The HD editing picture: how manufacturers are addressing the challenges editors are facing when working with many high definition formats

Post, August, 2004 by Claudia Kienzie

When we asked top vendors of nonlinear editing systems what they feel is the greatest challenge facing the HD editorial community, there was a consensus. They said the most pressing problem is the need to handle material captured in myriad HDTV formats, such as 1080i, 1080p and 720/60p, and even mix different formats, resolutions and frame rates within a project or timeline.

Vendors of NLEs are committed to offering support for a wide range of formats, including the ability to edit in native DVCPRO HD, HDCAM or HDV. But that's easier said than done because there are always new formats and compression schemes being added as the industry strives for near-film resolution with better management of realtime processing, playback and storage of ever-larger files.

One new format attracting attention is Sony's HDCAM-SR, which is recorded by the new SRW-5000 (HDCAM-SR) DVR. As part of its CineAlta product line, it can record a full-bandwidth 4:4:4 RGB HD image (when optional RGB processor boards are installed in the DVR), as well as record HD-YUV, making it ideal for movie making.

QUANTEL

"With the success of Sony's new HDCAM-SR format, HD-RGB is on the rise and seems to be establishing itself as the new HD standard," says Roger Thornton, head of corporate relations for Quantel (www.quantel.com) in Newbury, England. "This is because the extra quality it delivers is very noticeable. So, your HD editing system must be capable of handling HD-RGB in full glorious, non-compressed resolution or else it won't have much of a future.

"Of course, HD-YUV is not going to go away anytime soon, so your editing system must be able to handle both in native form correctly," Thornton adds. He reports that eQ "does the lot correctly [including SD and computer file formats], without losses from transcoding."

The Quantel eQ editing/effects/color grading/mastering system combines dedicated hardware to give SD performance speeds at HD resolutions. But it has a powerful, standard PC embedded within it to give the necessary openness for connectivity, programmability and the ability to run standard PC software and plug-ins. Thornton says that "eQ has the power and connectivity to act as the hub for all post activity on any given project.

"Specialist tasks such as 3D and labor-intensive rotoscoping can be transferred as a background process to connected systems while editing and effects work carries on uninterrupted on the eQ," Thornton says. Another productivity enhancer is eQ's QColor in-context grading option that allows color correction to happen interactively within the post process, not as a separate activity. ESPN's new HDTV Sports Center, in Bristol, CT, makes extensive use of the eQ, and Detroit's Grace & Wild is using the eQ to post HD commercials.

"The most pressing problem with HD editing today," he says, "is making money. Our eQ brings together many previously separate strands of the post process. It also produces the highest quality results possible in a shorter timeframe than other system[s], and will handle any HD format no problem."

DISCREET

"The biggest problem facing today's editors is the lack of clearly defined standards. Our Smoke system addresses this problem by removing standards from the equation," says Maurice Patel, product marketing manager for Discreet (www.discreet.com) in Montreal. "As a resolution-independent environment, Smoke can be configured to work in any resolution, frame rate, bit depth or HD format, with realtime playback of two streams of non-compressed RGB 4:4:4 frames at 1080 HD, 2K and 3K resolution. And you can mix source material of any resolution, frame rate or bit depth on the EditDesk, in a bin or library, and even within a timeline, converting between them to produce multiple versions."

The advantage to keeping material fully non-compressed is that "you do not encounter image degradation problems. So image quality remains pristine even after rendering a clip multiple times," adds Patel. "This gives the user the freedom to pursue a more complex creative vision." Available on SGI Octane 2 and Tezro 2P and 4P workstations, Patel says Smoke 6.0 offers the performance and workflow tools required for profitable post production, and the creation of valuable HD content for HDTV or cinema.

AVID

"At Avid, our goal is to ensure top quality regardless of the source format, from HDCAM to DVCPRO HD to HDV, and to support all popular formats while maintaining the original resolutions and frame rates," says Charlie Russell, senior manager of product marketing for Avid (www.avid.com) in Tewksbury, MA. "The key is eliminating image resizing or frame rate conversion that can introduce unwanted arti-facts. Also, with HDV, Avid eliminates transcodes by editing native HDV (MPEG-2), saving time and storage space.

Running on the HP xw8000 workstation, the Avid DS Nitris 7.5 is a full-featured editing system that delivers two streams of full-resolution HD media, plus color correction, title and DVE in realtime for finishing SD, HD, as well as 2K/4K for DI projects. Multiple Avid DS Nitris and Media Composer Adrenaline systems can share and play HD media and projects over Avid Unity MediaNetwork