High-Def Editing with HDV
(JVC JY-HD10U high-def Mini DV cam)
by Douglas Dixon, Manifest Technology, www.manifest-tech.com
HDV Format
HDV Specs
JVC HD10U Camera
Editing
HDV - MPEG Edit Studio Pro
CineForm -
Aspect HD, Connect HD
HD PC Systems
Getting to HD
References
Have you seen the new math: HD + DV = HDV?
We know what DV is: the popular Digital Video
compressed format used for DV camcorders, DV cassette tapes,
and DV clips stored and edited on computers. And we sort of
know what HD is: High Definition digital video, although the
realization of HD is a bit fuzzy, with a profusion of
different types of HD television sets, HD cameras, and HD
formats. Although we are sure of one thing about HD: it's
expensive, and it requires a significant upgrade to production
processes and equipment.
So what is "HDV"? It almost sounds
like the best of both worlds, "HD for the masses" --
real high-def video, but stored on a common DV cassette,
offering the promise of significant cost reductions and better
accessibility with existing equipment. HDV is indeed a new
format, announced in September 2003, that permits the
recording and playback of high-definition video on a DV
cassette tape. The first HDV product, the JVC JY-HD10U,
is described as a "High Definition Mini DV
camcorder," and records real HD (720/30p at 1280x720
pixels) on Mini DV cassette tape. Even better, you can get
started with HD using the HD10U at a suggested list price of
$3,995, and a street price under $2,800 (as of the end of
2003).
Be warned, however, that as with many new
formats, existing production equipment and editing software is
not compatible with HDV. As a result, early adopters have
limited options for editing and archiving this material, and
will need to struggle though some work-arounds in the
production process. On the other hand, you're shooting HD for
under $3,000!
The HDV format has been defined by four
companies, Canon Inc., Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation,
and Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC). Further
information is available from the HDV Format Information site
(www.hdv-info.org).
For more info
about
the Sony HDV format - High Definition Video - Check out this
special HDV Sony web site
for details - includes info for professionals as well as for
prosumers. For info about the new Sony HDV camcorder.
more
The four companies intend to gradually
incorporate features in future DV format-compatible products
which enable them to recognize tapes recorded using the HDV
format. They also will also propose the format as an
international standard format.
Other companies that have expressed support
for the HDV format include Adobe Systems Incorporated, Canopus
Co., Ltd., CineForm, Inc., Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., KDDI
R&D Laboratories, Sony Pictures Digital Networks, and
Ulead Systems, Inc. (see below).
The basic idea behind HDV is to store high-def
MPEG-2 video on standard DV media (DV or Mini DV cassette
tape), and stream it across standard FireWire / IEEE 1394
interfaces.
The HDV video format supports MPEG-2
compressed video (MP@H-14), at two 16:9 resolutions:
- 720p (1280 x 720, progressive), at approximately 19
Mbps data rate
- 1080i (1440 x 1080, interlaced), at approximately 25
Mbps data rate
and at both NTSC and PAL television rates (30
and 25 frames per second):
- 720p at 60p, 30p, 50p, 25p
- 1080i at 60i, 50i
The HDV audio format supports MPEG1 Audio
Layer II compression at 48 kHz sample rate, with 16-bit
samples, stereo (2-channel) at 384 kbps data rate.
The HDV streaming data format over FireWire is
a standard MPEG-2-TS (Transport Stream) format. Unfortunately,
the MPEG transport stream format is typically used for
transmission and not data file storage, and therefore cannot
be processed directly by most video software applications. The
common MPEG computer file formats are program streams
(typically .MPG, with mixed video and audio) and elementary
streams (typically .M2V, with just the video data). This is
one of the issues limiting software compatibility with the
format.
The first camera supporting HDV format was
introduced by JVC in June 2003, the JY-HD10U (www.jvc.com/pro).
The HD10U records in three formats: DV, SD progressive, and
HDV formats, so it can serve as both a DV camcorder and a HD
camera. The downside is that the HD10U is a single-chip
camera, albeit with a 1/3-inch 1.18 megapixel progressive scan
CCD, so can you give up some image quality (and light
sensitivity) for normal DV shooting as a trade-off for the HD
capability.
JVC Y-HD10U
In the DV mode, the camera shoots standard
mode 4:3 video (480/60i) with DV compression. In the SD
progressive mode (480/60p) and HD progressive mode (720/30p,
1280x720), the camera shoots native 16:9 video with MPEG-2
compression (CBR/constant bit rate at 17.8 Mbps). The HD10U
does not support the higher HDV 1080i format (1440 x 1080).
The HD10U also can do HD and SD format
conversion, playing back to a standard or HD monitor via
component output in standard or widescreen formats including
1080/60i, 720/60p, and 480/60i 4:3.
HD10U has a mix of professional and enthusiast
video camera features, with a F1.8 - F1.9 optical zoom lens
(10x), optical image stabilizer, and optional memory card for
both still photo capture at up to 1280x960 resolution and
MPEG-4 video capture.
One significant concern for any new camera
that uses a newly-defined format is how to archive or even
show the taped footage. JVC's current answer is to dub to a
D-VHS recorder, which can interface via FireWire to stream the
compressed MPEG data. While currently not a mass-market item,
D-VHS recorders are used with HD television sets to play
prerecorded D-Theater HD movies, and to record SD and HD
digital TV broadcasts.
to get more info and to buy the JVC HD10U camcorder - get a
special deal from B&H.
Once you shoot your video in the cool new HDV
format, there still is the issue of how to edit it. Not
surprisingly, existing video editing software does not support
interfacing to this new format. In addition, editing MPEG
video is tricky, and therefore not well supported by most
tools. Furthermore, the MPEG-TS (Transport Stream) format used
for HDV is not commonly supported by desktop tools. For the
moment, then, editing HDV requires new tools or new
approaches.
The problem with editing MPEG video is that
the MPEG format compresses runs of consecutive frames together
as a group to take advantage of similarities between adjacent
frames. You therefore cannot directly access arbitrary
individual frames within the compressed data. Some tools
provide limited support for MPEG by only permitting editing at
group boundaries. More sophisticated MPEG tools support
frame-accurate editing by doing a lot of work behind the
scenes to provide access to individual frames by decoding the
entire group around them, and then re-encoding the group
together again. If not done carefully, this kind of churn from
re-compressing blocks of video can quickly create visible
compression artifacts.
Not surprisingly, frame-accurate MPEG editing
has been the province of special-purpose tools. JVC bundles
one such tool with the HD10U, MPEG Edit Studio Pro 1.0
LE from KDDI R&D Labs of Japan (www.kddilabs.com).
This LE bundled version supports basic 720p HDV editing, with
a couple tracks, video transitions, audio fade and mixing, and
rolling titles. It outputs only to HDV or MPEG-2 SD output
(and only at constant bit rate). The full version of MPEG Edit
Studio Pro 1.2 (list $1800) offers expanded editing and
formats, with additional options for HDTV, MPEG-4, and
streaming formats. JVC also bundles separate utility software
for HDV input/output over FireWire to the camera, audio
conversion to the HDV MPEG-1 format, and basic DVD authoring.
KDDI MPEG Edit Studio Pro
Of course, the advantage of using tools like
MPEG Edit Studio Pro that work with compressed video is the
significant savings in storage space: HDV at 720p requires
only around 19 Mbps with MPEG-2 compression, compared to 25
Mbps for lower-resolution DV video (which uses less aggressive
compression and compresses each frame individually).
The disadvantage is that access to this new
format is locked into this one tool: you not only can't use
your familiar tools, you can't play your clips on the desktop,
or even preview them at full rate.
The first stage in the adoption of new technology is the
"miracle it works at all" period, when it's so
amazing to be editing HD video on the desktop that we put up
with limited tools and ugly workarounds. But what we really
want is to have HDV integrated into our existing production
process, and accessible with our existing tools. This is the
challenge that CineForm, Inc. has addressed with its
new software products, Connect HD and Aspect HD (www.cineform.com).
CineForm has developed a mechanism for
integrating HDV video into the standard Windows digital media
architecture. With Connect HD, you can play HDV video right in
Windows Media Player, and edit it using standard tools from Sony
Vegas Video (www.sony.com/mediasoftware)
to Adobe After Effects. Aspect HD then extends this capability
by providing real-time accelerated HDV editing directly within
Adobe Premiere (www.adobe.com/premierepro).
CineForm does this magic by introducing a new
codec, a new compression format for HDV that stores the video
in the standard Windows AVI file format. As a result, any
Windows video application can understand the format, and use
the CineForm codec to access the frames just like any other
AVI file.
The CineForm codec, called CFHD (CineForm
High-Def), is designed for editing HD video. The video is
lightly compressed (at around 100 Mbps), so it still
significantly reduces the demand on your PC's performance and
disk space, compared to processing full uncompressed HD video.
And it is designed for editing, so a conventional PC does have
the power to not only edit but also provide real-time
previewing of HD video. One way to think of this is that
CineForm is to HD as DV is to SD. Both compress the video
enough to allow you to edit it efficiently on standard
platforms, and both are visually lossless, so the video
retains the original quality all though the editing process
right to the output. Yes, CineForm HD is less compressed than
MPEG-2 for HDV, just as DV is less compressed than MPEG for
DVD, but the trade-off is that both are therefore much more
accessible and editable with standard desktop tools.
Connect HD, announced in December 2003,
provides the base CineForm codec to enable processing HDV
video with standard Windows tools. It also includes HDLink,
the CineForm I/O software that connects PCs over FireWire to
HDV camcorders and D-VHS decks and converts between the native
HDV and CineForm formats. HDLink also provides scene detection
and handles the garbage frames that can be generated by the
camera between scenes, but it does not provide video
monitoring on the PC during capture. Connect HD is available
as of January 2004, stand-alone for $499 (suggested retail) or
bundled for $799 with Vegas video editing software from Sony
Pictures Digital Media Software (www.sony.com/mediasoftware).
Aspect HD, shipped in September 2003
for Adobe Premiere 6.5, and available in January 2004 for
Premiere Pro, adds real-time editing and preview within
Premiere for $1200. It adds a collection of optimized
transitions and effects to Premiere so you can preview up to
four HD streams in real time, plus transitions, effects,
titles, and motion (on a powerful machine). These are native
16:9 effects, so the iris circle is a true circle and not an
oval, even at the widescreen aspect ratio. The Premiere Pro
version also optimizes three-point color correction.
CineForm Aspect HD
with Adobe Premiere 6.5
To accelerate Premiere's motion effects,
Aspect HD includes PZR (pan, zoom, rotate) effects to zoom
into, pan across, and rotate the video in real time, with key
framing. This is especially useful when editing the HDV video
for SD output: You can pan a SD-resolution rectangle within
the full HDV frame and extracting a full-res SD video. For
example, a wedding videographer can set up a fixed HDV camera
to shoot the ceremony, and then do all the panning and zooming
in post-production, while maintaining full SD resolution.
When you finish editing, you can export to any
format using the standard Premiere options. For playing HD on
the desktop, you can export to Windows Media at the same
720/30p format. For saving back to the HDV camcorder or to a
D-VHS deck, you can use an updated version of the Adobe Main
Concept MPEG export module to convert back to MPEG-2-TS
format.
While today's standard PC's are finally
powerful enough to play and edit DV video off the shelf, you
will want a slightly higher-end system to handle HD. The good
news is that you don't need an extreme machine, but those HD
frames are definitely bigger for processing in memory (1280 x
720 vs. 720 x 480) and the video files are significantly
larger for pulling from disk (around 100 Mbps for CineForm vs.
25 Mbps for DV and 19 Mbps for MPEG-2-TS).
For Aspect HD, CineForm specifies at least a
2.4 GHz Pentium 4 PC, with 512MB PC2100 DDR memory, and a
dedicated single 7200 rpm disk. For maximum performance,
you'll need a RAID disk configuration to be able to stream
multiple files at the same time, plus more processing power to
provide real-time overlays and effects. To achieve real-time
performance with 3 to 4 video streams CineForm recommends at
least a 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 PC with Hyper-Threading technology,
with 512 MB 1066 MHz RDRAM or 800 MHz dual-channel DDR SDRAM,
and at least two 7200 rpm disk drives organized as RAID 0,
with each file striped across multiple disks for faster
access.
One source for high-performance digital video
editing systems is 1 Beyond (www.1beyond.com),
which offers a wide range of complete desktop and laptop PCs.
These systems are optimized for the demands of HD editing,
fully configured with processor, memory, disk drives, computer
interfaces, video connectors, and even bundled software.
For mainstream videographers and enthusiasts,
HD has seemed like an exotic future possibility, just now
reaching the wide public with still-expensive HD televisions.
And HD production certainly has seemed to be so outlandishly
expensive to be an option only for network-type productions
and digital filmmaking.
The development of the HDV format using
standard DV tapes, and the availability of the JVC JY-HD10U
camera at under $3000 significantly changes the landscape. Now
you not only can shoot 1280x720 HD video, but you can edit it
on the desktop, and even use your existing tools with the
CineForm format.
Shooting in HDV also can create interesting
new service options for corporate and event videographers,
even if your customers do not have a D-VHS player or even a
true HD television to take full advantage of the format. You
can deliver full widescreen HD to the desktop (or laptop) in
formats like Windows Media, and then connect to a projector to
display to a larger audience. You also can author 16:9 DVD
productions from HD, optimized to play on set-top DVD players
connected to widescreen digital TVs. Or you can pan and zoom
in the HD frame to edit high-quality standard-definition
productions, exported to formats such as DV and DVD. Plus, you
can archive the HDV footage and offer the future option to
create a full HD production.
Even as first products, the JVC HD10U camera
and CineForm software can integrate well into your existing
production process. The HD10U has the flexibility to shoot DV
and SD as well as HDV, and CineForm's Connect HD and Aspect HD
then allow you to edit HDV with standard Windows Media tools.
HDV is actually already in better shape than the early days of
DV, as today's higher-end PCs can capture and convert formats
in real time, and provide real-time preview of multiple
channels and effects. Do the math for yourself: HD + DV may
well equal something you should consider jumping into soon.
HDV Information
www.hdv-info.org
JVC America / Professional Products
www.jvc.com/pro
JVC Professional - JY-HD10U
pro.jvc.com/prof/Attributes/features.jsp?model_id=MDL101394
KDDI Labs USA
www.kddilabs.com
KDDI R&D Labs of Japan
avs.kddlabs.co.jp/indexe.html
KDDI Labs - MPEG Edit Studio Pro
avs.kddlabs.co.jp/mpeg/mpro12/indexe.html
CineForm -- Aspect HD, Connect HD
www.cineform.com
Adobe Premiere Pro
www.adobe.com/premierepro
Sony Pictures Digital Media Software - Vegas
www.sony.com/mediasoftware
1 Beyond - Digital Video Systems
www.1beyond.com
Manifest
Technology®
Copyright 1999-2004, Douglas
Dixon, All Rights Reserved
Manifest Technology is a registered trademark
of Douglas Dixon
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