Liberating segregated HDTV sets

Unfortunately, many of the latest-generation HDTV sets sold in the USA are segregated, meaning that they cruelly block 50Hz signals on their video input. In some cases, they simply show no picture, while in others, they put up an unfriendly message stating: “Unsupported format”. However, as I explained in my recent comparative article on HD players, both AppleTV and WDTV fortunately liberate these segregated HDTV sets so that they can play 50Hz material (25p, 50p, or 50i) with no problem, along with ±60Hz material. My comment here regarding segregated HDTV sets refers to distribution, since for professional production and post-production, I highly recommend the use of professional HD monitors. So far, all of the professional HD monitors I have used personally or have researched are all free of segregation nonsense and play all desired signals.

AppleTV, WDTV, or Blu-ray: Which one is best to distribute your HD project?

Even if your HD project isn’t destined to be broadcast over the air, you’ll still want to have your client be able to play it on an HDTV set, not just on a computer. The good news is that you have several options to make that happen, including Blu-ray, AppleTV, and the brand-new WDTV device from Western Digital. During this transitional period, it is often the producer who influences the client as to which HD player to acquire. Many producers even incorporate the cost of one of these HD players in the project price and then give the device to the client “as a gift” with the first HD project, if the client doesn’t already own any HD player. It’s great to have options, but you must understand them fully (both their strengths and weaknesses) in order to pick one, two of them, or all of them, depending upon the exact format of HD you have produced, the hardware you own (or are willing to buy), the type of client, and the type of delivery. This article will help you learn the details that will help you make the appropriate decision.

When 25p beats 24p…

There are many times when it makes more sense to shoot and edit video at 25p than at 24p, regardless of the final framerate(s) to be delivered to various distribution formats, even if you live in an NTSC (or ex-NTSC) country. You may know that “24p” video is almost always really recorded at 23.976p (although Apple and some camera manufacturers often like to round it to “23.98p”). This article is about:

• Why and when you would want to shoot low framerate video at all.
• In many of those cases, why it often makes more sense to shoot and edit at 25p instead of 23.976p.
• The reasons why with certain “segregated” camcorders, you are much better off purchasing or renting the 25p/50Hz version, even if you live in an NTSC or ex-NTSC country.
• 25p workflows: How to go from your 25p universal master to all imaginable output formats.

When to edit native, When hybrid, and When pure i-frame… and Why

Ever since the launch of Final Cut Pro 6.0 (at this writing, we are at 6.04), we have for the first time had the possibility of realtime hybrid editing. Prior to FCP 6.0, in order to have realtime editing we had to convert all footage to the target format (códec, framerate, resolution, etc.) before editing… or edit natively. Now editors need to decide, on a case-by-case basis, whether to edit native, hybrid, or pure i-frame. But let me start by defining my key terms for this article:



Códec

Here is my expanded definition of the word:
(Coder + Decoder… from the Latin codex, -ĭcis, code, and -de, Latin prefix that negates or reverses the base meaning.)

1. noun. Algorithm used to encode and decode sounds, words, text… or audio/video signals.
2. noun. Hardware device or computer program that via a specific algorithm carries out encoding and decoding of sounds, words, text, or audio/video signals.

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