On 3 Jan 2002 11:16:52 -0800, ernestsiu@yahoo.com (Ernest Siu) wrote:

S I G H . . . ! ! ! ;-)

>I'm pretty confused about the progressive scan (PS) feature, which
>some of the mini DV camera (e.g. JVC DVP3U) does not have it. I'm
>wondering the usefulness of this feature.
>
>According to others, most PS will allow taking 30FPS at around
>640x480. Using this mode will allow non-linear editing on software
>like Adobe Premiere.
>
>Questions:
>1. Under what circumstance should one use PS instead of normal mode?
>2. Is the normal mode video still 'digital'? What format is it stored
>(analog/mpeg1)? Interlaced NTSC? I think normal mode is still
>interlaced video (analog?) than what is the use of using a digital
>camcorder???
>3. If I'm planning to film some amateur movie, which means I'll need
>some simple editing like cut/paste/transitions and sound/audio track
>editing, should I use PS or simply normal mode is good enough?

To simplify: DO NOT USE PS-MODE!
There is ***NO ADVANTAGE*** for your purposes, but there
are disadvantages. Read up on it more - you do not have a
very good concept of what PS-mode is (or is not...;-).

>4. A typical mini-DV camcorder has about 680,000 pixels, is the
>quality comparable to other analog camcorder using Hi8?

Actually, often 340,000 pixels used for the video image, and
yes, the image is comparable, and often better in some
ways...

>5. Without PS mode, I will not be able to use non-linear editing. I'm
>not even sure what non-linear editing gives, can someone explain?

This is wrong. And, NLE is just that: the ability to arrange
material out of sequence (and usually added is the ability
to add transitions and modify in many ways the footage
used).

>6. I need to make a purchase real soon and I have a choice of Canon
>Elura2 (got PS), JVC DVP3U (no PS), Canon Oputura 100MC, ZR20/25, Sony
>PC-9, PC-100, IP5/IP7. Originally I choose Elura2 but heard enuf of
>low-light problem it seems it's better to choose other higher price
>models. Suggestion?

I have a nice PC100 I'm thinking of selling, and maybe one
or two other possibilities... And for about $1600, the Sony
3-chip TRV900 is an excellent choice. Avoid the IP5/7, for
editing and quality reasons. For more on the 3-chip models,
and for more on Sony models (not features or looks, but
what the images look like...), see:
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/camcorder-comparison.htm and:
www.David-Ruether-Photography.com/camcorder--comparison.htm
It looks like you need to do a LOT more research before
buying anything - or just buy a good, well-known model
(or something cheap...) and start. Forget about
PS-mode - it is a non-issue...