On 24 Jan 2002 18:55:51 -0800, arrfilms@hotmail.com (Michael Pappas) wrote:

>I had a discussion the other day about DVcodec compression chips in DV
>cameras. One of the topics was on cameras that let you adjust the
>color saturation like the VX2000/PD150 or XL1S. A question came up
>whether or not it made a difference on compression if you had the
>saturation all the way up versus all the way down to de-saturate the
>image. Two camps of opinions surfaced on this one. Some believed that
>this would be the best time to add all the color you could to the
>image before it came off the ccd's to tape. Others felt that to much
>color can over tax the DVcodec and by having a de-saturated image put
>less strain on the DVcodec.
>Anyone have an opinion on this too?
>Michael Pappas

Guessing, *only*.....;-)
Since it is a digital signal coming off the camera,
and the codec doesn't come into "play" until you want
to change (or view) footage, it should not matter in
terms of requirements for the raw signal. In terms of
processing footage once it is in the computer
environment, a decently-designed (rarer than one might
think...) DV-codec should be able to handle whatever
the raw signal supplies, though codecs may vary in their
ability to modify the signal gracefully... With the
Canopus codec, I have been able to "push" color and
exposure "unmercifully" with good results (though with
an increase in color noise...). Best: try both ways,
and try to match up and compare the results in post
with your particular codec (but the answer may not
apply to all codecs...).