Codec / format comparison.

Mark W · #1 (**permalink**) 07-02-2006, 01:24 PM

How good is HDV 720p? Does dv really look better than dvd? What about wmv?

See for yourself.

I took a very hq original, a very lightly compressed nad cropped jpeg from a studio portrait shot with a canon D1 (not mine!).

http://www.zaskarfilms.com/images/te...ion/bexbig.jpg

I then rendered this picture as short video clips in hdv720p, dv, dvd, and 1meg wmv.

I then screen captured a frame from these at their native resloution.

hdv720p - http://www.zaskarfilms.com/images/te...on/720phdv.bmp
dv - http://www.zaskarfilms.com/images/te...sion/paldv.bmp
dvd - http://www.zaskarfilms.com/images/te...ssion/mpeg.bmp
1m wmv- http://www.zaskarfilms.com/images/te...sion/1mwmv.bmp

And finally made a composite of a small part of the original.

http://www.zaskarfilms.com/images/te...on/alleye1.bmp

To me hdv is best with wmv slightly behind, then a gap to dv, with dvd closely behind.

It is interesting the wmv is so good, but I suspect on moving video it will degrade as its compression is across frames, as will hdv slightly.

Also remember that the source material is far far better then the video data captured by a video camera, this will have far more noise and artifacts than the very high quality still used in these tests.

Here is a similar frame at a similar magnification from a frame of dv shot with a vdieo camera.

http://www.zaskarfilms.com/images/te...ctualdveye.jpg

Mark W · #2 (**permalink**) 07-02-2006, 02:14 PM

Interestingly, if you crop right in to the eye in the original and pull the curves hard left, you see this.

http://www.zaskarfilms.com/images/te...ssion/iris.jpg

Freaky ! That is my friend chris holding his camera as he shoots. I think it may be some time befor any video camera can reprodice that sort of resoution.