Shooting in 16:9 sending out in 4:3?

[Michael Gissing]

Do you have 16:9 cameras that are switched to 4:3 or are you talking about buying new cameras?

If they are proper native 16:9 cameras that are shooting 4:3, then you are just cropping in camera. This is the same as bringing 16:9 into FCP and centre cutting the image to 4:3. The result should look the same in quality terms, but you will have at least originated in 16:9 to be future proof.

[Richard Martz]

I know what you mean by futureproofing. I was at Crawford Communications in Atlanta when HD first became a HOT word and everyone began talking about the benefits of futureproofing. Local stations who do primarily news have an extrordinary situation that serial producers don’t have. News is extremely perishable and footage that was incredibly valuable to a story today is virtually worthless tomorrow (or maybe even later today). But those who produce serial tv will re-run that stuff for years. So it depends on your situation. Whatever the need you probably should be backing up those old 3/4 inch Umatic tapes to some digital storage format because you definitely won’t be able to play them back much longer.

Richard Martz
MagicMartz Media

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[Michael Gissing]

Yes I Dave – you are definitely bitter.

I work with docos and often need archive material, sometimes from tin pot little regional broadcasters. If you can’t supply 16:9 (which is the mandated format here in Australia for the past five years) then we have to blow up and crop which makes it look like VHS badly framed.

16:9 is going to be the broadcast frame for a long time so just get over it and move on OK. Even if you don’t think your footage has any future to it, then bear in mind that most of the rest of the televsion world is 16:9 so try to stay current at least.

[Devin Crane]

The cameras are native 16×9 that we have switched to 4:3. Ikegami HL-60W