JVC GY-HD250 User Manual

COMPACT SHOULDER CAMCORDER

GY-HD250

JVC ProHD —
Defining the future of
professional video

With the introduction of JVC’s ProHD, the promise of digital
technology has finally been fulfilled. Equipped with robust
professional features, yet surprisingly affordable and remarkably
compact, ProHD embraces the HDV format to deliver a
complete high-definition solution that has been designed to
meet the needs of today’s most demanding professionals, while
retaining the ability to adapt to future requirements.

Since 1996, JVC has continued to develop and diversify its
digital video offerings in response to the rapidly changing
environment of visual communications and production. JVC
continues to evolve its digital cameras and recorders with
ground-breaking features and varied storage options, including
full-size DV tape and Hard Disk Drives.

Now with the production and delivery of video content shifting
to high definition, JVC has combined its expertise in camera,
encoding and storage technologies to create an advanced yet
affordable HD solution. JVC’s ProHD system, adopting the
HDV720P format, utilizes widely available nonproprietary
technologies such as MPEG-2 compression,
DV recording media and conventional hard disk
drives. Based on input from industry principals
and leading end users, JVC has developed
a system with the most sought-after
professional features and performance.

Noteworthy ProHD features include full HD
progressive image scanning, true 24p
frame capture, and a dual
recording system using
tape & HDD. As ProHD
evolves, JVC will continue
to pursue the optimal
method of storage media
for our professional
video products.

The latest addition to
the ProHD system is the GY-HD250,
a compact studio-capable shoulder
camcorder featuring full-frame 60p
recording for smooth, continuous
images.

Designed and built for
professionals, ProHD is
the fulfillment of the digital
promise, offering true high
definition performance in
a compact, affordable system.

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ProHD — Concept of
JVC’s Affordable
HD Solution

1. HDV Full Progressive Scanning (720p)

Industry leading professionals told us that they wanted a full­frame progressive scanning system that would shoot and
record the highest quality moving continuous images. ProHD
uses the 720/60p progressive HDV format and produces crisp,
native HD images which perfectly match today’s digital
displays and which can be converted easily, without
degradation, to interlaced pictures.

2. Time Code

As a professional system, ProHD products include the facility
to record and display time code. Convenient menu operation
makes it easy to preset time code at the beginning of a tape.
Simply select REC RUN or re-generation mode. User bits are
also available.

3. Highly efficient video compression

To provide the highest quality HD recording, JVC uses the
broadcast industry standard MPEG-2 Main Profile at H-14.
Offering far greater efficiency than frame-bound systems,
ProHD records at data rates at or above commercial broadcast
rates. Recent advancements in non-linear editing have made it
possible to edit ProHD on virtually all popular Non-Linear
systems. Direct
digital transfers through IEEE 1394 ensure there is no loss in
quality throughout the transfer process.

4. Dual recording system

Designed to utilize both DV tape and optional hard disk drives,
ProHD offers the ultimate in media versatility, maximizing
productivity with efficient, economical editing and low-cost
archiving. Now you can safely archive the original tape
cassette and then plug the hard disk straight into your NLE.
Editing can start right away — no need to make dubs or
transfer data.

5. Real 24p

With ProHD, the dream of creating HD video with the essence
of film has at last been realized. By capturing and recording at
the film frame rate of 24fps, and offering extensive user
configurable settings such as exposure, gamma and detail,
ProHD becomes an ideal tool for creative expression. In
addition, native 24p editing is now possible in HD at a low bit
rate of 19Mbps, enabling the creation of EDLs (Edit Decision
Lists) of 24 frame material with compatible Non-Linear Editing
software. For the ultimate expression on the big screen, 24
frame progressive recordings can be transferred easily to 16
mm or 35 mm film.

GY-HD250

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Advantages of ProHD

1.HDV format

HDV is a video format
designed to enable the
recording of high definition
MPEG-2 video on standard
DV media (DV or MiniDV
cassette tape). The HDV

format was defined by four
companies: Canon Inc., Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation,
and Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC). The specification
of the HDV format incorporates two versions, one progressive
(720p) and the other interlaced (1080i). HDV uses the same
track pitch and tape speed as the DV format, and therefore the
recording times are the same duration as the DV format.

2.HD Progressive (720/60p) format for high
quality moving pictures and digital stills

 Progressive scanning

JVC’s ProHD products use the same
progressive scanning system used in high­end HDTV cameras. Because the GY­HD250 uses a full-frame (60p) progressive
scanning system, it has the unique ability
to capture and store full frames of image
information. An added bonus of
progressive scanning is that it is a very
simple process to convert a progressive
image to interlaced, whereas the opposite
is not the case. When progressive
recordings are paused or played in slow
motion, each individual frame contains the
full detail of the original image — excellent
for viewing and analyzing motion. Stills and
prints captured from HD progressive video
avoid the distortion typically resulting from
the combining of two different frames of
interlaced video. In addition, today’s flat panel television
displays and fixed matrix projectors, such as D-ILA, DLP and
LCD, are all native progressive scanning systems. This means
that JVC’s progressive HDV recordings can be displayed
without imperfection, because they do not need to pass
through the degenerative process of de-interlacing prior to
being displayed.

 HDV and DV compatibility

The HDV format uses the same recording track pitch (10 µm)
as Professional DV, meaning that ProHD also offers track pitch
compatibility with the DV format and the same recording time.
This remarkable HD recording capability was achieved by
developing a new high-power MPEG codec system capable of
maintaining high-definition picture quality, while compressing
the data to 19.7 Mbps bit rate. With its superior resolution and
advanced processing, ProHD delivers top performance in both
its native 16:9 HD mode and in the SD mode. The facility to
make recordings in either HD or SD makes ProHD the ideal
choice for professionals not quite ready to make the full
transition to HD.

 Progressive HDV-compatible support

To maximize picture quality and performance from input to
output, JVC employs the HDV 720 progressive system.
Progressive HDV’s resolution of 1280 x 720 is the same as the
native resolution of most HD display devices in use today
(LCD, plasma, DLP, D-ILA). HDV 720p is thus natively
compatible in terms of both resolution and scanning system.

3. True 24p frame capture

24p Progressive Full HD images are ideal for cinematographic
applications. From shooting to editing and distribution, an HD
system can be established for film-like productions. Unlike 24p
images in standard definition, when real 24p HD video is
down-converted to SD, the result is truly film-like DVDs. The
camcorder itself, with its video lens removed and replaced by a
film lens converter system, such as the Mini 35 from P & S
Technik, effectively becomes a digital film camera.

The GY-HD250, fitted
with Mini 35 film
adapter from P & S
Technik, becomes an
ideal digital film camera

4.JVC’s dual recording system

The optional JVC Hard Disk Recorder DR-HD100 creates a
dual recording system of tape and hard disk. This system is
already utilized by Professional DV users the world over. The
many advantages inherent in JVC’s dual recording system of
tape & hard disk drive are well appreciated. It was only natural
that JVC’s range of ProHD models would include a Hard Disk
Drive recorder and one that can operate equally in DV and
HDV modes. The dual recording system provides fast and
efficient HDD-based editing and cost-effective archiving, using
low-cost tapes. Thanks to the newly developed MPEG-2
encoding IC, high-quality pictures can be recorded on readily
available compact DV cassettes, so running costs are
minimized as no special equipment or exclusive media are
required. The DR-HD100 will also be able to record in the
QuickTime .mov file format enabling Direct-To-Edit (DTE)
capability with compatible non-linear editing systems.
The DR-HD100 can be mounted at the rear of the camcorder,
through the use of an optional bracket which is offered by the
leading battery systems manufacturers.

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