HD for mainstream television has arrived – TVB article October 2004The History of HDWhere HD is TodayThe Right HD Camera for TVWhat is HDV?Shooting Progressive or InterlaceHD & Prime TelevisionHD for mainstream television has arrived – TVB article October 2004Some might say the only other event in the history of broadcasting that has greater significance than High Definition, was the introduction of colour TV in the early fifties. Since that historic date in 1954 (the first colour TV set; the first transmission was in 1951) we have seen many changes in camera technology, from film cameras right through to the introduction of video acquisition for broadcast in 1976. I was 15 years old then and my father had been a film cameraman since as long as I could remember. Always the optimist, my fathers’ view was ‘if it ain’t broke don’t change it’ and I remember him telling me ‘video will never take on outside of news gathering’. Like most people at that time, he wasn’t to know that in a little over 20 years feature films (Star Wars Episode II in 1997) would be shot on tape and film would virtually cease to exist as an acquisition format for mainstream television.
You can trace the birth of video in television back to 1974 when the then vice president of CBS Inc., Joseph Flaherty visited Sony’s Atsugi plant in Japan to ask if they could make a portable U-matic tape recorder for broadcast that could compete with 16mm film. The Broadcast Video (BV) series, launched in 1976, changed broadcasting forever and established Sony as the world leader in the market. Seeing the scope and demand for this new medium, Sony developed Betacam in 1981 switching from ¾ inch to ½ inch tape and launching the first single piece camera. At the same time other manufacturers, keen to get a piece of Sony’s increasing word dominance of the market, were developing their own video formats. When Panasonic launched its ill fated MII format in 1986, Sony retaliated with Betacam SP (Super Performance).
By this time most of television worldwide was switching to tape (only 10 years after its introduction), but it was the dawn of the digital age that put the final nails in the coffin for film in television and set the scene for High Definition to come. When Sony launched Digital Betacam in 1993, even the most committed 16mm cameramen were now having to take notice; for the first time there was a video format that could seriously claim a quality improvement over 16mm film. Add to that the flexibility and versatility of video and die-hard documentary makers everywhere were throwing away their loading bags.
Soon after lower cost digital formats were introduced to cover the ever increasing demand for inexpensive programming and tightening budgets; Panasonic launched DVCPRO in 1995. Sony followed a year later with DVCAM and Betacam SX, and then added IMX in 2001. Whilst most of these formats found solid niches in many areas of TV acquisition, Digital Betacam remained top of the pile for high end TV production.
Now, after over a decade at the top, I believe Digital Betacam has a successor but it has come as a bit of a surprise to many. The first HDCAM camera (the Sony F900 HDCAM CineAlta) was the pinnacle of Sony’s work since 1974 and a million miles from Digital Betacam, both in quality and cost. This very high end new digital camera with 24/25P progressive scan (same as a film camera) was not aimed at TV production at all, it was designed to go head to head with Arriflex and Panavision film cameras – the top guns! So it is not surprising that a lot of us still think High Definition is a top end, highly priced, movie making format.Now, with the recent launch of Sony’s new HDCAM HDW-730S and the announcement at IBC of a massive price reduction on both the HDW-750P as well as Sony HDCAM tape stock, could it be that Sony is now ready to assign Digital Betacam to the format graveyard? One thing is for sure, Sony had long term plans to bring HD into the television market long before the launch of HDCAM in 1997.
Never before in the history of television has there been a quality jump as big as that of Digital Betacam to HDCAM, with both the HDW-730S and HDW-750P Sony has produced affordable HD cameras with four times the quality of Digital Betacam and all the pedigree of top end HDCAM camcorders. So, with most of our work and PSC crewing being shot on Digital Betacam and demand for our crews and equipment up by nearly 30% on last year, we needed four new DVW-790WSP cameras immediately, but it didn’t make sense to buy into old technology. I felt we had to provide something better for our clients, so Prime took delivery of their first two HDW-730S’s at the end of July and two more mid-September. Now, with the price reduction of the HDW-750P, we are awaiting delivery of our second HDW-750P in early October.
So what’s the difference? Well, apart from the price (the 750 is still £10K more than the 730) the 750P is capable of 25P progressive scan and 50i interlace and the 730S can shoot in both 50i and 60i interlace. With regard to quality, then that depends on who you talk too; technically progressive scan is better quality than interlace but it is debatable whether the difference can be seen on even the best HD monitors. More important is the look you want for your production; progressive scan or 25P (24P in the US) is the same temporal rate or frames per second as film. So if you want a film look you do not want an HDW-730S camera.
If you are happy with television as it is currently looks then interlace is fine and you can use either the HDW-750P (50i only) or 730S. A point to make here is, if you are shooting interlace always ask your facilities provider for an HDW-730S first because if they haven’t got one and they want your business then they should provide you with a 750 for the same price.
Depending on how you look at it, both cameras have something the other camera needs to cover all HD markets so it is important to know your requirements and pick the right camera – it might just save you a great deal of money. Shooting interlace has always been cheaper than shooting progressive but with Sony’s recent reduction in the cost of their HDW-750P, this gap is going to get smaller. We are currently hiring our 750’s out at about 20% more than the 730’s but then our 730’s are on an amazing ‘same price as Digi deal’. So what’s best for television? Well that is hard to say as the UK has yet to transmit in HD but Japan is all interlace (both for acquisition and transmission), whilst the US is predominantly progressive scan, although both CBS and NBC have committed to interlace transmission whilst ABC and Fox have gone progressive (Fox going 720 not 1080). In the UK at least 80% of what we currently see on television is shot in interlace, out of the rest, 10% might have progressive scan added in the edit and 10% might originate on film or HD 24/25P.
The most important issue when thinking about shooting in HD is knowing what is wanted, both in terms of the immediate production requirements and future market needs you may have, e.g. If you are planning forward sales in the US then they shoot predominantly in progressive scan (although some of our US clients have recently supplied us with their TV channel requirements for HD acquisition and they included 60i interlace). If you have clients in Japan, it is very likely that they will only ever want 60i as all of Japan shoots in interlace. If you are shooting fast moving images, like sports then you should be shooting in 50i (or 60i for the Americans).
The world of HD is crying out for more HD programming. With most HDTV channels around the world currently using a mixture of HD and up converted SD widescreen programming to fill their air time, there is bound to be big interest in lower cost HDCAM technology. Producers and broadcaster alike are now scrambling to reap the benefits of this new form of digital content creation and HD programme making.
It has been said that not before a leisurely evening watching HDTV in your own home will you fully understand why HD is here to stay. So why would anyone still want to shoot in Digital Betacam when you can hire a HDCAM 730S with four times the quality and cover acquisition for the European, US and Japanese markets (50i or 60i), whilst future proofing your production - all for the same price. On top of that you can still edit exactly as before (in SD) by simply down converting via a Sony J-H3 player (provided free by Prime as part of their HDW-730S deal). When shooting in HD and editing in SD you still get better than Digital Betacam quality.
It now 30 years since the introduction of video for television and look how far we have come. Today’s HD is 1080 lines (or more accurately 1920 x 1080) but HD won’t stop there, Japan’s NHK are currently working on a 4320 line system. Within the next 10 years we will be able to watch HD on screens that appear to be windows onto the outside world, and close to the resolution of the eye itself.
High Definition was the future. Now it has become the present.
Nick LudlowPrime TelevisionThe History of HDHigh Definition may be new technology to the average TV producer or director, but the concept and its realisation dates back to 1964, when Japan's National Broadcaster NHK launched a new research and development project. The adjective "High" however, is as old as television itself. Measured as the number of scanning lines in his display, nearly every advance from Scottish inventor John Logie Baird introduced of a 28-line mechanical scanning system to a London audience in 1926 has been labelled "High Definition"; from RCA's 343-lines in 1936 to the BBC's 405 lines in 1939 and then 625 PAL lines in 1964 (525 NTSC in the US in 1941) In short: High Definition (HD) is a synonym for highest resolution; Standard Definition (SD) is a synonym for a format with less resolution than High Definition.Today's HD is 1080 lines (or more accurately 1920 x 1080) but HD won't stop there. Japan's NHK are currently working on a 4320 line system.In 1981 there began a long and hard fought battle to achieve a single world standard for the production of programmes, or more importantly for the co-production and international exchange of programs. This lead to arguments about what standard would be best suited for the new world format - at one time there were 21 competing systems.At the height of this momentous battle, an event occurred that would change all of television forever. In June 1990 an American company demonstrated an all digital transmission system that could be fitted into existing channel allocations - Analogue Television was doomed. With the birth of digital television came the pathway for the transmission of HD signals.But TV transmission is only half the picture, without HD camera acquisition you're not likely to see much difference on a standard TV set. The breakthrough came in 1997 when Sony introduced the HDCAM video tape format and the first truly portable HD camcorder. Since then Sony has dominated the HD camera market with the HDW-F900 HDCAM 24P CineAlta camcorder. CineAlta is Sony's nifty name for their film alternative and with the ability to shoot at the same 24 frames progressive these cameras were aimed at the feature film market. When George Lucas dabbled with digital video for special effects in the first of the new Star Wars movie in 1997 not much was said but when he shot the whole of Episode II using a Sony HDW-F900 the whole world took notice. Attack of the Clones was shot in 61 days in 5 countries averaging 36 set ups per day without a single camera problem.That was in 2000 and an appropriate start to a new millennium, but the biggest breakthrough came just one year later. In November 2001 the American FCC announced that all TV stations would be HD capable by 2006, from then on TV transmissions in analogue would cease to exist in the US. Already the entire CBS prime time line up is broadcasting on HD and ABC, Fox and NBC are quickly catching up. Discovery, ESPN and HBO are all also offering HD programming and it is only a matter of time before the rest of the world follows suit.Where HD is TodayHigh Definition was the future. Now it has become the present. Not before a leisurely evening watching HDTV in there own home will people fully understand why HD is here to stay. In a close up of a beautiful woman, the viewer can see a single hair. In a tennis match, the viewer can see the exact point at which a ball lands on the court, or a bead of sweat on the player's face. Soon we'll be able to watch HD on screens that appear to be windows onto the outside world, and close to the resolution of the eye itself.There is no doubt the European market has been slow to emulate the success of HD in America, Japan and other countries but there are clear indications that this is changing. Thinking ahead and targeting the wealthy few, who owned high end displays Euro 1080 (soon to be renamed HD1) went on air January 1st 2004 and became Europe's first HDTV channel. With little European HD production, this Belgium based company has been forced to show a limited variety of HD programming. As a subscription channel, it was vital that the content they were showing was worth paying for. Euro1080 are now investing heavily in new equipment to produce HD shows in-house.The BBC have been moving towards High Definition for some time and are mindful of the fact that that the world TV market is becoming a HD market.Most recently the BBC gave a clear indication of their intentions by using newly acquired Sony HDC-950 studio cameras (they bought eight) to shoot the Proms in HD and other classical music. Although it was down converted to SD, there was a noticeable improvement in quality.But is was British Sky Broadcasting's (BSkyB) announcement in June to launch a HDTV service in 2006 that really sent the message to all European broadcasters - get on the HD bandwagon or get left behind.France may be a little closer with TPS, the French pay-TV channel, who have announced plans to launch HD versions of there film and sports channels in 2005 - one year earlier than BSkyB. Terrestrial Channels TF1 and M6 are also anticipating their own HD service. With new technologies, mainly MPEG4/H264, the range of HD channels could increase to eight. This superior encoding performance could give way to all six terrestrial channels in France, as well as Canal + and TPS Star, going full HD in 2005.The introduction of all these HDTV services is an obvious response to the world's growing world HD market, as TV audiences seek ways to enhance the home entertainment experience. This is excellent news for the electrical retail trade, who are already pushing the sales of high end displays even more - this, in turn, is increasing demand for greater numbers of HD channels and programming.The world of HD is crying out for more HD programming. With most HDTV channels around the world currently using a mixture of HD and up converted SD widescreen programming to fill their air time, there is bound to be big interest in lower cost HDCAM technology. Producers and broadcaster alike are now scrambling to reap the benefits of this new form of digital content creation and HD programme making.The Right HD Camera for TVHD is just one of many digital formats and within that format you have two versions; Progressive and Interlace. So what is Progressive and what is interlace?First of all one term needs to be understood, and that's 'Temporal Rate.' This simply means the 'refresh rate' or how many times per seconds a new image or frame is presented to the naked eye.Progressive scan imaging at 24, 25 or 30 frames per second delivers a temporal rate slower than a 50i or 60i interlace image, but at full resolution for every frame. An interlace image has a higher temporal rate at either 50i (in Europe) or 60i (in the US and Japan) frames per second but only carries half the resolution in each field. When two consecutive fields are combined into a full interlace frame, a full resolution image is created.So there is no visible quality difference in shooting High Definition in either progressive or interlace, but there are advantages and disadvantages to both versions. Shooting Progressive or InterlaceThe main advantages in shooting 24 or 25P is that it offers an international 'Video Mastering' standard and therefore will not require standards conversion. An easy format conversion can take a 24 or 25P master and convert it to 50i or 60i, allowing PAL or NTSC broadcast. Some would say another advantage is that 24/25P gives you 'The Film Look' because it uses the same 'Temporal' rate as film. A major disadvantage, however, is the cost.With interlace the main advantage is lower cost. With the launch this month of Sony's new HDW-730S HDCAM camcorder, shooting 50i/60i now costs nearly half the price of 24/25P and the same price as Digital Betacam. Also shooting 50i/60i is far better suited to fast action or when slow motion is required. Which is why nearly all sports is shot in interlace. Since the HDW-750P was first introduced in 2002, this camcorder has been used in many productions and broadcast applications. The new HDW-730S shares the outstanding picture performance; high operability and rock steady reliability that all Sony HDCAM products provide, whilst it specifically focuses on 1080/50i and 1080/60i acquisition. This new camera is ideal to support the migration from SD to the next generation of TV production.Japan has chosen HD interlace as its format across all channels whilst most of Europe is currently shooting interlace with various Digital Video formats, so whether it's 50i or 60i it is very much a format that we are used to. Indeed, if a 'Film Look' one would just add progressive scan at the 24, 25 or 30P in post production.What is HDV? HDV is a new video format from Sony that records High Definition pictures onto a standard DV tape media. The HDV format offers enhancements over the DV format on which it is based. As such, is able to offer HDV/DVCAM/DV recording and playback on the same HDV camcorder or VTR. In addition, HDV camcorders and VTRs record 1080 line resolution and feature an on-board downconverter, allowing output of either HD or SD signals for seamless integration into any existing production infrastructure. The size and weight is comparable with DVCAM, making Sony HDV products compact and easy to use.HD & Prime Television Most of our work and PSC crewing is currently shot on Digital Betacam, which although a great format, has been around now for nearly ten years. As demand for our crews and equipment was growing (up by 30% on last year) and we were regularly have upwards of fourteen crews out on a busy day, we had no alternative; we had to look at buying new cameras. As one of Europe's leading broadcast facilities companies we had to make sure we stay ahead of the game. We faced a clear choice - buy into old technology or find something better for our clients.Prime Television has been dabbling in the HD market since 2001, when we cross hired a Sony HDW-F900 CineAlta camera to shoot a feature film called "Joyrider" for Classic Films. More recently we have had reasonable success with our Sony HDW-750P HDCAM camcorders shooting a number of DVD's, most notably behind the scenes on the Harry Potter movies. In the last year our 750P cameras has been used for shooting both 25P progressive and 50i interlace. But with all our HDCAM work to date, very little of it was shot for the TV market; with the exception of some interlace work for Japanese television. Most of our UK TV work was until recently still being shot on Digital Betacam. We knew that HD was here to stay, but we felt it would take a lower cost camera before we started getting HD into mainstream television.When we first heard about Sony's new HDW-730S camera we new this was the perfect camera to fill the gap before solid state arrives. We now have an HDCAM camera that is four times the quality of Digital Betacam and covers acquisition for the European, US and Japanese markets (50i or 60i). The HD is easily down-converted to SD via a Sony J-H3 player (or out of the camera via the optional HKDW-703 down converter board) and you still get better than Digi quality. Our clients can now hire HDCAM shooting kits at the same price that they are paying for Digital Betacam. Take into account the shortage of HD programming around the word and that, at the very least, our clients will be future proofing there productions, we believe it can't fail - well not until XD HDCAM anyway (watch this space)!As a good number of our HDW-750P clients where already choosing interlace over 25P, and of course all our regular SD clients were only getting interlace whenever they used Digital Betacam, SX and DVCAM cameras we new that not shooting 25P was not a problem. You only have to pick up a Radio Times and work out for yourself what would be shot in Interlace or Progressive to know that our new 730's will cover 80% of what is required.Some say the only other event in the history of broadcasting that has greater significance than High Definition, was the introduction of colour TV in the early sixties. Now with Sony's new HDCAM 730S, with its 50i and 60i capability, we have another major breakthrough, and we can at last say goodbye to 40 years of multiple production standards around the world.There's a phrase for trying to catch up with the future: It's called being left behind. When it comes to the TV industry most people are content to just tag along for the ride. The truth is, today's HD technology innovators will be in the driver's seat, steering a course for the rest to follow.HD for Television has arrived. Don't let it pass you by.Call us now on +44 (0) 208 969 6122
