Silicon Imaging SI-1920HDVR Camera

We are just revisiting your earlier requests and see you wanted a higher frame rate 2.35:1 mode at approximately 1920x810.

Now that we have 2K support would you prefer 2048 x 872 which will allow overcranking to approximately 37fps or do you prefer to stick with the 1920 mode at up to 42fps?

PS. Rocket Booster mode will have to wait for Mobile Quad-Core processors, but we do have it on our roadmap ;-)
 
For my self 1920*810 would be enough. But your product wouldnt get hurt of the other option as well.

would the Cineform RAW save storagespace if you shoot the same mode at 24fps?
 
MovieSwede said:
But your product wouldnt get hurt of the other option as well.
Click to expand...
I second that.

My preference (in my case) would be the 2048 x 872 but the other feature wouldn't hurt at all.

Regards and keep up the good work,
Emanuel
 
At 24P, there is a 15% difference in storage space. Only a few MB/sec in CineFormRAW.

The only reason I can see for the 1920 mode is to enable a higher frame rate for slow-mo, but a 1280 or 1440 width mode might be more suitable to get back to a target 72fps speed.
 
BTW, consider that if you're shooting 2.39:1, you're most likely doing it for a film release, not broadcast television (HD) . . . so the best-bet is to get all the performance you can on the big screen out of the 2K mode which gives you a 14% resolution increase (and that's nothing to sneeze at).
 
Of course you want a high quality picture when you going to 35mm etc.

But my impression after wathcing F900 movies on the big screen. HDCAM cropped was 1440*810 with chroma 480*810 and it looked as good as 35mm.

So a SI at 1920*810 "4:4:4" wouldnt have so much trouble to compete with 35mm film.

But more res is always nice.
 
Thanks Ari for your input and info.

I fully agree with you both, Jason and MovieSwede. Same idea here.
 
MovieSwede said:
HDCAM cropped was 1440*810 with chroma 480*810 and it looked as good as 35mm.
Click to expand...

Depending on the crowd you hang with, that could be a pretty controversial statement :smile:

Consider though that the F900 is a 3-chip camera, so even though HDCAM is like a big electronic low-pass filter in front of a great camera head, it does have some advantages in a 1:1 resolution scenario vs. our single-senor design if you take into consideration the amount of incoming information from the camera head. Full RGB information from the camera head is a lot more source information that a single-sensor design.

Put it this way:

CineForm RAW vs. HDCAM --- Big win for us

3-chip vs. 1-chip bayer --- Big win for them

2K vs. 1080 (14% more resolution) --- Win for us

So if all else was equal, at 1080 resolutions, the F900 and our camera would be sort of equal in the fact that we have CineForm RAW on our side as a superior full-raster and 4:4:4 decode compression algorithm, while the F900 has the advantage of 3-chips. The two sort of cancel each other out. Now you throw 2K into the scenario, and you're starting to tip the scales in our favor. Which is what we want.

Now of course the math isn't necessarily that simple, but the point is that 2K does gain us quite a bit of resolution, and it's resolution you might not see on your DVD at home, but you will see it on the big screen. Combined that with the fact that if you shoot 2K, with the 2K digital cinema projectors on the market, you're going to be capable of displaying on those projectors in 1:1 resolution (DCI spec, etc.), without scaling like would be required from a 1080 source . . . going through a scaling algorithm is going to affect the footage, so if you can shoot and display at 1:1, you'll want to-do that. And again, if you're shooting 2.39:1, figure on the fact that you're most likely going to be shooting those sorts of aspect ratios for the cinema screen since broadcast HD television is 16:9 and they don't want 2.39:1 footage. If your movie goes straight to DVD you'll still want the flexibility one day to show it on a cinema projector in it's 2K glory. I think one thing to take into consideration is the fact that with digital cinema projectors, the market is going to change quite a bit . . . i.e., right now it's either a $50K film-out or straight to DVD . . . with digital cinema projectors it will be a general DVD release along with private or limited screenings in 2K at your local cinema chain (for instance, you might rent the theater out on a Friday night or weekend matinee). So you have to take into consideration that 2K showings are going to be much more common-place even if you can't do a film-out, and that means you'll want a native 2K copy of your movie.

So, even though you loose a couple frames-per-second at the top, I think the 2.39:1 aspect ratio on the SI-2K would be best done at 2K resolutions to give you guys the best performance on the big screen, especially considering the fact that we're a single-sensor design and not a 3-chip camera (so we need a little extra resolution overhead to make up the difference in resolution between a 3-chip and 1-chip camera).
 
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I think you underestimate your own camera a little. ;)

You have 3CCD vs 1CMOS.

And even if they could bring out more with the CCDs, your 1CMOS-CineForm RAW workflow is a much cleaner than their 3CCD-HDCAM rout.

An avarage Theather have only about 450-650 lines of res.

Of course it doesnt hurt with 2K mode. But the big difference wouldnt be the res but the rest (shutter, colors, dynamic range etc).

I just watched the trailer for Münich in 720P (1280*540) QT. And could you imitate that look, there is no need for 35mm.
 
SI-2K MINI now shooting for STIMTV

SI-2K MINI now shooting for STIMTV

Here are a few stills I just received from Evan Glodell (Glory Blaster Productions) on the set of "Boss of the Glory" an Episodic Comedy he is shooting for STIMTV.

If you want a great laugh and get the pictures into context, you can watch his trailer first (not shot with SI-2K, but still worth he entertainement).

Boss%20of%20Glory.JPG

http://stimtv.com/index.php?link=1952

GERTIE%20PICTURE%20SI2K.jpg


http://www.siliconimaging.com/DigitalCinema/Gallery/GERTIE%20PICTURE%20SI2K.bmp (6MB)
SEAN%20LIQUOR.jpg



http://www.siliconimaging.com/DigitalCinema/Gallery/SEAN%20LIQUOR.bmp (6MB)
 
Yes, the 2 stills.

I think they may have been shot with a GG converter that Evan built himself, using the Fujinon as a prime. I will ask for more details if you are interested.
 
Hello Ari! :-)

How are things?

Hope you and your family and team are all well!


How is development and shipping going?

What is the State of the Silicon Imaging Empire?
 
We have started delivery of the first MINIs with the production sensors and as you can see the image quality is AMAZING (If I may say so myself). The noise floor has dropped, the uniformity has improved. We are now getting almost 11 full stops of dynamic range and even higher sensitivity. :-) :-) :-).

We are ready to take orders and should be able to deliver within 30 days ARO (a little longer for PL Mounts right now)!

Anyone who orders an SI-2K will get the MINI delivered and the DVR portion when it is ready!

Who wants to be Blue #????
 
Hi Ari,
I am glad to hear that there is progress. Can't wait for a video update, stills look fine. Consider also posting an exported CFHD (CineForm HD) clip so we can have extra fan with it !

best
Andreas
 
We are going to do one better. We will be posting in CineFormRAW. What do you think would be a good size clip based on 15MB/sec?
 
BTW, slight revision . . . I know we're getting 11 full f-stops of dynamic range, I've measured it myself . . . the last bit in the shadows is a little noisy, but it's there and being rendered/captured by the sensor and preserved in CineForm RAW.
 
SI-2K is now 11 Stops Dynamic Range

SI-2K is now 11 Stops Dynamic Range

Jason, that is excellent :thumbsup:

Erik, I checked with Evan and they are not shooting with the GG rig. They are using C-mount and Fujinon primes :cool: !!

Go Blue!
 
Ari Presler said:
We are going to do one better. We will be posting in CineFormRAW. What do you think would be a good size clip based on 15MB/sec?
Click to expand...


Doesnt CineFormRAW needs ProspectHD to work with ?

Andreas
 
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