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DVCPROHD and XDCAM green screen shoot – keying issues
Hi there, and thanks for looking.
I’m editing a green screen studio shoot with 2 cameras – one is an XDCAM camera and one is DVCproHD.
The DVCproHD camera is the ‘main camera’, yet the image quality is poor compared to the XDCAM – the DVCPRO HD footage is grainy and blurry, while the XDCAM footage is bright and crisp.
Unsurprisingly, the key I can pull off the XDCAM is vastly superior.
The question is: Is the grainy, blurry image quality the result of poor camerawork, or is this inherent to DVCPRO HD?
Next time, I feel like using the XDCAM as the main camera!
Many thanks for any suggestions.
Barry
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6 Replies
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What codec is your timeline in, and did you do any transcoding?
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[Andrew Johnson] “The question is: Is the grainy, blurry image quality the result of poor camerawork, or is this inherent to DVCPRO HD?”
There are several factors at play. DVCPRO HD is a 4:2:2 codec, while XDCAM EX is only 4:2:0, so technically, DVCPRO HD has better color sampling. However, DVCPRO HD is a “thin raster” format, which means that 1080i/1080p footage is recorded as 1280×1080 (versus full-raster 1920×1080), and 720p footage is recorded as 960×720 (vs. full-raster 1280×720). XDCAM EX cameras like the Sony EX1 or EX3 record a full-raster 1080i/1080p/720p signal, but at 4:2:0 color sampling.
It’s difficult to judge by only comparing specs on paper. One might be tempted to surmise that DVCPRO HD at 4:2:2 would provide better results when chromakeying, but in practice that’s not always the case because of other factors at play. Many people have found that XDCAM EX keys fairly well despite its 4:2:0 color sampling, and this may be in part due to it being a full-raster codec.
What camera was used to shoot the DVCPRO HD footage? The original HVX200 is a noisier camera than the HPX170 or the newer HVX200A, so it may not hold up as well against newer XDCAM EX cameras like the EX1/EX1R/EX3.
In short, there’s more to the story than just what codec the camera is recording to. The camera’s lens, image sensor and video processing electronics also have a lot to do with the end result, not to mention the skill of the operator and the quality of the lighting. I wouldn’t rush to judgement about DVCPRO HD based on this experience alone.
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[Andrew Johnson] “I’m editing a green screen studio shoot with 2 cameras – one is an XDCAM camera and one is DVCproHD.”
Is the XDCAM camera recording XDCAM EX, or XDCAM HD?
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Thank you very much for your detailed response.
The XDCAM camera was an EX1 recording EX footage, whereas the DVCproHD camera was a large, professional shoulder mounted model with an expensive Canon lens…sorry I don’t know the exact model.
What was surprising was that the DVCproHD camera was owned and operated by a professional cameraman, whereas the EX1 was just a secondary camera with standard lens, yet the image quality and key results were far superior.
Many thanks,
Barry
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[Andrew Johnson] “What was surprising was that the DVCproHD camera was owned and operated by a professional cameraman, whereas the EX1 was just a secondary camera with standard lens, yet the image quality and key results were far superior.
“Wow, thats very surprising. Well, I guess the moral of the story is to trust your eyes and go with whatever works! Good luck.
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It’s definitely not the DVCProHD codec. I shoot an Panny HDX900 and do a ton of green-screen that looks great – no issues at all. So, it might be his camera adding the noise or something in your workflow.
Are you editing in the DVCProHD codec and not the Sony XDCam codec?
Ernie Santella
Santella Productions Inc.
http://www.santellaproductions.com
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