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HD transfer problems/artifacts
Hi,
I recently shot on the Varicam for the first time. Then used the AJ-HD1200A deck to transfer footage via Firewire to my G5. I used the workflow suggested by Andrew Balis on the Kenstone site.For most of the footage the quality is great. However, in areas of low light I am getting artifacts. I would say they are quilting/posterized gradient artifacts in which there is not a smooth transition of colors/tints. This appears mostly with light on white walls in the background.
This does not seem to be as bad on the FCP viewr/canvas but it
shows up on my external moniter and when I burned footage to DVD. (I cannot seem to output via firewire to tape).I am wondering if this is a compression issue or if it is an in camera mistake. (Could using too low of aperature settings have caused this?)
From what I’ve read the compression should retain great quality.Will downconverting my tapes to DV and editing in DV do any good? Is there compression involved in this process. I do not plan to finish with an online copy.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
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2 Replies
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Try capturing using the HD-SDI output of the 1200A. If the problem dissapears then probably there
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It sound like you are seeing the drawbacks of a 8 bit digital system. The artifacting you may be seeing is called “banding” and is a drawback of any digital system which uses 8 bits.
FYI There are settings in the Varicam to deal with low light compression artifacts.
Tony Salgado
Tony Salgado
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