Please Help! Need help understanding 16:9 FHA

[Kenny Frankland]

After further reading elsewhere I have another question…

Is 16:9 FHA only relevent to standard broadcast formats but tv stations that broadcast in HD would use 1280×720 square ratio like my original export?

I’m so confused!

[Joey Burnham]

I would assume so as there is no PAL in HD.

[Kenny Frankland]

Thanks Dave

I also tried google for some time before posting here with no luck.

I’m bottom of a pile at the moment so I don’t have direct contact with the actual broadcaster. I’m dealing directly with the record label, who is dealing with a ‘TV Plugger’ who is dealing with a company that takes care of this sort of thing, who are dealing with MTV. It’s quite frustrating that nobody knows. The label has asked this company for advice, but so far no response.

Kenny

[Chris Wright]

PAL HDTV

HDTV 720/30p Frame size: 1280 x 720
Frame aspect ratio: 16:9
Pixel aspect ratio: 1
Frame rate: 30 fps
Field order: upper field first

https://www.vfxtalk.com/forum/video-field-order-reference-list-t176.html?s=d4f87322cd2e26eb3d7c3b650ccec3ba&

[Chris Wright]

720p

16:9 1:1 Used for 750-line video with raster artifact/overscan compensation, as defined in SMPTE 296M.
(PAL, SECAM DTV progressive material) not interlaced.)

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) recommends that its members use 720p50 with the possibility of 1080i50 on a programme-by-programme basis and 1080p50 as a future option.

I don’t think there’s a standard in Europe yet, lol.

[Conrad Olson]

If you have been asked to deliver a 16:9 FHA version your client is probably expecting a standard definition delivery, not an HD delivery. FHA (Full Height Anamorphic) is the term used to describe the squeeze applied to 16:9 footage to fit it into the 4:3 standard definition frame. Becasue HD is 16:9 natively there is no need for FHA in HD.

If you have produced your whole After Effects project in 16:9 HD the easiest way to convert it into PAL 16:9 FHA is to create a new composition using the PAL D1/DV Widescreen preset, then drag your HD comp (or render) into the new sequence and scale it down to fit the comp (or used the fit to comp command). If the interpertation of your HD stuff is correct then is should look fine in the SD comp.

You should be able to render a progressive piece out without having to switch on the field order. SD PAL can deal with progressive clips, it basically splits the progressive image over both fields.

I don’t think there are any HD music channels in the UK yet.

[Kenny Frankland]

Thanks Conrad

That’s just the information I needed.

Cheers

[Conrad Olson]

Glad I could be of use.