HD formats, frame sizes and timecodes demystified…

[Steve Eisen]

Here is an HD comparison camera chart:
https://www.fletch.com/images/Video_Camera_Comparson_Chart.pdf

Steve Eisen
Eisen Video Productions
Board of Directors
Chicago Final Cut Pro Users Group

[Greg Nosaty]

Thanks Steve that’s a very useful chart. It’s not everything I’m looking for but it will come in handy.

I thought that Gary Adcock was working on a White Paper kinda document about testing codecs an whatnot…

cheers,
Greg Nosaty

Cinemontage Productions Inc

[Greg Nosaty]

Thanks Aaron

What I’m really I’m looking for a book or PDF not comments. I want something that I can pass on to new assistants, PA’s and the like who ask me these kinds of questions every day.

[Aaron Neitz] “2)98% of 24p media is actually 23.976 media, and 98% of workflows should conform to that. DF and NDF are simply counting methods. They don’t affect the amount of frames “

But they definitely effect the amount of time!

cheers,
Greg Nosaty

Cinemontage Productions Inc

[Neil Sadwelkar]

[Aaron Neitz] “98% of 24p media is actually 23.976 media, and 98% of workflows should conform to that.”

Hang on a minute. In many NTSC countries, a large part of HD media at 24fps is expressed as 23.976. But where did the 98% come from? 98% of all media in NTSC countries, or worldwide?

In the PAL world, we have no use whatsoever of 23.976. Film (as film everywhere) runs at exactly 24fps. And when we make that out for HD tape, we make a 1080p24 tape.
When one makes a ProRes Seq at 24fps, Apple FCP, ‘helpfully’ sets it as it 23.976. We ‘respectfully’ change that to 24fps and make a HD master.

When run out to PAL Digibeta this is transferred at 25fps for PAL TV. And when shown on a HDTV station, its shown at 24fps. We don’t do any thing at 23.976, unless we have to send it to the US. Which is not 98% of the time.

So, 24 fps is probably not 23.976 fps, 98% of the time and 98% of workflows need not conform to that.

I’m bringing this up because budding editors in PAL world where this forum is visible, often mistakenly set things up for 23.976 which causes serious headaches when inter-working with ProTools and unimaginable sound sync issues. Especially because the difference between 23.976 and 24 is so small but it becomes an issue if you have films about 3 hrs long.

So if anyone is doing 24 in a PAL country, it should be 24 all along.

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Neil Sadwelkar
neilsadwelkar.blogspot.com
twitter: fcpguru
FCP Editor, Edit systems consultant
Mumbai India