VIDEO TERMINOLOGYUnderstanding Video
Chapters Video Formats Progressive vs. Interlaced Video Image Sizes Frame Rates Video Outputs Video as Digital Data Compression Tape Formats
Video Standards NTSC NTSC-J PAL PAL-M SECAM
aNTSC 525 scanlines to a frame of video Displays at 30 fps Countries using NTSC
North and Central America Philippians Twain
NTSC-J Same as NTSC but used in Japan
525 scanlines 30 fps
Darker black than NTSC Black setting goes to 0 vs 7.5 IRE
PAL High resolution – 625 scanlines per frame 25 fps Used in Europe, Scandinavia, the Pacific
and South Africa
PAL - M Used in Brazil 525 scanlines PAL color palette Runs at 30 fps
SECAM 625 scanlines 25 fps PAL color palette Used in France, Russia, the Middle East
and North Africa
Comparing PAL and NTSC PAL
Sharper Image with 625 scanlines More flicker because it runs at 25 fps
NTSC Less flicker running at 30 fps Poorer resolution only 525 scanlines
Which should you use? Depends on where your video will be viewed. If America – must be NTSC If Europe – must be PAL
Progressive vs. Interlaced Video is made up of scanlines When you display then from top to
bottom in sequentially first line 1, then 2, 3,4, …….all the way to the bottom of the image. That is called Progressive scan and all computer monitors use this type of scan.
Progressive vs. Interlaced When television first started they could
not display video progressively. They used fields
One field displayed all the even lines (2,4,6,8,…)and the other all the odd lines ( 1, 3, 5,7,...)
First they displayed the the even field and alternating with the odd field.
By weaving these together the could display a single frame.
Interlaced Computer use progressive but all
televisions both NTSC and PAL use Interlaced display.
Interlacing by its nature photographs the odd numbered scanlines and then the even numbered scanlines.
Called Interlacing Artifacts
Progressive Film is Progressive. When you take an image with film you
take the entire image at one time. Advantage to progressive is better image
quality. Disadvantage is you can’t broadcast it.
There is no broadcasting of progressive images excluding HD.
Progressive vs. Interlaced Progressive
Entire image Film or Computer
screen Better image
quality
Interlaced Every other line Television Broadcast
compatibility Whether shooting DV
or broadcast the first shot are all the even lined fields and then the odd ones.
Fields = Sam LinesEven and Odd Fields = Upper and Lower Fields
Frame Rates FILM: 24 fps PAL: 25 fps NTSC: 30 fps
Video Formats DV
Digital Video SD
Standard Definition Video HD
High Definition Video
Video Formats DV
MiniDV DVCPro-25 DVCAM
Image quality of each is the same. Totally digital format
Video Formats SD
DVCPro-50 (digital) Betacam SX (digital) Betacam SP (analog) DigiBetacam (digital)
Video Formats HD
HDV DVCPro-HD (100) HD
Image Size All video is fixed in size All are bitmapped video –there size is
fixed at the moment they were created. The sized of the screen makes no
difference because the size of the image is fixed.
Image Size Projected film and computer monitors are
variable size. If you project a film on a large screen or
computer monitor you see more detail.
Image Size Video resolution is fixed at 72 dpi. DV – NTSC
720 x 480 PAL
720 x 576
Image Size SD
NTSC – 720 x 486 PAL – 720 x 576
Image Size Why? NTSC
SD 720 x 486 DV 720 x 480
Both 720 and 480 are divisible by 4 Video compression requires 4 x 4 pixel
squares called Super Blocks
HD Comes in both progressive and interlaced
formats. There are three sizes.
HD HD 480i & p
Broadcast image size HD 720i & p
Refers to the number of vertical lines of information.
1280 x 720 HD 1080i
1920 x 1080
HD All HD formats are 16:9 (16 units wide by
9 units high)
HDV 1440 x 1080 – native format JVC – 1280 x 720 p Sony – 1920 x 1080i
Image Sizes Summary
HD 1080i = 1920 x 1080 HD 720p = 1280 x 720 Traditional = 720 x 480
Aspect Ratio Number which describes the relationship
of the width of a picture with the height of a picture.
The height is described as the number one and the width describe how much longer than one unit high the picture is wide.
Aspect Ratio To compete with TV, film started
changing the aspect ratio to provide a different viewing experience.
Television invented with a 4 by 3 aspect ratio.
Pre-1950s films were 4:3 (1.33:1)
Aspect Ratio Disney cartoons became (1.66:1) about
60% wider than high Movies today are 16:9 (1.78:1) Epic movies are wider 2.35:1
Aspect Ratio SD = 4:3 HD = 16:9 vs 4:3 Letterboxing
Adding black bars at the top and bottom of the screen to fit a 16:9 image onto a 4:3 screen.
Pillar boxing Adding black to the sides of the screen to fit a
4:3 image to a 16:9 screen.
Video Outputs
Analog Digital
Video Outputs
ANALOG DIGITAL Composite
Single nozzle, RCA plug or BNC
S-Video 4 pin plug that carries
the color on different wires
Component Highest analog
connection labeled red, green and blue or Y, CR and CB
Firewire A communications
protocol that moves digital data
SDI Carries digital data but
works for both SD and HD pictures
Digital AudioEMBEDDED SDI AES/EBU Most time you will
use embedded audio Be careful not to
cross digital an analog audio input
Digital audio on a microphone connector – 3 pins
Tape Formats VHS
Universal Poor quality Analog
Tape Formats DV
DVCPRO-25 (Panasonic format) DVCAM (Sony format) MiniDV (about 20 companies)
Image quality between the three formats is identical.
Tape Formats DVCPRO-50
Higher quality than DV (6 MB/sec data rate) DVPRO-50 (50 MB/sec data rate) 6 MB/sec data rate Used by most broadcast stations
Tape Formats DVCPRO-HD (100) HDV
DV tape size and data rate HD picture quality Brand new format
Betacam SX See only in broadcast about the same quality
as HDV
Tape Formats Betacam SP
Industry workhorse for video formats the broadcast industry
Analog Used around the world on daily basis for video
capture and editing
Tape Formats DigiBetacam
SD highest quality 16:9 or 4:3 ratio recording Can shoot 24 fps as well as 30 fps or 25 fps Digital High end of standard definition
Tape Formats HD D1 & D5
Used specifically when high resolution is necessary
Work at the highest quality you can afford Most people = DV Broadcast industry = DigiBetacam