DVCPRO HD bits question.

macgregor

macgregor

Veteran
Allright. I buy a HVX200. I record in P2 cards at 1080.

Therefore i have to edit with DVCPRO HD codec. My question: is DVCPRO HD a 10 bit image or 8 bits? If for some reason i convert the footage to uncompressed, will still be 10 bits? Where are the 8/10 bit settings when exporting videos in premiere, final cut or vegas?

Is it possible a quicktime or avi file at 10 bit color depth?

thanks!
 
macgregor said:
Ummmh, that´s bad.
Click to expand...


Ummm... no not really. It's a perfectly acceptable format; it has limitations as do all formats. HDCAM is also an 8 Bit format. The 8 Bit aspect of the recording system is only one small link in the chain.

Now... about that "HDV & me = Better than Lucas" comment in your sig. If you feel that the HDV format is really working out for you, then you'll **** bricks when you shoot DVCPRO-HD. ;)


PS - I'm a fan of your work, by the way...
 
8 bit can be a pain in some circumstances. Grading and adding gradients can lead to very visible stepping.
 
mmm said:
8 bit can be a pain in some circumstances. Grading and adding gradients can lead to very visible stepping.
Click to expand...
OK! And if we will go to 10 bits in Post-Production like Cineform or even Uncompressed?
 
Emanuel said:
OK! And if we will go to 10 bits in Post-Production like Cineform or even Uncompressed?
Click to expand...

I have never used Cineform but uncompressed can be 8 bit or 10 bit also. If your output format is 8 bit then stepping will still appear then. In some ways it may be better to work at 8bit (if outputing to 8 bit) so that you can identify problems before your distribution render.
 
yes... you only get 10bit when you goto HDCAM-SR. HDCAM is 8 bits as well, but uses a 3:1:1 sampling where DVCPro HD uses 4:2:2.. granted there is less pixels being sampled, but IMHO DVCPRO HD performs better than HDCAM.

Both kick the snot out of HDV.. but HDV isnt a professional format so its not really fair to compare them.
 
Thks mmm!
If your output format is 8 bit then stepping will still appear then. In some ways it may be better to work at 8bit (if outputing to 8 bit) so that you can identify problems before your distribution render.
Click to expand...
And for film-out or even simple DVD release, too?




Thks Jarred!...but...
Jarred Land said:
...but uses a 3:1:1 sampling where DVCPro HD uses 4:2:2.
Click to expand...
...what's the difference?
 
Uncompressed 10bit holds advantages for filmout even if you only shoot with an 8bit codec. Stepping can be introduced in post if, for example you darken a scene. Of course film is analogue and can not be descibed in "bits." For DVD I don't think there is any advantage of using 10 bit unless you were doing multiple generation work on the image. 10bit will obviously retain more information.

Anyone know if the eye can see a difference between 10 and 12 bit?

3:1:1 means the colour is recorded at 1/3 the resolution of the luma (black and white).

4:2:2 (same as 2:1:1) means the colour is recorded at 1/2 the resolution of the luma.

Obviously, the nearer to 1:1 the ratio is, the better. I believe HDCAM SR can also record 4:4:4.
 
yes.. HDCAM SR can goto 4:4:4:, but it does so at the expensive of adding almost 30% compression, from 2.7:1 to 4.1:1
 
Jarred Land said:
yes.. HDCAM SR can goto 4:4:4:, but it does so at the expensive of adding almost 30% compression, from 2.7:1 to 4.1:1
Click to expand...

You learn something new everyday :)

Have you (or anyone) seen a comparison of how HDCAM SR compares in 4:4:4 and 4:2:2? I guess it would only be noticeable on a big screen.
 
its not really a big screen kinda thing.. 4:4:4 is used when your doing alot of digital effects work, chroma and composite with plates and motion control etc.
 
Jarred Land said:
its not really a big screen kinda thing.. 4:4:4 is used when your doing alot of digital effects work, chroma and composite with plates and motion control etc.
Click to expand...

So do you reckon 4:2:2 HDCAM SR would be superior over HDCAM SR 4:4:4 for non FX shooting?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top