Results tagged “sd” from Final Cut Studio, Avid, Adobe, and Video Streaming

Too often, editors assume that 16 by 9 means Hi Def. 16 by 9 is not necessarily Hi Def, it could be DV Anamorphic, which is Standard Def. Thinking of the two aspect ratio in terms of shape is a more sensible approach to understanding the main difference between the two. 16 by 9 is the "Letterbox" or more rectangular shape, and 4 by 3 id the more "traditional" or more square shape.



If you start a project in one aspect ratio, and try to change it to another, it can be a frustrating situation if you don't follow the correct process. The best way is to load a new sequence setting instead of trying to change all of the Sequence settings. Additionally it is often necessary to reset the Distort in the Motion tab.

If you get into a situation where you need to provide both a 16 by 9 and a 4 by 3 version of the same project, it will be best to produce in the footage's native aspect ratio, and then drag the produced sequence into an empty sequence of the other aspect ratio. For example if you produced a HD sequence, and needed a 4 by 3 SD version, you would drag the HD sequence into an empty 4 by 3 sequence, and allow it to letterbox itself into that sequence.

Understanding the differences in aspect ratios, and how to set up your Sequence's properly is very important. Check out our video tutorial on this topic for step by step instruction, on many of the most important areas of dealing with aspect ratio, as well as using HD media, in a SD Sequence.

You can tell deliver a Standard Definition DVD, with HD versions of the video on the disc as well? To add High Definition video to a standard definition DVD, add it as DVD ROM content. The viewer will not be able to view the HD video on their DVD player, but as long as they have the Quicktime Player, or iTunes they will be able to view the HD version that you have added as DVD ROM content.



DVD Studio Pro is only going to allow you to have total disc usage of 4.7 gb ( on a standard DVD5), so you will want to keep the file size of whatever you are adding to the DVD ROM as small as possible. You probably will not have the space to add a 1920 x 1080 Apple Pro Res movie unless the total length of the video is under 4 minutes. The Apple TV setting will produce a 1280 x 720 Quicktime movie that will compress to a manageable size that will not cause you to need to leave too much space for the DVD ROM content.  When producing the Mpeg 2 video in Compressor, you can add the Apple TV setting to the same batch, and Compressor will do everything at once.

If you are adding the DVD ROM when you a doing a Build/Format in DVD Studio Pro, be sure to make sure you have the disc space before doing so, because DVD Studio Pro will not update the Disc Meter unless you add the content at the Disc level in the Inspector.
It would be a good idea to explain to the viewer how to access the HD content. In most cases, you will probably just tell them if they put this DVD into their computer, they will be able to access the HD content directly from a “HD Contentâ€? folder on the disc. You don’t want to claim that you have produced a HD DVD, because you have not. More and more people have their computer integrated into their home entertainment system, and for these people being able to play the HD version instead of the SD version will be much appreciated. For that matter if you know that you are delivering to someone who will be viewing your video from a computer, you could just deliver a full res 1920 x 1080 version on a thumb drive. Not only will they be getting superior HD, but it will be something that if they needed to edit it down the road, it would be ready to go right into a NLE system. 

If you are producing both a Standard Definition, and a High Definition project in DVD Studio Pro here is a very important piece of information to keep in mind. When setting the DVD Standard, set it to SD DVD first, author out the entire project, even build it. BUT, before you change the Video Standard to HD DVD, save the project with the HD suffix atatched, then change the Video Standard for that project to HD DVD. If you change a project from SD to HD, you cannot change it back. If you need to build another SD DVD, you won't be able to reset the DVD standard. You can upgrade from SD to HD, but not the other way.

Harmonic Inc. announced that ASTRA Platform Services GmbH (APS), a subsidiary of the Luxembourg-based satellite service operator SES ASTRA, has selected Harmonic's advanced video processing solutions to support APS' digital free-to-air television service for Kabeldienstleistungs GmbH (KDL), a service provider to independent and private cable operators in Germany. Independent cable operators today serve several million German subscribers, and with APS infrastructure upgrade, KDL now can provide up to 22 additional digital free-to-air channels being delivered from APS and SES ASTRA to the cable subscribers via the cable headends. Harmonic's IP-based MPEG-2 standard definition (SD) DiviCom Electra 5000 encoders, selected by APS for this project, achieve the best possible video quality at ultra low bit-rates.

"Harmonic continues to support APS' technology and business objectives, most recently to establish KDL's new free-to-air TOPP (transponder optimized program packages) service provided to independent and private cable operators by KDL," said Jorg Eich, VP DVB/CA, APS. "Harmonic's highly advanced digital video solutions enable us to offer an optimized service and provide outstanding flexibility, a critical requirement to launch new value-added services as quickly as possible."

Streambox Inc. today announced the launch of the Streambox SBT3-9200 HD/SD Video Transport Encoder, the company's next-generation solution for HD/SD newsgathering, broadcasting, and video post production, the SBT3-9200 can be operated in HD or SD mode, enabling the user to capture, transmit, and play out live and file-based video. The Encoder provides stunning 1080i/720p/1080psf HD video at data rates from 256 Kbps to 30 Mbps and SD video from 64 Kbps to 15 Mbps.