Until the Blu-ray and HD DVD battle sees a truce, DVD and the Internet are the only distribution media for most HDV projects. (Currently HDV "consumer" tape decks aren't on the horizon.) So when it comes to distributing your work, the best you can do at the moment to get your project out to a big audience is to pull out your DVD authoring software manuals and dive in. Hopefully, you'll find that your DVD software is HD, or at least HDV ready.

And don't forget that at playback time; once again, if your goal is to play back your shiny new HD authored DVD in full res, it means an HD capable monitor, projector, and Plasma or LCD screen.

Finally, some good news. There was a lot of speculation when the HDV format was announced about how its GOP (group of pictures) structure was going to make editing difficult. Turned out to be a false alarm. Under the hood it might appear to be pretty complex, but the software engineers have got this pretty much licked.

The first time I slapped some fresh HDV files on my Final Cut Pro timeline and started slicing and dicing, dissolving and flipping the footage around, it worked (drum roll please) exactly like my standard def DV files have been behaving for years.

So do hold onto your sense of excitement. HDV is putting better quality video options in our hands without breaking our bank accounts (well, too badly, at least!). Just don't forget that there's more to the HDV workflow puzzle than the camera. So, feel free to pull out your HDV camera and have some fun. Eventually, we'll all have Hi-Def TV sets and other production tools to make working with HDV as easy as working with DV is today.

Until then, just don't DO anything crazy. (Or if you do, please send me a copy. I enjoy watching crazy as much as the next guy!)

Contributing Editor Bill Davis writes, shoots, edits, and does voiceover work for a variety of corporate and industrial clients.