Canon Camcorders XA10 and HFR17 Picture Quality

I have recorded two video shots one with a Canon XA10 and the other with Canon HFR17. Both video quality and bitrates were identical (see attached photos).
I have inserted the two video files in a video editor and the output file is m2ts. If you look closely, the XA10 picture is much sharper than the HFR17 even both video shots have identical bitrates etc. I think the CMOS sensor of the XA10 is much superior. Even when I reduced the frame size of XA10 to 1220, the XA10 output is also sharper.
How can I make both camcorders have the same picture quality?

Hello Clare27,
With regards to the camcorder picking up audio noise, the answer would be two fold: yes- as it could potentially record any noise which is present near the microphones when recording, and no- as the camcorder should not actively add static or other 'generated' type noise, such as interference. That can result from things like connections not being plugged in all the way, crossed cables, receivers and transmitters if anything like that is present.
The camcorder should be set to utilize your external microphone/s only and disabling the onboard microphone. Having the onboard microphone disabled will cut down on the chances of ambient noise being recorded. Other than that, simply having your microphones themselves set up and used properly should produce a clean signal which is recorded by the camcorder.
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IDVD bitrate compression and poor picture quality

Folks,
I have been reading some of the postings and agree that blockiness is a problem with bigger movie files >70 min. So, if I do not like IDVD, what other DVD editing programs are out there than can incorporate imovie HD files?
Regards,
"picky about the picture"

jzdcbland,
So, if I do not like IDVD, what other DVD editing programs are out there than can incorporate imovie HD files?
"picky about the picture"
iDVD is a great program for what it is - basically producing 'home movie' DVDs.
If you are really "picky about the picture" , you can buy Apple's DVD Studio Pro - now part of Apple's Final Cut Studio for US $1299 - and work with the many compression options featured in Apple's Compressor application. Some people prefer the MPG-2 encoding done by BitVice ( BitVice at http://www.innobits.se/ for US $297 (US $149 for the Lite version)) to Apple's Compressor.
So the chances are good that for an expenditure of about US $1600 you can improve your results. I suppose if you can tolerate much simplier menus, you could buy Roxio's Toast Titanium 7 (about US $80) and use BitVice as the encoding program instead of the encoder in Toast.
It's easy to be 'picky' ... all it takes is money.
PS - I'm hoping that Apple will bring out a lite version of DVD SP for people who want more options - who knows what will happen if enough people request such an application.

Created a slide show in Premiere Pro and the picture quality changed.

I worked on a group of pictures in Adobe photo shop and in Adobe Premiere Pro created a slide show with music.
When I play the video the resolution is poor but when I stop playing the pictures become crystal clear again! Help!

As shooternz stated, there is a Wrench Icon next to the Program Monitor.
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Vertical lines on screen and poor picture quality

I have a 14 month old iphone 5 which is immaculate, never been dropped or damaged. Suddenly yesterday I started to get vertical white lines and squares on my display and screen quality and brightness had deterioted. Will Apple repair or replace for free? I have made an appointment at the Genius Bar for Tuesday but just wondered if anyone else had experienced a similar problem.

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
If you have the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT video chip, you could be developing this problem:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377
Do you get the same thing on an external display? If so, that would point to the video chip. If the external is OK, then there is a problem with the built-in display or its connections and/or cables.
Good luck!

Mid 2009 13" MBP iSight camera bad picture quality in photo booth

My daughter's stock mid 2009 13" MBP 2.26 ghz intel core two duo has a problem with the isight camera. The isight camera is built in to the screen. The isight camera works some of the time flawlessly and other times it comes out real grainy and with small colored pixels all over the screen like colored static (about 20% to 30% of the photo booth screen is affected but the rest of the screen outside of the photo booth app is unaffected). She only uses it in photo booth but we've tried the iChat app and the same thing happens there too, once she couldn't get the MBP to connect to the isight camera (it just showed a black photo booth screen), so she closed the lid of her MBP and reopened it and it worked. All of the software and firmware is up to date and we've tried resetting the PRAM and the SMC, it didn't do anything to fix the problem. It seems like there's a wire loose in the computer from the screen to the computer base, only because I can move the screen back and forth and the picture quality changes, the amount of static on the picture will move, go away or get worse. I had the screen changed in early 2010 (January or February) (the MBP was about 5 or 6 months old then) at the apple store under warranty due to dirt under the screen's glass (manufacturing defect). The photo booth picture static problem comes and goes, but here lately it comes more than it goes. The screen in general is in good shape and doesn't have any detectable problems with it, it has a good picture and no dead pixels, the problem seems to be only isolated to the isight camera. Can some one help with this problem? How long of a warranty is given on the warranty repairs (like the screen change they did in early 2010)? If apple does a repair on it and finds a wire that has rubbed the insulation off of it on a hinge causing a short and the isight problem, as a result of a sloppy repair from the first warranty repair, will they cover it under warranty again even if it's been over a year since they changed the screen? Also how honest will apple be if they do find out it is a problem caused from the first screen replacement, will they own up to their mistake? If I don't agree with apple's repair decision, can I get a second opinion from an outside source, third party, and if it's diagnosis different than apple's and can be proven, can I still get apple to do and pay for the repairs and labor if it turns out to be their fault from the first warranty screen replacement?
The reason why I'm asking is, I took my wife's white macbook in about a year ago for the famous cracked top cover replacement (under warranty) and when I got the computer back, the isight camera didn't work, so I gave it back, they took it apart a look at it and said there was nothing wrong with it and gave it back, then the screen wouldn't come on so after 4 hours at the Apple store they decided to send it to Austin, TX. for repairs (I'm in Ft. Worth TX.). Apple in Austin said it needed a new main board. They said the old one had water damage to it. We never had water anywhere near the computer, not even in the same room. It was working fine when we took it in, we took it in just to get the plastic top case, that cracks all of the time, replaced under warranty. And then they wanted us to pay for an $800 main board because some how while they were doing the top cover replacement it got water damaged. I argued with them and they finally gave me a one-time offer of them paying for half of the repair and labor or if I disagreed or left the store I would have to pay the whole amount if I chose to have the repairs done. So I ended up having to pay $467 for a year old macbook main board that was water damaged in their possession during their repairs. I like Apple and their products but I am worried about giving my daughter's MBP over to them for repairs because of this incident, it's an honesty issue with how honest they will be with what they find because they won't give back the old parts for analysis by a third party to verify their diagnosis.
Thanks for any info and advice anyone can give.

Hi,
As a personal note I find long posts like this hard to read if they are not broken up in to paragraphs.
As I say it is a personal thing.
I can give you some information about the camera and laptops over the past few years.
Basically in early Laptops of the MacBook Pro and MacBook range the cable did tend to fray at the point where it passed through the hinge. It did take a well used laptop that had the lid open and closed frequently to cause this. (your 2009 model might just be in that group - I have no firm dates or models I am afraid)
Later models have this rerouted so that this does not happen.
However the cable has then tended to get pulled from the camera end and become loose.
This On Line Self fix site has pages about some models (The one I have linked to may not be yours)
I have linked in to later pictures in the sequence but there are navigation points to work back to the start.
Note:- they use pretty specifc specialest tools as well in these pics.
Doing this would certail Void any Warranty you have left.
From Posts mainly in the iChat and the iSight areas I have gathered that it seems common for Apple to replace the Screen as a whole rather than fiddle with getting solely at the camera.
Apple has this article on Trouble Shooting an iSight
Basically it says try several apps then try logging in on another Mac User account to see if it is App based or User based or in fact System wide.
If System wide then resetting the SMC/PMU is the only suggested fix. (Which I did read you had done)
In addition to that I would add that testing should be done in different lighting conditions.
Lighting in the evening or dark that is good enough to read buy is not always good enough for the camera or is not illuminating the right areas.
Some people have reported that Starting the computer in Safe Mode (then Rebooting afterwards) seems to help. (it clears out some caches and starts up with reduced extensions)
As to actual Repairs and any Warranty that may still be in place I cannot say.
I can say that when people post about problems with repairs a certain stores someone else will tend to post that their experience was different.
You seem to report two different experiences with the two computers yourself.
10:24 PM Thursday; July 14, 2011
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.7),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Do You know of a camcorder that has good picture quality in imovie 09???

I have just purchased an imac OS X (10.5.6) with a 24 inch screen with imovie 09. I bought a Panasonic SDR-H80 HDD camcorder, downloaded video to imac 09 and the picture quality was VERY BAD!!!!!!!!! Does anyone own and use a camcorder on this system and get good picture quality????????? Which camcorder are you using???? Thank you

My suspicion is that you have mimatched settings between the camera and iMovie. The answer lies in the 215 post "DV Video Quality" discusssion. The iMovie settings must match the camera settings ie. aspect ratio, frame rate, ect. for the end product that you desire from iMovie/iDVD. With all the setting set correctly almost any end result can be achieved with good quality. A good tutorial for iMovie 09 features in general is http://www.kenstone.net/fcphomepage/imovie_09stone.html.
Good Luck
Kent

Picture quality in iChat

Greetings all - New to iChat use. A couple of questions - just hooked iSight to my Mac (G5 1.8ghz dualie) and to my daughters eMac (G4). When using iChat my picture in screen is clear, but reception from my daughter's is highly pixelated, and more so when she moves. Even stationary, my picture is not clear. I understand excessive motion, but A. Is my reception always going to be fuzzy and pixelated? She is receiving a relatively clear picture on her end. Note: Her computer is using a wireless connection, B. Should she be directly connected to the router? Any all all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

I think Running Panther might have something to do with the video quality also. Correct me if I am wrong. I think Panther is using iChat 2.0 and i believe it does not support h.264. iChat 3.0 uses h.264 and the picture quality is better. If your daughter's eMacs is still running Panther, maybe this is the reason why you're not getting good quality picture because her Mac did not encode the data using that codec?
http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/ichat/

For the picture quality which one i should choose, canon 700d or 60d??

Hey guys, im planning to buy a camera...
because i'm not have so much money so i'm interested at 2 models.... EOS 60D and EOS 700D
60D are old one than 700D... If i want a better picture which camera I should choose??
I usually shooting at JPEG mode....
And if I saw the spec the processor are quietly different (DIGIC 5 on 600D and DIGIC 4 on 60D), is the processor affect very much on the picture quality.....
and my notes, i dont like to buy twice so I would buy for the best....... thanks guys....
---HarrY---

The 700D has more "gee wiz" features (touch-screen, etc.) But the 700D is more of an "entry" range body and the 60D is a "mid-range" body (Canon has entry level bodies, mid-level bodies, and pro-level bodies.)
On a "pro" and "mid-range" body, the body has two dials... one just behind the shutter button and the other on the back of the body. These are strategically located so that when shooting in manual mode, you can put your index finger on the front wheel (usually to adjust shutter speed) and you can but your thumb on the rear-dial (usually to adjust aperture/f-stop). This allows for fairly rapid use in manual mode without needing to take your eye away from the viewfinder.
The 60D has that layout (more like a pro body). The 700D does not.
The imaging senssors on those two bodies are actually the same generation (both use Canon's 18MP sensor). You wont actually see any significant difference in image quality between the two bodies.
The 60D is "weather sealed" (I put that in quotes because you should NOT confuse this for meaning it is water-proof. It is not waterproof ... do not submerge it. That would be very bad.) Weather sealed means that openings in the body for buttons and dials and body seams all have gaskets or o-rings which are generally regarded as being good enough to seal out water or dust as long as it's not under any pressure. If you get caught in the rain... not a big deal. Just towel it off (do not open the body until you towel it off... it's obviously not sealed when doors are open or your lens is removed.) Many of Canon's "L" series lenses (not all of them) are also weather sealed. So keep in mind that while the body may be sealed and able to deal with some rain... the lens may not necessarily be able to deal with some rain.
DIGIC V does have better JPEG processing than DIGIC IV... although you may not necessarily be able to notice the difference.
I've seen (and so have you) stunningly gorgeous images coming from very old and very basic DSLR bodies. The largest difference in image quality will be you... your skill. Buying a Canon 1D-X flagship body will not ensure your images look fantastic no more than buying a Steinway concert grand piano will help you play beautiful music... if you never learned to play a piano. You ultimately have to learn photography, exposure, and how to take advantage of your camera.
If you plan to learn to shoot in manual mode, you will likely prefer the control and ergonomic layout that the 60D offers. If you prefer to shoot in automatic, semi-automatic, or scene modes, then you will likely prefer the 700D.
Tim Campbell
5D II, 5D III, 60Da

Canon XA10 and XA20 audio noise

Hello,
I work with a Canon XA10 and Canon XA20. Both seem to pick up a fair amount of audio noise (like a static shhhhhh), even before I connect wireless microphones. The wireless microphones just intensify it. Is it normal for Canon camcorders to pick up some audio noise? Are there settings to work with to fix this, or should I just plan to continue eliminating the noise in Adobe Audtion, or any other program you would recommend? I greatly appreciate any help you can provide.

Hello Clare27,
With regards to the camcorder picking up audio noise, the answer would be two fold: yes- as it could potentially record any noise which is present near the microphones when recording, and no- as the camcorder should not actively add static or other 'generated' type noise, such as interference. That can result from things like connections not being plugged in all the way, crossed cables, receivers and transmitters if anything like that is present.
The camcorder should be set to utilize your external microphone/s only and disabling the onboard microphone. Having the onboard microphone disabled will cut down on the chances of ambient noise being recorded. Other than that, simply having your microphones themselves set up and used properly should produce a clean signal which is recorded by the camcorder.
Did this answer your question? Please click the Accept as Solution button so that others may find the answer as well.

I've got a MacBook pro 15' running 10.6.6. I want to use an external monitor for my graphic design work running Adobe software and thought I'd try an HD TV. I ran a Mini Display to HDMI lead to the TV but the picture quality was disappointing.

I've got a MacBook Pro 15' running 10.6.6. I want to use an external monitor for my graphic design work using Adobe software and thought I'd try an HD TV. I ran a Mini Display to HDMI lead to the TV but the picture quality was disappointing. I also tried a Mini Display to VGA lead and that wasn't much better. I tried all variations of resolutions in System prefs - Displays but nothing helped. Am I getting something wrong? Thanks all.

In addition to pixel density, you are up against the translation driver card in the TV.
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Hey neil293,
Thanks for the question. If I understand correctly, when you print a photo in iPhoto it has a tint. I would recommend that you read this article, this article explains how to adjust the tint in a photo.
iPhoto '11: Adjust exposure, contrast, colors, and other qualities
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Have a good one,
Mario

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At what point is the video quality bad? Is it bad on capture? I would recommend using an s-video 1394 firewire converter instead. They capture the video at a higher bit rate. If you have a lot of 8mm tapes to capture, invest in a stand alone DVD recorder. They capture and compress in one shot. If you need to rip it back from the DVD into iMovie again, I would recommend using DVDxDV.

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I've tried by turning off flash,
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I am using IDVD to make slide shows. The pictures are clear and of high quality when viewed on my computer. When I burn the slide show to a disk, the pictures are blury and of poor quality. Is there a setting adjustment to correct this problem?

I would re-post in the iDVD forum. You are likely to get a faster answer there. Good luck.

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I have a Canon Vixia HV40 and I just plug in and it works beautifully. I believe the HV20 works exactly the same. The window to transfer video automatically comes up.

Canon Camcorders XA10 and HFR17 Picture Quality

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