Are AVCHD Camcorders the Next HD Lie?

When I first read about the AVCHD format with its use of MPEG4-AVC (H.264) video compression at a maximum of 24 mbps versus HDV which uses the older MPEG-2 format at 25 mbps, I was very excited about the new format. My enthusiasm dampened when I read the fine print that actual AVCHD implementation only uses 13 to 17 mbps MPEG4-AVC for compatibility with cheaper storage devices. Take a look at the screenshots below and it pains me to see how much detail is lost in the newer HD format.

Ou, George. ZDNet (2008). Articles>Multimedia>Video>Standards

Making Movies: The New HD Camcorder Format Explained

Some would say that we need another camcorder format like we need a hole in the head--enough different formats out there confuse buyers already. Camcorder manufacturers seem to disagree, though: Panasonic, Sony, and others have recently announced a new format for high-definition camcorders called AVCHD. So what does this new format mean?

Baguley, Richard. PC World (2006). Articles>Multimedia>Video>Standards

Microsoft's Plot to Kill QuickTime

While almost completely invisible for years, Apple’s progress in media has resulted in overturning Microsoft’s domination of the entertainment industry, established a resistance to unchecked DRM, and has extinguished Microsoft’s efforts to establish new proprietary technologies as de facto industry standards.

RoughlyDrafted (2007). Articles>Multimedia>Standards>Video

Vidéo dans le Navigateur: Theora ou H.264 ?

Vous en avez sûrement entendu parler, deux grands acteurs américain du partage de vidéo en ligne, Youtube et Vimeo, ont présenté des pré-versions de leurs lecteurs respectifs en HTML 5.

Nitot, Tristan. Standblog (2010). (French) Articles>Multimedia>Video>Standards

Video Format Guide

When people talk about video formats, they're referring to something called a container format. The container format is a detailed description of what's inside a video file. It describes the structure of the file, as well as the kind of data that the file contains.

Geeks.com (2009). Articles>Multimedia>Video>Standards

Why I’m Avoiding AVCHD

AVCHD is a high compression codec based on H.264, which has a proven track record for great quality and good file size. While H.264 is a standard, AVCHD is only supported by a handful of camcorder manufacturers and software applications. Not even Adobe’s flagship Premiere Pro supports AVCHD without an expensive plugin. However, AVCHD is much more taxing on the editing computer than something like MPEG-2 or even regular H.264.

Stamatiou, Paul. PaulStamatiou.com (2008). Articles>Multimedia>Video>Standards