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In a computer context, HDV most commonly refers to High-Definition Video, a format for recording and editing high-definition footage on standard DV (Digital Video) cassette tapes. It was a popular and affordable option for prosumer and professional videographers in the mid-to-late 2000s.

Key technical aspects of the HDV format

Affordable HD capture: HDV made high-definition videography more accessible by utilizing the same low-cost MiniDV cassette tapes that were widely available for standard definition cameras.

MPEG-2 compression: To fit more data onto the tape, HDV uses a highly efficient, lossy interframe compression based on the MPEG-2 standard. This is different from DV's intra-frame compression, where each frame is compressed independently.

Group of Pictures (GOP): The interframe compression groups a series of frames together. This can reduce the data rate but makes HDV footage more processor-intensive to edit compared to formats like DVCPRO HD.

Computer-based workflow: HDV footage was typically captured from a camera via a FireWire (IEEE 1394) connection and stored as a file on a computer. Video editing software could then be used for non-linear editing.

Intermediate codecs: Because of the high data volume and processor demand, editors with older or less powerful computers would sometimes convert the HDV footage to an easier-to-edit intermediate format to improve performance.