Digital Production Video
Digital production video was first used by large television networks as far back as 1983. It was very expensive at that time but video equipment is much the same as most other electronic equipment. Over time, these devices become less expensive.
Before digital production video equipment became available, all filming was done in the analog format. Digital is preferred today for three reasons – image quality, cost, and flexibility.
The image quality of digital production video as opposed to analog technologies is far superior. The difference stems from the way the image is captured.
All videos, including digital production video, are based on stills, or single images, that are shown on screen at such a fast rate the eye sees them as a moving picture. In the United States, all video production is based upon flashing 30 complete images per second.
Cameras used to make digital production video footage use either interlaced or progressive scanning to make an image. The interlaced scanning format is used in analog video production.
Interlaced scanning means the image is “painted” on screen using interlaced lines of the image. The image is divided into lines and the odd-numbered lines are scanned all at the same time and the interlaced even-numbered lines are scanned next. This happens so rapidly it looks like one complete image.
The screen gets scanned 60 times (30 odd number scans and 30 even number scans) to produce the 30 complete images per second.
The progressive scanning format produces a crisper, more real looking image for digital production video applications. This format scans the entire image at once, not just odd- or even-numbered lines. This method produces cleaner looking images than the interlaced scanning format.
The tape used in making a digital production video is by far less expensive than traditional film. A typical two-hour movie may start out as hundreds of hours of raw footage. A producer of one of the Star Wars movies said $16,000 was spent on 220 hours of digital tape used to make the movie. Film would have cost almost $2 million for 220 hours of footage.
Flexibility is unparalleled in digital production video. The technology is very easy to use and results are viewable instantly. Scenes can be played back and re-shot in a matter of moments, even when filming in remote locations. Traditional film must be shipped off for processing and it may be days, even longer, before the digital production video team is aware of the need to re-shoot particular footage.
Digital production video isn't just a cool way to make better movies. It's the wave of the future. As the digital production video technology evolves, it is replacing the older analog technology and will soon be the only method used.