cameraflyer on April 16th, 2010

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.


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 "]HVX-200 u/w housing[/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


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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cameraflyer on June 30th, 2009

CREATIVE ASSIGNMENT: CAN Prevent wants people to feel empowered to stop child abuse. Click the logo for the task force web site.can-full-logo

YOU CAN make a difference. We are urging people to report child abuse if the see it, sense it or know it. Help kids and families get education and support to stop the cycle of violence that child abuse causes.

LVHD produced a 30-second awareness campaign for the task force. Music and lounge act provided by Garry Lee Rosenberg really draws attention in a new way to an old problem. He uses a classic song with a snappy melody and adds a lyrical twist to create an original timeless message. Sticky Message stays with you.


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cameraflyer on April 25th, 2009

Rapidly changing technology can make last year’s great idea into a slumdog, and that is certianly the case with HDV. The 2009 show seemed to be a sort of catch up year, in that innovations of recent years are now very usable and ready to work.  RED for example: a few years ago the camera was a prototype. This year the accessories were out in big numbers.  3D is big. More on that in years to come.  It’s cool, but the technology has to develop to attract an audience.

Silicon Imaging 2KNAB camera report

My favorite camera is from Silicon Imaging. Slumdog Millionaire Shot with the SI-2K Cinema Camera. The SI-2K series combine a DCI-spec 2K sensor with CineForm’s revolutionary Visually Perfect® CineForm RAW™ codec. All that- embedded Intel Core 2 Duo powered architecture. It delivers a direct-to-disk recording platform with unprecedented image quality, 11-F stops of dynamic range, an intuitive 7” LCD touchscreen interface that is off the charts, sharp OLED electronic viewfinder option, IT-friendly connectivity, battery powered operation, and up to 4-hours of continuous shooting on its hot-swap 160GB notebook hard drive. My friend Steve Waterford of ZennaTek has already invented an ingenious waterproof housing that has interior climate control and lens clearing airflow for housing lens.  This partial submersion bag is for taking it to the extreme.

Please note: There is no up-side benefit to my company if you shoot a specific camera.  In fact; I’d like to see all ocean videographers using HDV please. This is my NAB 2009 review of cameras I personally would deploy underwater.

Click to continue reading "HDV exit- stage right"

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cameraflyer on November 19th, 2008

Video - HD2O-ReefLife016 A busy day on a healthy coral reef.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="330" caption="Angle looks at self in camera lens"][/caption]

You will notice the water is not perfectly clear which actually indicates healthy, nutrient-rich ocean water. Lots of food attracts lots of life as the music plays whimsically with the neighborhood action. We hope you enjoy it and hope we can bring this product to you soon.

Subscribe to a true iTunes HD PodCast! View in iTunes Or use the pop-up player right here, right now.

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icon for podpress  ReefLife016: Play Now | Play in Popup

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cameraflyer on October 23rd, 2008

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 ~

View in iTunesSet 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!

 
icon for podpress  Blue-Green Day-Dream : Play Now | Play in Popup

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cameraflyer on October 12th, 2008

VIDEO in this FLOG ARTICLE - Lots of things peter out; like gum. How about with HD2O?  THE ENTIRE DVD is nap time!

On the other hand; If you’re into entertaining @ home, an elegant dinner party to an intimate evening @ home ~ HD2O is a stimulating experience for your big-screen tv. Video and audio are masterfully combined into a powerful underwater journey. Get it today in our store.

Grab this free HD clip and see for yourself.

Musical composer Garry Lee Rosenberg is an exception to that rule. He doesn’t peter-out. Quite the opposite is true. He took on the “HD2O - The Keys” project thinking he would contribute a few tracks. That’s not what happened. Rosenberg ended up scoring all but 8-minutes of the 67-minute looping content, plus he scored the emotional visit to Island Dolphin Care. How the heck did I get a composer to contribute that much effort? I wish I could tell you, but I just don’t know where I went right!

I thought Island Dolphin Care would’ve mentally crippled him so I never released the final videos at that time. It wasn’t until after “Minnow Storm” which demanded a live flutist.

His first clue that I was dragging him into the deep blue water should have been when he found out my tracks were 12-minute compositions; not the usual 3-minute album track like he was expecting. (verse, verser, chorus, bridge, verse; doesn’t work) But that was only the beginning as tunes turned into tracks, a couple tracks turned into several tracks. That’s when I dropped “Track 14″ on him, a monster 20-minute track, I said, “Garry, would it make you feel better if you scored a 30-second disc-intro first? Then do the 20-minute piece?” Rosenberg had just completed Minnow Storm which required live musicians to include a monster flutist for the piece he had written.

minnow stormBy now Rosenberg was hooked, line and sinker. (LOL) Having scored 30 of what he thought was a 45-minute disc, so now he wanted to score the entire thing, and did just that… he scored a whopping 60 of 67-minutes. That’s right- Garry wasn’t counting as the disc blossomed from 45 to 67 minutes. In the end he did it all with the exception of an 8-minute piano solo. What’s most amazing is his Final Two Minutes. After an hour-and-five of amazing music he still had this left in the tank? The Final 2 are Magnificent!

With great admiration for his musical skills and Berkley education I say the DVD soundtrack on HD2O - The Keys is worth the price of the disc without video. The video too is worth it. Together the disc is a bargain; truly worth having in your DVD and iPod library.

 
icon for podpress  Final Two Minutes from HD2O - The Keys: Play Now | Play in Popup

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cameraflyer on September 9th, 2008

Garry Lee Rosenberg

Click to continue reading "The Keys soundtrack completed"

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cameraflyer on August 27th, 2008

Big Eyed Squirl FishHD2O’s Cameraflyer, Joe “ICE” Berg, shot video of this shining new Sea-Doo Seascooter VS Supercharged Water Scooter From Sea Doo. The group put it to the test at Snapper Ledge, a must-dive site off Key Largo. (see video in this post)

Overall performance was reported as excellent - even pulling two divers against the stiff current. We just happen to have the best price on Sea Scooters in our store, Ocean Beach.

Rated the No. 1 overall water scooter by Diving Science and

Click to continue reading "Sea Scooter passes the test"

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cameraflyer on July 15th, 2008

Life comes at you fast. There isn’t always time to research every detail, we all appreciate a little help. We at HD2O are happy to announce the opening of the “OCEAN BEACH SHOPS“. More and more friends are taking advantage of those last-minute vacation packages. Great bargains can be found, but it takes timing. Once the trip is booked, you may find yourself strapped for time and in need of a few

Click to continue reading "Sony Panasonic cameras, shop is open"

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cameraflyer on July 14th, 2008

DTE devices are winning the war

Here is a link to the thread from wetpixel regarding tape vs. disc recording.Three experiences. No matter which side of the HD fence you find yourself, check out the gear and the best cameras prices for underwater and surface professionals at the OCEAN BEACH SHOP.

Click to continue reading "Video: tape vs. data"

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cameraflyer on July 1st, 2008

Are you in touch with the Mother Earth? Most likely- if you’re reading this Flog. If so you will want to plugDolphins, in the service of children with special needs into one amazing group out of South Africa called Earth-Touch. I am a big advocate of animal rights. I’m also very interested and involved with animals in the service of humans. Visit our store category, COOL_STUFF and see most things sold are to benefit great causes. My wife mostly (and I) has raised four golden retrievers for CCI, a Capuchin monkey for Helping Hands, and we have committed to Island Dolphin Care.

Click to continue reading "In Touch with earth-touch.com"

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cameraflyer on June 30th, 2008

Beauty is way deeper than skin. Beauty includes more than looks; to include such skills as; ‘takes direction well’, andModels & Photgs ‘plays well with other beautiful women’, many other skills were on the list. This past weekend I had the divine pleasure of working with some outstanding people on both ends of the camera. I got a phone call from a distressed producer. His film crew was swept away in the mid-west floods. Scott was in a bind and I was able to help. I cannot reveal the show, network, or details - however I can tell you

Click to continue reading "Models and Photographers"

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