Columns

Image Control

An introduction to waveform monitors and why they’re essential

By C.R. Caillouet
Myth: Once you have a waveform, you’re safe. NOT! In past issues, I’ve talked about luma signals (the brightness component of electronic images) and color-difference components (the color information without the brightness—a strange concept for many of us). I’ve mentioned the transcoding equations that allow us to convert between the red, green... Read more

The RØDE NTG-3

As a filmmaker concerned with sound quality, I’m looking to buy a good, all-purpose shotgun microphone.

By Dan Brockett
Q As a filmmaker concerned with sound quality, I’m looking to buy a good, all-purpose shotgun microphone. I don’t mind spending some money, but I can’t afford the top of the line. What should I look for, and what are your suggestions for the best value? Andrea W. Via e-mail A I’ve been using and reviewing shotgun and cardioid-variant... Read more

Clean Machine

Does it take a big machine to play back live HD?

By C.R. Caillouet
In my last column, I described the process of getting clips in many different formats onto a single timeline for playback in a live show. The event was an awards presentation for a film festival and involved live announcers, playback of the above-mentioned clips, static graphics and previously edited segments. In the past, I’ve used a multiprocessor... Read more

Metadata

Since the days of analog vidoe, metadata has come a long way

By C.R. Caillouet
Myth: Metadata is a new concept. In today’s digital video world, video data and sometimes audio data are necessary elements of a video clip, but many other pieces of information can make that clip more useful, easier to manipulate, and ultimately, more valuable over the life of the clip. Every collected piece of video data has a useful life; sometimes... Read more

Self-Storage

Can most common hard drives handle high-def?

By Michael Guncheon
Q What’s going on with storage, and when is it going to get better? It seems like with high definition, the drives that I can get just won’t be able to run fast enough to let me watch my edit. Drives seem to be getting bigger capacities, but they don’t really get faster, in my mind. How can I get my storage to handle HD? Chris C. Via... Read more

The Submission Process

Formats can get tricky for a film festival Technical Director

By C.R. Caillouet
Every two years, I get the chance to survey the world of high-definition formats from a very practical perspective. I’m the Technical Director of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, and our festival receives entries for awards from all over the world. Most of the judging is done using DVD submittals, so those are limited to NTSC and PAL DVD video... Read more

Just Checking?

Many standards to choose from

By Michael Guncheon
Q In a previous issue, you were talking about color bars and laying them down on a master tape. I’ve been working at a place that has been getting a lot of different tapes in, and it seems like each one has a different flavor of bars and tone at the beginning of the tape. Aren’t color bars just for setting up machines? Why so many? Stephen... Read more

Closed Captioning, Part II

Captioning in high-def takes more planning than you think

By Michael Guncheon
A picture with another thousand words? The last Video Assist column was the first of a two-part answer where I addressed a question about captioning. I covered some of the issues related to captioning in standard definition because captions in high definition have their foundation rooted in standard definition. Since standard-definition captioning... Read more

Captions, Part 1

A picture with a thousand words?

By Michael Guncheon
Q I’m planning on a high-definition production that I want to be able to market to as many outlets as possible. As I work through budgeting, I’m perplexed by the plethora of options as far as how I’m to deliver my program. While I’m getting a handle on tape formats and online needs, there’s one aspect that I really feel... Read more

Sound And The Video D-SLR, Part 1

In this two-part series, HDVP first takes a look at production audio

By Dan Brockett
The popularity of shooting with HD-capable D-SLR (digital single-lens-reflex) cameras has resulted in a whole new range of audio challenges. In a nutshell, the audio on the new D-SLRs leaves something to be desired. Those in search of killer sound to go with their amazing HD images acquired with these new cameras have some major challenges ahead. PRO-Quality... Read more

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

Should we keep our original signal intact or convert them, especially in regard to analog to digital

By C.R. Caillouet
Myth: It’s always better to keep signals in the original format rather than convert them. In past columns, I’ve discussed image-format conversion, color-space conversion, video-compression conversion and analog-to-digital conversion. You might get the impression that I hate conversions and that all signals should be retained in the original... Read more
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