DVCPRO HD vs. AVC-Intra

In my last entry, I discussed the 3-way trade off between quality, size and complexity in codecs. Panasonic’s move from DVCPRO HD to AVC-Intra in their latest generation of P2 cameras provides an excellent example of a trade off between quality and complexity, as both codecs record at the same bit rate of 100mb/sec (at 30fps). How much better is AVC-Intra? To start off with, it preserves a lot more image information than DVCPRO HD. It records full raster (1920×1080, when recording 1080p) 4:2:2 at 10 bits per channel compared to 1280×1080 4:2:2 at 8 bits per channel, which means it’s starting out with almost double the data. Here’s a comparison of a frame of each (the same difference frames we looked at last time).

…continue reading Image Evaluation Series: Compression (Pt. 2)

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

Setting the correct depth on the lens mount of Digital Cinema cameras is a critical and precise task. The new Red Null tool makes the process quick and easy. Everybody should have one in their kit. Watch the video to see how it works and how simple it is to use.

For more information, visit ibe-optics.com.

For pretty much any film or video project you might work on these days, you’ll spend at least part of the time dealing with compressed material. In order to decide which codec to use, you need to keep in mind what purpose you are using it for and how a particular codec fulfills that purpose. In this entry, I’ll explain some of the techniques I use for evaluating codecs. In later entries I’ll cover some more specific results.

…continue reading Image Evaluation Series: Compression (Pt. 1)

One of my tasks here at Abel is to evaluate new technologies and products so that we can better understand them and better advise our clients. This is the first entry in a series meant to give some insight into how I go about these evaluations. I’ll be concentrating on the process, not the results. Also, I am constantly improving and expanding on my testing techniques, so these will be snapshots into evolving processes. If you will be at NAB this year, feel free to stop by our booth to discuss any of this in person, or if not, make an appointment to see me some time in the office.

…continue reading Image Evaluation Series: Introduction