High Definition Video:
The facts about HIGH DEFINITION video
1.) High Def vs. Standard Def
We often receive requests from our customers for recommendations regarding capturing HD (High Definition) or SD (Standard Definition).
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition (SD) video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels (720p) or 1,920×1,080 pixels (1080i/1080p). Whilst the quality of HD video is very high compared to SD video, and offers improved signal/noise ratios against comparable sensitivity film, film remains able to resolve more image detail than current HD video formats. SD resolutions are 720x576 and 720x480.
2.) Average bitrates - Online video
A number of online video streaming/on demand and digital download services offer HD video. Due to heavy compression, the image detail produced by these formats are far below that of broadcast HD, and often even inferior to DVD-Video (3-9 Mbit/s MP2) upscaled to the same image size.
The following is a chart of numerous online services and their HD offering:
| Source | Codec | Highest Res (W×H) | Bitrate BWidth | Video Bitrate | Audio Bitrate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | VC-1 | 1,280×720 | 2.5 Mbit/s | ||
| BBC | H.264 | 1,280×720 | 3.2 Mbit/s | 3.0 Mbit/s | 192 kbit/s |
| CBS(720p) | 1,280×720 | 2.5 Mbit/s | |||
| CBS(1080p) | 1,920×1,080 | 3.5 Mbit/s | |||
| Hulu | On2 Flash VP6 | 1,280×720 | 2.5 Mbit/s | ||
| iPlayerHD | FLV, QT H.264, MP4 H.264 | 1,920×1,080 | 5.0 Mbit/s | ||
| iTunes/Apple TV | QT H.264 | 1,280×720 | 4.0 Mbit/s | ||
| PlayStationStore | H.264, MPEG-4, AVC | 1,920×1,080 | 8.0 Mbit/s | 256 kbit/s | |
| Vimeo | H.264 | 1,920×1,080 | 4.0 Mbit/s | 320 kbit/s | |
| Vudu | H.264 | 1,920×1,080 | 4.5 Mbit/s | ||
| Zune Video | 1,920×1,080 | 3.0 Mbit/s | |||
| YouTube | H.264, MPEG-4, AVC | 4,096x2,304 |
3.) Sensor Size and High Definition
The high definition format is not the only factor driving image quality but what is as important is the size of the sensor that is capturing the footage. Normal consumer video camera's (although they are HD) have much smaller sensors than professional equipment.It is therefore important to capture video with as large a sensor as possible!
The following is an illustration of sensor sizes for different camera's:
DID YOU KNOW?
Currently a lot of professional videographers have made the transition from shooting with normal Pro-Camcorders to DSLR's. The only disadvantages is sound quality as well as maneuverability. The image quality however compensate for these minor problems. Sound can be recorded separately and camera crew easily adjust to the different feel of the DSLR. These high quality video clips is stored in large files and storage, transfers and editing needs to be done on very high end products and equipment.
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