The Future

The digitization of everything is occurring because computer-type electronics is so cost-effective. Digital Video benefits from the research in computer electronics. Development of digital electronics proceeds quickly because of the huge base of consumer electronic products. 

With Digital, some pretty interesting things can be done.

Proxy Video

Some of the new recording formats record a second small, low-quality version simultaneously. This "proxy" video has the same timecode as the main recording, and can be sent back to the studio over a phone line or internet connection, so the the editor can begin work before the camera arrives back at the station. Proxy video can also be edited on an ordinary laptop while in transit. In both cases, the result of the proxy video edit is an edit decision list that can conform the "real" video when it arrives.

D'OH!

Some cameras offer a feature that records 10 seconds before you push the record button! How? 10 seconds of video constantly cycles in RAM while not recording. When the record button is pressed, the preceding ten seconds is available to record on tape.

MPEG 

MPEG compression is astounding... MPEG can store a high-quality 60 second commercial in less space than one minute of CD audio occupies. Pocket-sized hard-drive-based display devices can hold several feature films on a few square centimeters of drive-platter.

New Television Formats

The march of digital electronics has freed us from having one Television standard. Display size, shape, and resolution are not tied to the format that the picture was created in. The Advanced Television Standards Committee (ATSC) lists 18 new formats for television, any or all of which may be used. Below is a simplified table.

ATSC Television Formats

The I/P column indicates Interlaced or Progressive scanning. Progressive scanning at 30 fps flickers (that's why we used interlace), so will usually be seen at 60 frames per second. Yes, that's twice the data per second.

Of course, when we started to refer to the new formats, we decided to refer to the pixel dimensions exactly backwards to the way we had been doing it... 640 x 480 meant 640 horizontal pixels and 480 vertical pixels. That picture is now "480i". 

The 24 frame rate might seem a step backward, but it's designed for the broadcast of feature films. Until now, 24 fps movies have been converted to 30 fps to match video. The film isn't sped up, just smoothly padded with redundant information. Now that we can simply slow down the broadcast rate to match the original, we can deliver smoother pictures, and save 20% of our bit-bandwidth. 

Note: All of the frame rates can be fractional... 60 is really 59.94, etc. This is because we still have to convert to NTSC. Once all NTSC video is gone or converted to other formats, the fractional rates can be dropped.