Canon USA, probably one of the most renowned leaders in digital imaging, has just announced that it has adopted an MPEG-2 Full HD (4:2:2) file-based recording codec for the company's future professional video cameras based on files, while also mentioning that fresh cameras are currently under development. This newly adopted Canon MPEG-2 codec will deliver capabilities of high-quality imaging and audio with up to 50 Mbps data flow recording, as well as twice the color data of the HDV profile format.

I can relate to why Canon is orientating towards file based, namely because it shortens the post processing work flow, eliminating the dead time of recording the content on the tape that takes just as much as the full length of the video. That's why file-based cameras are a lot more suitable for many industries, like newsgathering, documentary filmmaking and, of course, videography.

Highlight features of this new Canon MPEG-2 codec sum up MPEG-2 Full HD compression that is simply the thing enabling the capability of recording 1,920 x 1,080 pixel video, while the 4:2:2 color sampling, compared with 4:2:0 used by HDV, ensures about double the volume of color data, thus twice the level of color resolution, so that colors can be better post processed.

Of course, I have already mentioned this codec supports double the data volume compared to HDV, while the MXF is an industry standard file format widely used for recording video, audio and metadata, since it is an open source file format developed to suit the latest editing systems used by broadcasters. To provide support for the company's new MPEG-2 Full HD file-based recording coded as soon as possible, Canon is collaborating with Adobe Systems Incorporated, as well as with Avid Technology Inc., Grass Valley and Apple Inc. nonetheless.


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