Defending uncompressed DVCPRO 100 v HDCAM

[Steve Mahrer]

Tim:

What exactly didn’t the client like, was it the DVCPRO HD CODEC, the editing, the downconversion, the upconversion….? How is he monitoring the content, especially the 576p? Was it noisy, soft, too blue?…
Any hints?

The DVCPRO HD CODEC 1080i 25 (aka 50i) has 1440 Y / 720 R-Y & B-Y samples. When compared to HDCAM’s 1440 / 480 the chroma resolution of the DVCPRO HD CODEC much higher, the luminance is the 1440, the same. Both use similar intra field / frame adaptive compression with feed forward quantizer control. Both are sub-sampled and 8 bits.

If you (or he) can be more specific it would really help.

Cheers!

Steve Mahrer (Panasonic Broadcast)

[Steve Mahrer]

P.S. Sorry for the typos in my previous post, I’ll use my spolling chicker next time!

Steve

[Tim Maloney]

THanks Steve

“What exactly didn’t the client like, was it the DVCPRO HD CODEC, the editing, the downconversion, the upconversion….?

Nothing specific in his criticisms, its what his engineers have said in favour of HDCAM and the Sony 750 camera that the network uses over Panasonic HD and it has stuck in his brain.

How is he monitoring the content, especially the 576p? Was it noisy, soft, too blue?…
Any hints?”

He loved what he saw – saw it in a downconvert SD 9″ CRT for gods sake! Shots haven’t yet entered the Networks “Orange” world

I want to give him a couple of pars on why the 1200A recording a 108050i signal from a sony hi def camera is equal/superior/inferior to a like recording on a HDCAM deck.

I can easily give him cost, conveniece ( 12volt operation ) and the like

I know they are probably equal or in Panasonics favour slightly as you point out. I cant say it it tech talk.

In hindsight, this quote should be good enough!!

“The DVCPRO HD CODEC 1080i 25 (aka 50i) has 1440 Y / 720 R-Y & B-Y samples. When compared to HDCAM’s 1440 / 480 the chroma resolution of the DVCPRO HD CODEC much higher, the luminance is the 1440, the same. Both use similar intra field / frame adaptive compression with feed forward quantizer control. Both are sub-sampled and 8 bits.”

Could you add some of the sales pitch stuff?

Regards and thank you

Tim

[John Chater]

I am going through a similar issue right now where some long term clients of mine have been convinced that HDCam 1080 at origination level is superior to the Varicam for a 1080i delivery. Ironically inhouse they plan to digitise from HDCam via HDSDI to the DVCPro codec. Nothing I seem to say or show them will convince them to keep using my Varicam because it is 720P. The discussion seems to be above and beyond ‘ actual’ image quality, because everyone is thrilled with the current pictures.

One of my many arguments was that the 1200a DVCProHD deck was highly flexible and extremely reliable in their post enviroment. However that died a death last week when the heads on my deck just died right before a shoot ( cracked, I am being told ). Panasonic are telling me that I have a $6000 bill for a drum replacement on a deck that is 13 months old with minimal usage. Hard to find the enthusiasm for Panasonic to keep fighting for them right now.

Best
John Chater
San Francisco