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Note: this camcorder was first sold in Jan 2007. There may be newer versions available.
Canon HV20 High Definition Camcorder
Canon HV20 High Definition Camcorder
F
HQ Grade: F
A is outstanding and exceptional, rated in the top 10% of camcorders.
B means they are good, with some standout features.
C means they are mediocre, and probably more trouble than they are worth.
D & F mean they are absolutely awful or old. Avoid at all costs.
  • 5 out of 5
"Nothing is out there better than this video camera"
  • 4 out of 5
"Canon HV20 great for travel"
See rating based on 331 user reviews
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Documentary Maker (documentarymkr) 13 pts
May 7, 2007 9:02 PM
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Capturing HV20 Video--Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0 & Ulead VS 11 Plus

I've captured several clips from my Canon HV20 using Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0. The video was shot in 24P using Cine mode. However, when I click on the properties of the clips within Adobe Elements the resolution is shown as 1440 x 1080; it's supposed to be 1920 x 1080. Additionally, the video is saved in .mpeg files, and the size appears to be a lot smaller than I would expect from what I've read.

Is Adobe Premiere Elements downsizing the original video?

I understand that a 63-minute mini-HDV tape can store 13 GB of data; shouldn't the files captured from the tape add up to 13 GB too?

And I'm wondering what the file format should be. I was under the impression that I should expect .m2t files to be produced; these .mpeg files appear to be much smaller than I'd expect given the lengths of the clips. (Also I read somewhere about issues with "pulldowns" when it comes to HV20 video capture; at this point I don't have a clue what that's referring to.)

Then there's Ulead Video Studio. I know that version 11 Plus has just been released, and that there was already a patch put out by Ulead for the earlier HV10 HD video camera. From what I've read Ulead captures HDV video well, but can anyone tell me specifically what the file format is (.m2t, .mpeg?), and, for example, how large the file would be for a 5-minute clip (I would expect that to be around 1 GB if it matches the size on the tape).

I am planning to get Ulead Video Studio 11 Plus; in the meantime I'm hoping to find out what's going on with Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0. When I search for "Canon," "HV20" or "HV10" on their Web site under Premiere Elements 3.0, nothing comes up....
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Answers This question has been answered!
Keith Brafford 17 pts
May 10, 2007 1:55 PM
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The reason the frames are 1440x1080 is that is how Canon was able to get the image sensor's 16:9 data (the 1920x1080 frame) stored in the standard HDV format. They horizontally resample the data to get the best 1440 sample representation of the original data. In your video editing package, you need to tell the software to treat the data with the correct pixel aspect ratio so that when you render your output data as a square pixel format you will regenerate the correct 1920 horizontal samples.

I don't use the same package that you do, but in Vegas Video I would adjust the video properties to say that the pixels are 1.3333333 times as wide as they are tall and then *poof* when you render out to a square pixel format you magically get your 1920 samples per line. With any luck and some decent performance of the processor in the camera, many of those samples will be very very close to the original data taken from the 1920x1080 sensor :-)
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Documentary Maker (documentarymkr) 13 pts
May 10, 2007 7:13 PM
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Thanks Keith. I'm about to leave for week-long trip to Alaska, but I'll look into the upload settings again when I return.

From everything I've read it looks like Ulead will take care of the HDV capture quite effectively, and I'm planning to get that editor when I get back.
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phill 0 pts
May 12, 2007 7:58 PM
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Does Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0 let you transfer the video from the HV20 in the HDV format ? I have the HV20, and I'm trying to make sure before I go out and buy the program. Please help me out. Thanks
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Erik 1 pts
May 30, 2007 1:03 PM
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i've used sony vegas to capture my HD into m2t files but it seems that Adobe Premiere wont accept them... any1 know if im right when i say that adobe doesn't right now support videos in 1920 x1080 format? im trying right now to capture them into 1440 x1080 and see if i have greater luck
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quintana4 0 pts
June 15, 2007 9:17 AM
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Adobe Premiere elements 3.0 will accept .m2t files straight out of the camera, but use HDVSplit (0.71 version) to split the scenes into separate files.
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Slightly worried 0 pts
August 27, 2009 1:42 AM
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Adobe Premiere Elements 7 supports HDV format and has presets to use for importing and capturing HD video.
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