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Tech Tips:

All Digital Video is NOT Created Equal!

By Tom Talbot

Our Rental Agents often hear over the intercom, “We have a customer on Line 2 looking to rent a ‘digital video’ camera”.

Although the term ‘digital video’ is actually generic, and we carry cameras from miniDV to DVCAM to Digital Betacam and HDCAM we have learned that the caller is usually looking for less expensive DV cameras. Because DV is short for Digital Video, customers are often not aware of the wide range that digital video actually comprises.

Many people hear and read things that lead them to believe that digital is digital and that inexpensive equipment performs similar to expensive equipment. If you are not sure which format of ‘digital video’ you need, then now is a great time to help briefly educate you as to the differences.

One myth is that digital is perfect because “it’s digital”. Simply put, digital means using ones and zeros to represent the analog world. Digital means nothing more than that. The term “digital quality” means absolutely nothing. It is like saying “food quality”. There are all different types of food, from fast food to gourmet with a wide range and quality of ingredients. The same holds true for digital video.

Sampling the analog world:

Sample Rate – The more frequently you sample the analog world in a given second the more accurate you can digitally represent that world. On the video side, the sample rate or frequency is measured in Megahertz (MHz). For audio, 32kHz, 44.1kHz and 48kHz are fairly common. Curious about the terms 4:2:2 or 4:1:1? Although the specifics are much more technical, the core of it is this: The number of times the luminance (brightness) signal is sampled (4) relative to the number of times the two color difference signals are sampled (2 and 2 or 1 and 1). YUV, Y-Pb-Pr or Y, R-Y, B-Y are all similar methods of describing 3 component signals.

Steps -For each sample in time taken you must assign a value or step for that sample. Often described in bits (8 bit, 10 bit, 12 bit etc). If your camera, for example, is only 8 bit (2 to the 8th power) then it has only 256 steps. Compare that to 12 bit which has 4096 steps and you can see that 12bit is 16 TIMES more accurate.

Connecting the Dots – So every sample has a certain height or step. Once you connect the dots between the samples in time and their value in steps, the resulting “waveform” appears. This is the digital representation of the analog world.

Other things to consider:

Size matters – Chip size 1/6”, 1/4”, 1/3”, 1/2”, 2/3”. A 2/3” chip has TWICE the pixel count of a 1/3” chip and 12 TIMES more than a consumer 1/6” single CCD camera which translates to more resolution.

Quantity matters – How many chips? 1 CCD for all three colors or 1 CCD for each of 3 colors (3 CCD). Consumer cameras are 1/6” single chip. Prosumer cameras are small 1/4” or 1/3” but 3 chip, and above that the professional and broadcast cameras are 2/3” 3 chip.

Quality matters – Lens quality and lighting quality makes a huge difference in the quality of image being exposed to the chip. A fixed lens on a small camera cannot compare with a broadcast 2/3” removeable lens.

IT vs. FIT – To smear or not to smear. Interline Transfer and Frame Interline Transfer. Simply stated, our best broadcast cameras have FIT chips that minimize smearing caused by light hitting the lens from different angles. Sporting events, stage shows and places where the camera person has limited control over lighting situations are ideal for FIT cameras.

Density Matters – In the case of High Definition, the density of that chip also makes a difference. For example, the CCDs on 24p HD cameras are called 2/3” but they are 4 to 6 times more dense than standard definition CCD cameras and therefore capture 4 to 6 times more resolution. This is also why we own “HD” caliber lenses which are designed for superior optical quality.