Fact from Far-Fetched: What you need to know about HD Video

Transcription

1 Fact from Far-Fetched: What you need to know about HD Video 1

2 HD - High Definition 2

3 A brief tour into the past... 3

4 4

5 (Left to Right): Warner's The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Republic's It's a Wonderful Life (1946) 5

6 6

7 Above: Miramax's The English Patient (1996) in Academy Flat (1.85:1). 7

8 Above: Fox s The Thin Red Line (1998) in Anamorphic Scope (2.35:1). 8

9 Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson in Columbia TriStar's As Good As It Gets. Top is (1.85:1); bottom is (1.33:1). 9

10 Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting (1997). Top is 4:3 Letterbox; bottom is 16x9 widescreen. 10

11 4:3 aspect ratio will still exist for a long time - on television. 11

12 as 1.78:1 DTV & HDTV Widescreen 16x9 But 16:9 is here to stay and will only gain in popularity. 12

13 What exactly is HD? HD is simply terminology used to describe a video signal that is 720p, 1080i or 1080p resolution. All of those resolutions share the 16:9 widescreen format, but 16:9 alone is not a HD image. Many Standard Definition (SD) video signals can be shown in 16:9. Furthermore, computer resolutions can match or exceed the actual pixel counts of HD, but are not HD video. 13

14 HD - High Definition Only 1080 interlaced (1080i), 1080 progressive (1080p) and 720 progressive (720p) -- are considered High Definition Television (HDTV). In the 1080i system, 1080 picture scan lines are traced from top to bottom as interlaced fields (540 lines in the first field, and 540 lines in the second). There are 1920 pixels (picture-forming elements) on each line. Therefore, the total image resolution is 1920x1080, or just over 2 million pixels. 14

15 HD - High Definition The 720p system scans 720 picture lines from top to bottom in 1/60th of a second, to eliminate flicker. There are 1280 pixels on each line, resulting in a total image resolution of 1280x720 or 921,600 pixels. In the same time interval that one-half of a 1080i image is shown -- or about 1 million pixels -- all of the 720p image will be scanned, or just under 1 million pixels. For this reason, proponents of the 720p system claim that it has the same perceived image resolution as the 1080i system. 15

16 HD - High Definition If you go HD, you must go HD across the board! Acquisition (cameras) Capture (recording) Editing (NLE) Switching (live production) Distribution (flat panels, computers, etc.) Duplication Broadcast medium (TV, Internet, HD-DVD, etc.) 16

17 HD - Recording Formats Not all HD is created equal. There are various recording methods and compression types, resulting in a wide range of quality - even with the name HD. HDCAM (Sony) P2 (Panasonic) XDCAM HD (Sony) HDV (Sony, JVC, Panasonic) AVCHD (Sony) 17

18 HD - Cameras - Lenses If the camera supports interchangeable lenses, you ll also find that HD lenses are more expensive than their SD counterparts. One of the benefits of these lenses is a typically lower F- stop, allowing them to work in less light and create shallower depths of field. 18

19 HD Cameras - Field Production Shooting outside of a studio environment makes it easier to use a wider variety of cameras. Common Pro cameras: Sony - Panasonic - JVC - Hitachi - Ikegami - 19

20 HD Cameras - Field Production 20

21 HD Cameras - Field Production (HDV) Shooting outside of a studio environment makes it easier to use a wider variety of cameras. Common HDV cameras: Sony Panasonic JVC Canon 21

22 HD Cameras - Field Production (HDV) 22

23 HD Cameras - Studio Production Camera Control Units are mandatory for quality indoor multi-cam live performances. Some cameras that will support a CCU: Sony - Panasonic - JVC - Hitachi - Ikegami - 23

24 HD Cameras - Studio Production 24

25 HD - Switchers Live production calls for a HD switcher that can handle HD-SDI inputs. There are many very high-end broadcast switchers that can do this, but there are few lower-priced units on the market today. 25

26 HD Switchers 26

27 HD - Displays Plasmas, LCD monitors and projectors are the main displays used to show HD. The resolutions, however, don t always match up x x x

28 HD Displays 28

29 HD - Storage Depending on compression (or uncompressed), the file sizes for HD video are huge to immense. It s not uncommon to utilize a RAID array of disk drives with over 1 Terabyte of storage space. Also, once you ve edited your videos, you must decide if you want to keep the digitized files or rely on tape masters. This can greatly increase your file storage needs. 29

30 HD - Storage 30

31 HD - Editing Editing in HD takes a lot more raw CPU horsepower, up to 15 times the storage capacity and a more robust editing system. If you re used to editing in SD, you ll find yourself needing more time to edit in HD due to increased render time and a fewer real-time video layers in most software applications. 31

32 HD - Editing 32

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