WARNING
Be very careful with the Firewire connections when using the HV20. Ensure you're putting the plugs in dead straight, and always make sure the HV20's power is off before plugging the cable into it.
Other users have also strongly recommended that, if using a 6 pin (large) Firewire cable from your desktop computer, you turn off the computer before plugging in the cable. This is to ensure no stray voltage crosses the pins of the plug as it is being put in.
What is HDV?
HDV stands for High Definition Video. The data rate is about the same as DV (now called Standard Definition video), 13gb per hour, but the HDV format is MPEG 2, frame size 1440x1080, so there are many more pixels per TV screen. The HDV specification is 1920x1080, but most consumer HDV cameras shoot 1440x1080 and stretch the pixels horizontally to make up the correct size. That's why, if you analyse your HV20 footage, it shows up as 1440x1080.
HDV should not be confused with AVCHD (Advanced Video Codec High Definition). Some cameras use this technology but many editors cannot handle it at the moment.
General
I've recently started using a Canon HV20 high definition video camera. Quite frankly, the image quality is fantastic, but will not be really appreciated until BluRay becomes an affordable option or your have a HD DVD player (MEP can burn HD DVD projects onto standard 4.7gb DVDs - you get about 25 minutes per disk). Or, you can view HDV from the HV20 on your big TV if you have an HDMI port and cable (component cabling will also do).
In MEP, use the "HDV HD2" settings for a PAL HV20.
There's a good HV20 forum here. Not many MEP users though (full of yanks with Vegas and Premiere).
Capturing HDV
HDV is downloaded from the camera in much the same way as DV: via Firewire.
MEP captures one large MPG file but will scene-detect as normal.
If you use MEP to capture, it'll save the video as an MPG. If you use HDVSplit, it'll be saved as an M2T (you can set HDVSplit to capture individual files for each scene).
If you use MEP 11+, untick video Preview before capturing, otherwise the capture will crash after a few seconds.
If you are using the AV>DV passthrough conversion function, ensure you pull out your tape, otherwise when you hit Record, the HV20 will start playing the tape.
Capturing Downconverted DV
You can of course capture in DV. Be aware that the HV20 has a bug where it doesn't get the scene detection right: it misses by 2 frames, which have to be trimmed off manually. Use the CTRL 0 or CTRL 9 to jump between object edges to trim your scene split.
This bug occurs with other capture programs. Have a read of this thread for examples.
Export Back To Tape
MEP will export HDV back to tape. I'm still finetuning the procedure, but here's what I've come up with so far:
On the HV20 PLAY menus:
In MEP:
If you want to upload a file you've already rendered, File>Play Audio/Video. From the dropdown list, select Camcorder> HV20 and off you go (make sure your file is HDV compliant)!
If you have any trouble, turn off the HV20, turn it back on then scan for devices.
Exporting Stills
I must say that I am very impressed by the quality of stills taken off the MPG/M2T files or indeed playing the tape and then hitting "still photo" on the HV20. Stills should be exported from MEP as 1920x1080.
High Definition General
Viewing UDF 2.5 disks in Win XP
The standard version of Windows XP cannot read UDF version 2.5 disks, which are used for Bluray. However, it is easy to install drivers to do so. See the Digital Digest website here.
Information
Format information at VideoHelp
HD DVD folder format:
The folder name on the HD DVD disk itself is HVDVD_TS. You will need to rename the MEP folder to this if you want to burn a HD DVD folder/file set onto a standard DVD with Imgburn.