My understanding is "HDV" is a standard defined by Sony, Panasonic,
JVC and Canon for consumer-grade high definition video and audio. HDV
has FM radio-quality audio. It starts as 16/48 PCM, then the audio
stream is compressed using the lossy MP2 format into a file that is
25% of the original's size. Camcorders in this category cost about $2500.
There is a "HDV Pro" format that stores audio at 16/48 without the
lossy compression. This is the same audio as found on the original
Mini-DV camcorders and DAT audio recorders. HDV Pro camcorders also
record video at higher resolution, and cost $4000 (and up).
And then there's true high definition audio, which is usually captured
with multiple microphone channels at 24/96 and recorded using a
dedicated audio recorder. A time code generator keeps the multiple
audio and video recorders in sync. Video cameras in this category
cost $10,000 and up, with lenses a separate expense.
But back to reality...You're unlikely to find too much difference
between mics if their signal is compressed to MP2 by the camcorder.
You might take your camcorder to an audio shop and ask to try out a
few mic models in the store.
If you're interested in capturing ambience, exact time sync is
probably not required. So you could supplement the audio captured by
the on-camera mic with a pair of mics like the Telinga EM-23 omnis
that use plug-in power, recording to a minidisc machine or an
inexpensive Compactflash recorder like the new Edirol R-09.
--oryoki
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