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December 17, 2009 11:54 AM

Will a Canon Vixia HF20 record in any other format than AVCHD?

I want to get a Canon Vixia HF20. I only have a P4 pc this year, but plan on upgrading to a a new pc in ~4 months. I want to be able to record in something I can modify now, or at least save on disk until I have something that I can edit it with. Also, as most of my relatives don't have HD TVs, recording in standard definition for now doesn't bother me, and would make it easier to redistribute. I figure if I buy a nice camera now, even if I shoot in SD it should look nicer than video shot through an SD camcorder of the same quality.

1. Can I shoot video in an easier to edit format?
2. Is all video filmed on this widescreen?

I am looking to see if anyone has experience with this that can tell me what my options are. Thanks.

posted by Amby72 to Technology (2 answers total)

I don't have a HF20, but considerable experience in HD editing. The AVCHD codec is the only option as far as I can tell on that Canon model, although you can alter the data rate from 5 Mbps to 24 Mbps. At best, the 5Mbps rate might be usable on your computer - but I doubt it. AVCHD is very processor intensive, and will likely continue to be so on your new computer as well. I work on an 8 core Mac Pro, and the H264 video that comes out of my Canon 5D is worthless for editing all but the most basic of small projects. I convert it all to the Apple ProRes LT format, which is larger file size but easier on the computer.

Here's a general discussion of the bare minimum computer you'll need to playback, let alone edit, AVCHD footage.

I've also heard good reviews on CoreAVC, but have never used it personally.

Lastly, I would hit up some video pro sites like dvinfo.net and look around the forums for raw clips you can download, or ask for some from the members. That way you can take a short raw clip like it is straight out of the camera, and see what it does on your current machine.
posted by shinynewnick at 2:02 PM on December 17, 2009

Effectively, what shinynewnick said.

You might be able to transcode it into a simpler format that is easier on the processor for editing.
What I do with Canon DSLR footage, which is in H.264, is to transcode it all into Pro Res for later editing. I just leave it going and go to sleep/have dinner/hit the bars, then when I come back it's all ready to be edited.

I know you're on a PC, thus Final Cut specific advice isn't useful, but I'm sure there'll be something similar for the editing software you end up using.

Good luck!
posted by Magnakai at 2:22 PM on December 17, 2009