HDV

HDV is a format for recording high-definition video on standard DV videocassettes. It was developed in the early 2000s by the HDV Consortium as an affordable way to capture HD footage using consumer and prosumer camcorders and existing DV tape infrastructure. The format gained broad adoption in professional and semi-professional markets before newer HD formats became prevalent.

Technical overview: HDV compresses video with MPEG-2 MP@HL and records the stream onto DV tapes at roughly 25 megabits per second, with the video encoded in 4:2:0 chroma subsampling. For 1080-line recording, HDV stores a 1440x1080 image on the tape, which is displayed as 1920x1080 through anamorphic processing. It also supports 720p at 1280x720. The standard accommodates interlaced 1080i and progressive 720p formats, with frame rates tied to regional video standards (for example, 1080i50/60 and 720p50/60). Audio is typically stereo and encoded with the same capture workflow as DV.

Recording and playback: HDV uses MiniDV-style tapes and camcorders capable of capturing HD footage while remaining compatible with existing DV tape media. Playback and editing workflows evolved to support HDV in common video editing software, enabling capture, editing, and output to subsequent HD formats or down-converted SD.

Legacy and impact: HDV provided a cost-effective bridge to high-definition for many videographers, leveraging familiar tape-based workflows. Over time, it was largely superseded by tapeless HD formats such as AVCHD and other MPEG-4-based systems, though HDV hardware remained in use in some markets into the 2010s.