Reader question: AVCHD camcorders, bad for editing?

Reader question:


Hello,
 
At first intentions were good. When Sony and Panasonic launched AVCHD in 2006, the aim was to offer a camcorder that could film for hours in high definition on a hard drive. AVCHD also offered equivalent, if not higher, image quality to the old HDV cassette format. The other side of the coin is that AVCHD is based on a highly compressed Mpeg-4/H.264 codec. While DV was actually a 25 fps Jpeg flow that was very flexible to manipulate, the Mpeg-4 codec must go through processing simply to display a thumbnail of a section in a piece of editing software. Manufacturers were prepared to ignore the 10% of users who edit their films and instead go for a format that gives an excellent memory/quality ratio.
 
Since 2006, computers have become much more powerful and now include up to 4 processors. This means you can edit more comfortably in AVCHD, especially as editing is sometimes carried out directly by graphics card GPUs in some computers. This means that GPU performance determines fluidity and rapidity.

On standard configurations however, you don't get the speed and flexibility you used to get with DV. There are still jumps and latency in playback. I'm not talking here about editing two 5 second sections but full editing with perhaps subtitling, music, effects and several tracks.
 
What's worse is that some manufacturers have now extended AVCHD to their semi-pro camcorders. Camcorders on sale for between £2500 and £3500, such as the Panasonic AG-HMC41, film in AVCHD while they target a clientele that is demanding in terms of editing. How ironic! Even Sony, who only used to use Mpeg-2 (with reason) on its pro cameras, has just launched the HXR-NX5 that films in AVCHD on a memory card. This is very hard to understand when Sony also sells excellent video cameras that film in HDV on Campact Flash cards such as the HVR-Z7.
 
So why promote a format which is badly adapted to editing? It would seem that the answer is that it makes commercial sense. Chipsets developed in Asia are now built around Mpeg-4 and are gradually abandoning Mpeg-2. This means that it makes more sense for a manufacturer to include an Mpeg-4 codec that is used on a mass of products (cameras, phones) rather than continue to use Mpeg-2, which is gradually disappearing from the market. What's more, Mpeg-2 has an ageing rep and H.264 is seen as more up to date. Only Canon remains loyal to Mpeg-2 and has gone as far as launching a new pro video camera on Compact Flash, the XF300 on sale at something over £6000.
 
So if you want to do any significant editing, it's best to get hold of a recent computer at the same time - an entry-level £500 laptop will do fine.

Another alternative is to invest in an HDV video camera (you can still find Sonys and Canons in this format) so you can edit old-stylee from a cassette. Semi-pro cameras such as the JVC GY-HM100 (£2200) film in Mpeg-2 on a memory card and encapsulated in MP4 files that are perfectly compatible for editing (Mac and PC). This model is moreover of excellent quality.

Happy editing!

Edouard


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