low-to-no color sampling [4:2:0 vs. 4:2:2], minuscule data rate (25Mbs vs. 100 Mbs), and use of mini-DV tape vs. tapeless workflow add to the nightmare, but most importantly HDV does not meet broadcast standards. HDV I-Frame compression compares groups of frames to determine the compression algorithm. [see below] That’s fine for a ‘talking head’ interview where very little changes frame-to-frame, but ask yourself the logical question. Is any frame of underwater video similar to the one prior? Much less the last 15-frames? Of course not, and so the results are substandard at best. DVCPRO is a professional broadcast format. Most importantly each frame is compressed separately. HDV is doomed to consumer cameras. As broadcast standards get more demanding HDV will be kicked to the curb, left at the dock.

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Want to shoot Pro High Definition? - Buy our rugged, balanced, high quality AquaVideo Marine Case for the Panasonic HVX-200 P2 camcorder. This is the first system to provide true production level, 24p 4:2:2 recording in a compact and affordable underwater package. Rated to depths of 50 meters/165 feet, it is easy to set up and easy to use. Did I mention quality??? See our HD PodCast or our store main page hd2o.tv or the clips below in this FLOG.

[caption id="attachment_907" align="alignright" width="288" caption="DVCPRO-HD ~ u/w housing for HVX-200 "][/caption]

Buy Our Rig: includes the housing and light kit; ships in a secure plastic bin. $3000.00 studio@hd2o.tv

Optics are designed to provide an extreme wide angle view – for dramatically clearer, more colorful underwater pictures. (The lens I use  - Century .75x bayonet specifically for the HVX200 - MSRP $1195) Glass dome port optical system (not acrylic) is optically neutral; corrects for distortions and aberrations and allows true lens-magnified macro and zoom-through without having to change lenses or optical setup. Stainless steel closure clamps, five front and five back, are quick and secure the 1″ acrylic end-plates with spring-loaded locking latches to prevent accidental opening. X-ring seals are highly reliable.

Controls to all major camera functions are on this rig to include; power, record trigger, zoom, focus, iris, mode, user 1, 2, 3, white balance, A/B presets, etc. About 48 lbs dry, this rig is small, self contained, rugged, and extremely agile in the soup. 10.75” diameter allows the camera?s LCD to be open and viewed through the clear backplate without glare. Velcro secures the battery pack for the SuperNova 250w 3400K HID light-kit. We use a 100GB FireStore FS-100 which also fits below the camera mounting plate, or use P2 cards.
Ships in a plastic bin; 16″x18″x24″.

HVX200 Camera, Century .75 lens mount, FireStore FS-100 are NOT included.  studio@hd2o.tv

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Intra- vs. Inter-frame compression facts :

[Wikipedia] Most compression systems used for acquisition in the digital cinematography world compress footage one frame at a time, as if a video stream is a series of still images. This is called intra-frame compression. Inter frame compression systems can further compress data by examining and eliminating redundancy between frames. This leads to higher compression ratios, but displaying a single frame will usually require the playback system to decompress a number of frames from before & after it. In normal playback this is not a problem, as each successive frame is played in order, so the preceding frames have already been decompressed. In editing, however, it is common to jump around to specific frames and to play footage backwards or at different speeds. Because of the need to decompress extra frames in these situations, inter-frame compression can cause performance problems for editing systems. Inter-frame compression is also disadvantageous because the loss of a single frame (say, due to a flaw writing data to a tape) will typically ruin all the frames until the next keyframe occurs. In the case of the HDV format, for instance, this may result in as many as 6 frames being lost with 720p recording, or 15 with 1080i recording [3]. An inter-frame compressed video stream consists of groups of pictures (GOPs), each of which has only one full frame, and a handful of other frames referring to this frame. If the full frame, called I-frame, is lost due to transmission or media error, none of the P-frames of B-frames (the referenced images) can be displayed. In this case, the whole GOP is lost.

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Help protect deep water coral, from North Carolina to Florida, from destructive fishing methods including trawls, bottom long-lines and dredges.  This collection of deepwater coral is one of the largest deep reef ecosystems in the world!

[caption id="attachment_617" align="alignright" width="281" caption="Corals are in danger. You can help."][/caption]

But it can’t survive without NOAA’s effort to regulate the fishing industry through cooperation, and that can’t happen without help from caring residents of planet Earth. This isn’t a crazy scheme to stop all fishing, that would be ridiculous.  Click the image for a closer look.

It’s easy; click this link and send the formatted note to our leaders.

http://takeaction.oceana.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=25222

Want to see more coral? Get our DVD at hd2o.tv

Kind regards,

Paul

[caption id="attachment_149" align="alignright" width="240" caption="color correction is crucial to true beauty in Nature"][/caption]

For the Mel Fisher fans, “Today is the day.”

HD2O Cameraflyer and Crew worked long hours underwater shooting this documentary. We only did the u/w camera work for one vessel.  Tune in to tru TV on Wednesday, March 18th at 10pm EST to watch the epic battle across the coast of the Florida Keys, as two treasure hunting vessels battle each other in a race to uncover half a billion dollars of treasure scattered across the sea floor.

In this image Joe “ICE” Berg is shooting a color chart for me to reference in post production.

Ask a Scientist: How sharks breathe varies by species :: Saving the Sharks :: Care2 Groups.

[caption id="attachment_416" align="alignleft" width="212" caption="Click image for video of this shark at rest"][/caption]

This is an excellent explanation of how fish and some sharks draw water with muscles to breathe.

Answer-link :   (by Dale Madison, professor of biology at Binghamton University):

Google Maps Enhance Ocean Images - WSJ.com.  Good news for Ocean lovers, Google Inc. added imagery for the ocean floor to its popular 3-D mapping service Google Earth, which allows users to browse satellite images of the Earth’s terrain.

Google executives announced the enhancements at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, highlighting partners ranging from the U.S. Navy to National Geographic. The partners contributed data and tools to make the multiyear project possible.

Podcast number 5 is a profound discovery for every beach-goer.  This short clip holds the answer to a fundamental question about the very beach sand itself.  Anyone who enjoys lying on the beach, have you every wondered…

“Where does all that sand come from?”  Oh yes, I’m afraid the image is true.  Parrot fish have a beak like a bird but more like an octopus and they use it to much on coral, algae and things.  The Parrot fish has a special set of grinding teeth that pulverize the coral into, you guess it, beach sand.  Or at least reef sand.
So next time you’re at the beach remember you are lying on a gigantic pile of “Parrot-fish Poop”.  How cool is that?
This is just one of many spectacular scenes from our DVD The Keys.  Take advantage of our Holiday Package and take care of all those on your list with ’scuba hangover’.

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Video Podcast 003 - I call this clip “reef life on 11” The Elbow in this image is one of my favorite spots.  We took a close look under an outcrop and reveal one way traffic, but which way? Depends on the flow. It was a team effort to keep the camera in place for this brief shot; we don’t touch anything (but sand) in the process of observing.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="330" caption="Excellent for observation"][/caption]

Near the end you will see an excellent example of how the musical influence follows the rough surging seas  above. And that’s where I leave you hanging, or floating; just as you start to find your grove.  Get the DVD for the whole story.

Have you seen our iTunes HD PodCast! >>

Try the pop-up player.

Video - HD2O-BlugreenSymphony Do not disturb the residents? I don’t think we could have bothered this blue parrot fish in a cleaning station. We take measures

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="330" caption="Colors and Textures- click for full large image"][/caption]

to be as non-intrusive as possible and to observe without touching anything but sand, which is exactly what this parrot fish returns to the sea at about the halfway point. An awesome toothed barracuda follows some divers who had no idea he was lurking about. They are predators, they look mean, they are very fast, but like the shark- barracudas think HUMANS taste like $#*^! (crap!)  Because if they liked us, as a flavor, they could take their pick of slow moving butts, which is another good reason to stay in shape; predators take the slow injured ones.  JUST KIDDING, eat up, and enjoy the clip.

PS. Somebody has a birthday approaching; I don’t know, but I DO know what you should get them… dah, our DVD.

Click iTunes logo for our HD PodCast!

This is our first!  HD Podcast 001

Join us and subscribe to our Ocean Observations. Click the image will jump to our iTunes listing.  I find iTunes is best for delivering HD quality of over the web. Video clips download to your computer for the ultimate HD experience, then you can load and play on any iPod or iPhone. Come along, let’s see how it works.  I’m sure there will be improvements along the way.

This first Podcast is a very colorful reef I call “Blue-Green Day-Dream”.  The visuals are enhanced by a stellar soundtrack scored for this special reef.  You should find it ~ Relaxing ~ Entertaining ~ Meditative ~ and a bit Seductive ~

Set the mood to cool blue and take a full-screen plunge anytime you see this logo!  Or watch the version below; right here, right now.  Let us know what you think.

For best playback try the pop-up player!

LAS VEGAS, NV–(Marketwire - October 08, 2008) (click image) - Entertaining at home will become trendy in today’s economy, and nothing brings people closer together than dinner. Always a good reason for guests, but what to put on that giant video screen of yours?  NASCAR, rodeo, rock concert, football?  That’ll drive a wedge through your guest

Scuba dive along the Florida Keys and you will notice a gentle pull of the Gulf Stream, always flowing Northeast.  In fact the Gulf of Mexico is slightly higher than the Atlantic sea level. The Keys block flow like rocks in a stream.  Tides come and go, but the Gulf flow is smooth and steady, and full of life.

At the very end of the earth- the very tip of the Key’s island chain- is Dry Tortugas. Key West is 100+ miles from Florida; Tortugas is another 70 miles west of Key West.  Cuba is only 90 miles as the missile flies, but southerly.

If you jump into the unprotected waters off Garden Key, home of Fort Jefferson, you would be carried along by the Gulf Stream at a 5 knot clip.  That’s just the surface.  All that water is also flowing, massive volumes of rich ocean water form the North Atlantic Elevator which carries warm water past Cape Cod and all the way to Europe.

Let’s drop some ocean turbines directly in-line with that current.  In a recently proposal to the National Park Service I proposed exactly that for Dry Tortugas. The proposal was submitted on October 3, 2008 and contained the idea in general terms.  That’s exactly what I read in the Wall Street Journal today. Everybody Into the Ocean.

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