viewfinder not underscanned
- Thread starter dolph2000
- Start date
seejay1031
Well-known member
The new DVX100B added this feature
Barry_Green
Moderator
Basically no camera in this price range has ever offered a full-screen display. The DVX100B is about the first.
The thing is, all CRT televisions show less than the full frame; part of the frame is covered up by the TV's front bezel. And that hidden part varies from TV to TV! So only part of the frame is "TV Safe", meaning viewable on all televisions. In broadcast we've had to compensate for that, which is why most editing programs will offer a visual indicator of a "safe area"; in fact, there are two "safe areas", "Action Safe" and "Title Safe". Action Safe is a wider area, Title Safe is a tighter area. It is the responsibility of the producer to make sure that the action is constrained within the Action Safe area, and to make sure that any vital-to-be-read text is constrained within the even-smaller Title Safe area.
The actual amount of frame cutoff (i.e., area outside the Action Safe or TV Safe frame) varies from TV to TV, but it's basically consistent to say that if something's outside the Action Safe area, it's not likely to show up on an end-user's television screen. But it *is* still recorded, it is part of the frame, and if you were to project it on a full-frame projector, that section would still be shown.
So all video cameras have shown, at most, the action-safe area. But with the DVX spawning interest among filmmakers who want to shoot full-frame, or up-rez to high-def, Panasonic has responded by extending the viewfinder out to show the full frame. Which is very, very cool, but it does move some of the responsibility onto the shooter now -- you, as the shooter, have to consciously frame your shot such that it will display properly on a television.
With that said, I'd much rather see the full frame and have to protect for TV safe, than have the camera hide parts of the frame from me!
The thing is, all CRT televisions show less than the full frame; part of the frame is covered up by the TV's front bezel. And that hidden part varies from TV to TV! So only part of the frame is "TV Safe", meaning viewable on all televisions. In broadcast we've had to compensate for that, which is why most editing programs will offer a visual indicator of a "safe area"; in fact, there are two "safe areas", "Action Safe" and "Title Safe". Action Safe is a wider area, Title Safe is a tighter area. It is the responsibility of the producer to make sure that the action is constrained within the Action Safe area, and to make sure that any vital-to-be-read text is constrained within the even-smaller Title Safe area.
The actual amount of frame cutoff (i.e., area outside the Action Safe or TV Safe frame) varies from TV to TV, but it's basically consistent to say that if something's outside the Action Safe area, it's not likely to show up on an end-user's television screen. But it *is* still recorded, it is part of the frame, and if you were to project it on a full-frame projector, that section would still be shown.
So all video cameras have shown, at most, the action-safe area. But with the DVX spawning interest among filmmakers who want to shoot full-frame, or up-rez to high-def, Panasonic has responded by extending the viewfinder out to show the full frame. Which is very, very cool, but it does move some of the responsibility onto the shooter now -- you, as the shooter, have to consciously frame your shot such that it will display properly on a television.
With that said, I'd much rather see the full frame and have to protect for TV safe, than have the camera hide parts of the frame from me!
mikkowilson
Steadi-Guru
Barry_Green said:
Here here! :thumbsup:
Here's another of those fetures that makes a camera 'pro'. - Profesional cameras show underscan always. - you need to see what you are shooting. - They just about always overlay the action safe frame, or at least coners of the safe frame as part of the OSD. This si the case of both ENG cameras/viewfinders, and studio camera's and their studio-viewfinders.
Why oh why don't lower end camcorders do this? - ok for the some users it makes sence in a hanycam, but in cameras for the enthusiast, prosumer, etc.. why not? The XL1 (dont' know about the other XLs..) is horrible for this! "what light stand Mr. editor?" and the other $1500-$8000 cameras are just as bad.
- Mikko
mastermind
Well-known member
Barry_Green said:
I've always had an issue understanding up-rezing to high def. why do you do this and when you do does it better your image...resolution etc....even though that's not what was recorded?
mikkowilson
Steadi-Guru
"Uprezzing", of course can not ad anythgin new to the picture.. garbage in = garbage out. However what it does do is guess at the pixels in between, thgouh this wont' ad detial, it will make the image look better when projected at a higher rseolution.
There won't be anythgin new there, but at least you wont' be able to see the pixels.
At edges in a picutre of course it's not goign to do much but blure the edge slighty by the amount that it's blown up.. however in areas with no edges (like sky for example) it will improve the picture visually.
Heck, when you shoot, the camera is allready interpolating the results from the CCDs.. then it's calculating again to compress to DV.. adooing the color space conversions, then you come out.. and blow it up to HD or filmout.. how much of that is anymore the original picture? It practically gets to the point that every single pixel has to some stage been interpolated, and only contoins the reasults of the original image, but no original data. Crazy huh?
- Mikko
There won't be anythgin new there, but at least you wont' be able to see the pixels.
At edges in a picutre of course it's not goign to do much but blure the edge slighty by the amount that it's blown up.. however in areas with no edges (like sky for example) it will improve the picture visually.
Heck, when you shoot, the camera is allready interpolating the results from the CCDs.. then it's calculating again to compress to DV.. adooing the color space conversions, then you come out.. and blow it up to HD or filmout.. how much of that is anymore the original picture? It practically gets to the point that every single pixel has to some stage been interpolated, and only contoins the reasults of the original image, but no original data. Crazy huh?
- Mikko