High Definition Production in the USA

In the spring of 1998 the major U.S. broadcast networks formally confirmed their tentative choices of signal formats for DTV transmission. Some major cable MSO's also identified their preferences. With those announcements it was clear that the new digital broadcast marketplace had splintered into almost every variant of the now-famous ATSC Table 3 of DTV scanning formats. DTV in the United States will mean a potpourri of digital services: HDTV transmissions will bring radically enhanced new viewing experiences, and multi-channel SDTV will signal many variants of enhanced new services. Some broadcasters plan a mix of the two – by day-part. — Program production for this brave new world is expected to dramatically expand. Yet, concerns abound as to what is the best medium to embrace for production of programs that will surely end up being distributed in most of the prominent DTV formats, as well as the ongoing analog NTSC. The U.S., being a powerful engine of program production for the global marketplace, must also look to continuing to feed the international analog PAL/SECAM markets, in addition to being cognizant of the new DTV developments in regions like Australia, Japan, and Korea. Widescreen DVB is also a large new reality in Europe. — Motion picture film has long constituted a flexible “high definition” production format in the U.S. 35mm film, especially, has long been recognized here as being agnostic to television standards, and possessed of a quality overhead that more than adequately meets the most demanding quality criteria of domestic and international program distributors. As such, 35mm film is expected to flourish as a production medium in the global DTV rennaisance. Super 16mm, and especially 16mm film, are being viewed more warily now in light of the new HDTV demands. However, motion picture film production costs are soaring in the U.S. – for television production and for movie-making. The networks, especially, are presently embattled in a huge struggle for marketshare as they vie with a cable industry at the peak of its ascendancy. This has sparked a quest for new controls on production costs. — Electronic Cinematography has suddenly garnered a broadening attention. The spectacular breakthroughs of the past five years – both in closing the quality gap between film imaging and digital acquisition, as well as the dramtically lower costs of media and postproduction, have thrust HDTV program origination squarely onto the program production stage. The arrival of the HDTV camcorder (at a price lower than that of a Super 16mm film camera) has finally unfettered HD production and allows shooting in the most remote of locations. U.S. rental houses have already acquired a large number and many television programs and independent filmmakers are presently using this new medium. A major 22-episode television series “The Adventures of Young Jules Verne” is presently being shot entirely in HDTV, using the Sony HDCAM camcorder operated by traditional film crews. The results are generally recognized as superb and the producers have widely reported their dramatically lower production costs. — Three large mobile HDTV OB vans were constructed in 1998 and are now being heavily deployed across the country covering major sporting and entertainment events for those networks and broadcasters mandated to be on air with DTV in 1999. Three more HDTV OB vans are on the drawing boards for 1999. — Cablevision, the owners of the famous NY arena – Madison Square Gardens – installed two major HDTV production facilities in the arena in the summer of 98 and are already covering many major games in HD. — Over the past twelve months new HDTV postproduction facilities sprang up around the country – in Seattle, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Dallas, and New York. More are slated throughout 1999. — During the past six months a major new HDTV movement sprang to life in the U.S. The marriage of HD and the 24 Frame capture rate of film had long been seen by many to constitute a medium that would wed the best of the two media. In particular, the postreduction facilities see the mastering of film originated material in 1920 × 1080/24 P HD as being the perfect solution to the specter of having to service multiple HDTV/SDTV formats for the various broadcasters. Having the system also operate at 25 P will likely gain international support Sony and other manufacturers are working feverishly to complete the development of a complete 24/25 Frame progressive scan HDTV production system. The 24 P postproduction portion of the system will be unveiled at NAB '99. The 24/25 P camcorders and cameras will emerge at the end of 1999.

Published

1999-07

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/M001163

ISBN

978-1-61482-948-5