Video Madness - The Marriage of Art and Technology

High Definition Video is Here!

We were the first Bay Area Video Wedding and Event Company to film in Digital!
We were the first Bay Area Video Wedding and Event Company to edit in Digital!
We were the first Bay Area Video Wedding and Event Company to adopt HD!
We were the first Bay Area Video Wedding and Event Company to deliver on Blu-Ray!

Now we are the first to adopt an even higher level of HD with the new Sony EX-1 Camera!

We Shoot HD, Edit HD, and Deliver HD on Blu-Ray High Definition DVD's !
While others are buying their first HD cameras, we have been shooting HD since 2005. 350+ events later we have mastered the art of filming, editing, and delivering content in this incredible medium.

Standard Digital --------------------------

-----------------------------Standard Digital 4:3 ----------------------------------------------High Definition Widescreen

What is High Definition Video?

The original impetus for HDTV came from wide-screen movies. Soon after wide-screen was introduced, movie producers discovered that individuals seated in the first few rows enjoyed a level of participation in the action not possible with conventional movies. Evidently, having the screen occupy a greater field of view (especially peripherally) significantly increases the sense of "being there".

In Camcorders, this has translated to the 16:9 format & Cameras with unprecedented resolution: 1080 lines to be exact. We now offer this capability to you. What does this mean?
First, Do NOT confuse widescreen 16:9 format with HDV. Current DV and DVCam camcorders are capable of 16:9 Widescreen - but ARE NOT HDV. Their resolution is far below that of HDV. In fact, compared to the most commonly used cameras in the Wedding and Event Industry today, HDV Camcorders have 5 times the resolution of DV cameras. HDV Cameras film native 16:9 widescreen in outstanding resolution.

The Pros & Cons So Far

To date, the most popular HD camera choices for wedding & event work have been the Sony Z1 & FX1, Panasonic HVX200, Canon XH A1 & XL H1. These are all fine cameras and we have been filming with the Sony Models for 3 years.

PROS
The great advantage to these cameras are their terrific resolution when viewed in actual HD. Further, they film in native widescreen. With the vast majority of consumers now having widescreen TV's, this is a wonderful plus. High Definition resolution is a sight to behold when used well. After all, you DO NOT want every line in your face to be distinct. Our experience in working with HD assists us in handling this problem with ease. With plenty of light, these cameras are terrific, and we will continue to use them in our standard packages.

CONS
Light. The one flaw in these first generation HD cameras is low light performance. Quite simply, they struggle in low light. The Sony handles the low light better than the others, not because it is any brighter but because it doesn't exhibit the graniness the others seem to display.

RESOLUTION
While the resolution is quite high in these first generation cameras, they DO NOT use true 1920 by 1080 chips. They use 1440 by 1080 chips and use mathematical tricks to deliver a very fine picture. This resolution is far greater than standard DV. But it is not true HD.

TAPE
These first generation cameras record to tape. This means the inevitable tape jam, data loss, drop-outs, etc. that tape incurs. Further, the record times are just over an hour. This means for the average wedding or event a tape change must occur somewhere during the ceremony.

NEXT GENERATION ARRIVES
With the advent of the Sony PMW-EX1 (EX-1 for short) every limitation of the first generation cameras has been overcome. It is a stunning low light performer, actually seeing images brighter than the human eye. It has true 1920 by 1080 chips, 1/2 inch in size, and can shoot true 1080p. This is actual HD resolution. It also uses no tape and no hard drive. It records to flash memory. No tape change, virtually endless recording times, no drop-out worries, no tape jams. This camera, which we proudly offer first in the Bay Area is, in a word, incredible.

Sony PMW-EX1 HD Solid State Compact Camcorder

Low Light Comparisons - EX1 vs current HDV Cameras: (Canon XHA1, Sony FX1, Sony Z1)

Cameras are set at identical settings. You can see that in low light the new EX1 (on the right) blows away the current group of HDV cameras.

Low Light Comparisons - EX1 vs current leader, Panasonic HVX200:

While the Panasonic (left) fares better than the others above, the EX1 with no gain just destroys the competition. The dim scenes above are very comparable to many dark Churches and Temples where no light is allowed. Can you afford not to get the best?

There you have it. Video Madness is the HD leader for Bay Area event work. We shoot in HD, offer both standard and premium camera choices, edit in HD, deliver Blu-Ray HD, and have filmed nearly 400 events in HD while others have just purchased their first cameras. The choice is clear - just like the picture. Video Madness - The Marriage of Art & technology.