[Tim Kolb]

Hi Carlos,

There aren’t as many accelerated editing hardware add-ons these days as the computers have gotten much stronger since your targa system was new…

Matrox still makes a hardware add-on system that has its own sequence settings, etc for various video formats. Real-time response and no-render proprietary effects are the order of the day here…similar to the Targa’s position way back when, but waaaaay faster.

CineForm is a software solution…it transcodes all your footage to a very high-quality codec which is optimized to run on a computer…so you get increased layers in real-time playback, etc. It makes quite a difference. For output to decks or monitors, CineForm works with AJA hardware products.

AJA and BlackMagic Design have I/O solutions…they will get the video in and out of the system and will give you multiple signal types in and out, but do less in the way of responsiveness acceleration.

I happen to use AJA equipment extensively and I also use CineForm products and can vouch for them… I have no meaningful experience with Matrox or BlackMagic, but I’m sure others here do…

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Tim Kolb]

[Todd Terry] “Funny that you mentioned movie screens… as we’ve been outputting and uploading files to play in cinemas for quite a while with never any trouble… but this has proven to be a whole new can of worms.”

These guys only wanted 720p60…they had no 1080p spec. I suspect they looked at what a DVCProHD VTR would do and just lifted the spec. I had to talk the guy down over the phone and get the idea across that when a spot is shot at 23.976, transcoding to 60p gives you no benefit when you are asking for a digital file (and 2.5x the data size).

TV stations tend to have engineers around who know their stuff when it comes to analog. They tend to be clueless when it comes to digital filetypes and compression.

However, there is no excuse to have the capability to receive files but have no spec to furnish to a production house.

There simply aren’t that many ways to go, SOMEONE over there has got to have a specification.

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Tim Kolb]

[Preston Smith] “Tim, I understand what you are saying about transmission, but the archival images look fine. I know PBS is meticulous about network origination standards”

“Meticulous” may be the nicest way I’ve heard it expressed in some time…I certainly agree.

During the times I’ve been watching I’ve been in a hotel in the western suburbs of Chicago viewing a rather aged 25″ CRT (SD). I assume I’m watching an HD air signal, received and downconverted and retransmitted over cable, so it’s a transmission system that has additional steps after PBS…

As far as archive images go…I’m not sure I’ve seen any yet that were high fidelity images when they were originals, so I’m not sure how I’d tell whether or not they were handled well.

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Tim Kolb]

[Michael Hancock] “If you have Squeeze, or can set up a custom compression using Adobe Media Encoder or Premiere, here are my settings:”

Keep in mind that the ideal settings for output are based on what the playout server is using and getting as close to that as possible to avoid additional transcoding by the station.

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Tim Kolb]

[John Cummings] “”The images were composed in a 16:9 aspect ratio. The processed negative was scanned at 3K resolution and sub-sampled down to a 2K 10-bit digital log file at Goldcrest Post”

So it was edited as a DI…

Transmission is a huge issue to be sure…but log curves aren’t exactly a global standard either. I’d like to know what constitutes “painterly”…lots of color saturation combined with generous amounts of 16mm grain structure could make some interesting things happen in compression.

Whatever the case…as has been said, the guy tells one hell of a story. I have to think about imagery specifically after I watch it (on a hotel TV this week unfortunately) as I’m usually watching it as an interested viewer quite frankly.

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Tim Kolb]

[Daniel Low] “[Tim Kolb] “While Flash isn’t big yet…anywhere”

Well, except on the interweb….. ;-)”

Indeed, indeed…

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Tim Kolb]

[Tim Kolb] “what Panavision considers very good performance through a traditional film post chain and on the final release print is about 20 or 21 cycles per millimeter…about 1000 lines across on 35mm.”

Hmmm…I typed that pretty fast.

First of all…it applies to Super 35 without a soundtrack of course (24mm). Also, it applies to where the optimal “sharpness” measurement is taken from. Sharpness is contrast plus resolution…the expression of which is modulation transfer function (MTF).

So…the point is still that film takes a hit through traditional post.

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Tim Kolb]

Well…

I’ve done some work with some playout server manufacturers…so I have some insight into where at least one is heading.

That interactive layer on Flash becomes a revenue source that MPEG or MXF wrapped material doesn’t have.

While Flash isn’t big yet…anywhere, I think it’s inevitable that it will take over eventually.

My .02

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Tim Kolb]

I know Mr. Burns is a bit of a purist… He’s made some derogatory remarks over the years about editing electronically in general that makes me believe he probably still uses a razor on a table…or at least that’s what he wants us to believe.

Film post (without DI), with the various inter-negs and inter-positives that are the backbone of the process is not as kind to the image as some would have you believe.

John Galt from Panavision states very clearly in Panavision’s excellent videos on MTF, that what Panavision considers very good performance through a traditional film post chain and on the final release print is about 20 or 21 cycles per millimeter…about 1000 lines across on 35mm. As has been said, film’s dynamic range is the clear advantage, the resolution really isn’t the differentiating factor that many believe it to be, and in fact with HD being nearly 2,000 lines across…

Digital post is one of the best things that has happened to film acquisition. It actually maintains the image quality.

…but perhaps Mr. Burns feels that pollutes his art.

I’d be curious to know what his post methods were this time out. I watched the program and did like the story, but aesthetically, I also thought it looked a little like 60 Minutes from 1979…

OK…I know I’m going to hear about this one.

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

[Tim Kolb]

Yep…as I said, I’m hopeful for the future. It’s coming.

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,