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Broadcast quality? 8 or 10-bit
My apologies if I’m repeating a post, but couldn’t find one on this topic. My workflow for an upcoming job will be to edit in 8-bit or 10-bit uncompressed and send a file to our dub house for transfer to tape and submission to stations. Should I be working in 8 or 10-bit? I thought I read somewhere that NTSC, standard def., should only be in 8-bit. Although 10-bit gives you the better color range and quality. Is this true or do some stations except 10-bit?
Also, I work with ProRes sometimes in HD and it is considered mastering quality, but is ProRes in SD a broadcast quality for mastering? If so, aren’t both ProRes and ProRes HQ both 10-bit codecs?
OS 10.5.5, Mac Pro 2 x 3 ghz quad-core intel xenon, 9 gb ram, with BM Intensity Pro card
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8 Replies
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gotcha, thanks. but if I’m delivering a file to our dub house for them to output to tape, shouldn’t I be getting them the best quality file possible?
also, say i’m going to DVD or web. I’m going get the best quality with 8 or 10-bit uncmprsd or ProRes, right. I’m trying to eliminate pixelized type and logos right from the get go. I work a lot with DVCPro50 and have recently been exporting to 8-bit uncmprsd to help with type and logos. I’ll then use compressor for my web encode. I’ve been getting better results this way then I had been by exporting in the DVCPro50 codec. Does this workflow sound about right?
OS 10.5.5, Mac Pro 2 x 3 ghz quad-core intel xenon, 9 gb ram, with BM Intensity Pro card
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“Broadcast quality” makes no much sense in the digital realms (SN ratio and bandwith).
What you need to know is in which tape format will you print your movie.
If you go to print DV25/50 you need to finish in that codec.
If you go o print Betacam, DVCpro50 or 8b Unc would be OK.
If you go DigiBeta, 10b Unc or Prores are the ways.
rafael -
Hi Matt,
If you expect to deliver in different formats, just go 10b Unc or Proress. From that master you can go to tape, DVD, web or whatever.
rafael -
Rafael is right. It is always better to use the higher quality codecs when possible. I use DVCPro50 for some of my corporate and web based but ProRes for most and for commercials.
Ken Harper
Sr. Editor/Director of Technical Operations
Moving Pictures, Inc. -
So I’m then assuming that ProRes used for standard def. is an okay format for mastering quality, just like in HD?
Also, when you use DVCPro50 for your corporate and other non-broadcast work, as do I, do you stay in that format upon output? I guess my question is, is it better to export from your DVCPro50 timeline to ProRes or uncompressed for later encoding rather than export a DVCPro50 file, a loose 1 generation but staying native to your original?
File size and storage space is not a issue for me.
OS 10.5.5, Mac Pro 2 x 3 ghz quad-core intel xenon, 9 gb ram, with BM Intensity Pro card
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Your not going to hurt anything by editing in 10-bit. The only reason not to is for Hard Drive space and system resources. However everything you watch on tv is somehow compressed down to 8-bit anyways.
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[Matt Campbell] “So I’m then assuming that ProRes used for standard def. is an okay format for mastering quality, just like in HD? “
Sure.[Matt Campbell] “Also, when you use DVCPro50 for your corporate and other non-broadcast work, as do I, do you stay in that format upon output? I guess my question is, is it better to export from your DVCPro50 timeline to ProRes or uncompressed for later encoding rather than export a DVCPro50 file, a loose 1 generation but staying native to your original? “
Matt, in the moment you have to render I think recommendable to go to a better codec.
In case that you cut and export without ant re-compression would make no sense, of course.The point is to edit native and change the codec right before exporting.
Setting “Render all YUV in High Precission” should help when rendering 8b footage (DV/DV50) in a
10b time-line.
Rafael -
Perfect, thanks for your help on this. I think I’m all set.
OS 10.5.5, Mac Pro 2 x 3 ghz quad-core intel xenon, 9 gb ram, with BM Intensity Pro card
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