ArcSoft Media Impression is the video editing software that came built into my Kodak Zi8 video camera. While it is very basic -- in some aspects not even as powerful as Windows Movie Maker -- I've found that it will accept almost any kind of video file format or resolution you can find, and will produce good results. So I make this simple test video using a large variety of video clips from different camcorders in different file formats to see how it all would turn out. It accepted every format I could find, all the way from the videos made by a crappy camera to an 0 Canon AVCHD camcorder, except for FLV and an old version of QuickTime MOV using the Sorenson codec (it decoded the video but not the audio). Media Impression can render your edited video in "HD" at 720P or 1080P, but I chose WVGA (848x480) in order to keep the file size and rendering time reasonably small. But note that if you don't already have a Kodak camcorder, Media Impression is not worth buying alone, because ArcSoft charges .99, and you can get an entire Kodak Zx1 or ZxD camcorder, including the Media Impression software, for less than that!
720p HD awesomeness shot from the 29th floor on Montague Street in Brooklyn, NY. To edit this footage (in Final Cut) I first exported the file in quicktime pro using the Apple Intermediate Codec (from the original h.264) This way I was able to cut without rendering the mp4. No color correction was made. The song is "Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating in Space" by Spiritualized.
Not planes...just some HD video for discussion. There's been some discussion about recording and encoding etc. I recently bought a Flip Mino HD. I think it's great but does not do well in low light and needs to be about 6-10 feet from it's subject. I taped this hummingbird flying in and eating and then did a slow motion version afterwards. Even at 30fps, the wings still blur. You can see the bird feeder is slightly blurry but the rest of the shot is not. It is an amazing camera to carry in your pocket though. Sound is also pretty good. I exported the video using Quicktime Pro using 1280x720 HD with deinterlace checked and automatic for frames, frame reordering checked and encoding set to high and multiple pass (high), AAC 44.1 VBR 192. It yielded a file around 260 MB.
Panasonic introduces the new AG-HMC70 AVCHD camcorder: A shoulder-mount 1080i camcorder that includes a wealth of pro audio features including two locking XLR inputs. Steve Golub, product line business manager at Panasonic Broadcast and Television Systems (PBTS), hosts this short demonstration video. Interested in this product? Click below to be directly connected to our product page. catalog2.panasonic.com
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