DVX100B Footage - Broadcast Quality?

M

mhaught

Member
Hello Everyone,

I was meeting with a client today about doing a documentary. I plan to shoot in 24p using 2 DVX100B cameras. One of the questions I was asked was, "is this production going to be broadcast quality?" With all of the home movie footage, reality footage and disaster stuff being broadcast by the local news that looks like garbage, I am tempted to say "Yessir", but can anyone help me understand the technical details that define broadcast quality? I know about broadcast safe levels in video and all that, but I don't think I've seen any specs on broadcast quality.

Thanks!

Mark
 
I'm not sure if there is an exact standard for broadcast quality. Maybe Barry will know. I do know that the DVX has been used on hundreds of television shows. And obviously these shows are broadcast. You can flip through the channels at any time and find the dvx in use somewhere. So I would definitely say that the DVX produces broadcast quality video. Now it's up to you to produce something of quality to be broadcast.
 
I would tell the guy yeah. There are guys out there with ancient Betacam cameras shooting supposed broadcast quality footage. I actually knew a guy once who ran a production company and he told me his 3/4" stuff was broadcast quality (about 4 years ago.)

Genrally speaking, 4:2:2 color sampling is "broadcast quality" while really, 4:1:1 is not. But then sometimes it takes a waveform monitor and a vectorsope (or a trained eye) to tell which is which.

When you have reality shows airing regularly that are shot in part or whole on DV25 (or worse), really what does "broadcast quality" even mean anymore?

In my book, a camera that records a signal at 3.3:1 compression (or Beta SP) or better, with 4:2:2 color sampling is really broadcast quality.
 
dvx100/a/b are broadcast quality, ton of shows use em. Don't forget about your sound also, lol.
 
part of me says 'broadcast quality' pertains to content just as much, if not more, then it pertains to technical quality. i know of interesting shows on TV which use GL2's and even single-chip canon optura's, and in most books they would still be considered 'broadcast quality'
 
So what is the best setting on the DVX 100a/b to achieve both broadcast quality and safety?
If I shoot in 30p with a 1/60 shutter speed and make sure my white balance is good to go for the lighting... will I shoot a picture that will be accept by stations.

this of course being after I've converted it to Betacam SP ...

Thoughts
 
Technically speaking, DV is NOT broadcast quality. But that often doesn't matter anymore.

"Broadcast Quality" referes to the technical quality of the sdignal that is sent out, which is 4:2:2 analog component. (Or now digital) Beacuse this is the way that TVs display the image. It's also what you see on Scopes. In fact 4:2:2 compoent is how all analog Video is displayed. Always. And therefor why it is considered broadcast quality, as that's what always broadcast.

That beeing said, with the amount of signal conversion taking place in the modern broadcasting world, this traditional analog stared is beeing slowly eroded as other delivery means begin to take over. DTV, IPTV, etc etc, all use non "(Analog) Broadcast Quality" forms, that make the term "Broadcast quality" more and more obsolete.

In analog production, "broadcast quality" is comonly agreed to be: BETACAM-SP, and Componenet Video.
And transposed over to digital production, the common agreement is: 4:2:2 Digital compoent, carried on SDI, and stored on Digital BETACAM (Which is almost native to SDI), and DVCPRO-50.

- Mikko
 
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