Column Ruffles Feathers

The mailman slapped my January copy of Video Systems into the mailbox. I almost slapped him back in my haste to retrieve and read it. I devour all my trade mags, enjoying them to the fullest. However, I choked on what seemed to be a bone in my craw, left there by Bill Miller's January Miller Time column (“Don't Let Yourself Be Pigeonholed”).

I admire folks like Bill, since they remind me a lot of me. Those of us who can diversify and stay working when the industry does a belly flop are fortunate indeed. My greatest detractors still have failed to pigeonhole me, no matter how hard they tried (and they did).

I sense a bit of laughing-up-sleeve from Mr. Miller, as he relates how wise he has been to place his shingle on many poles. I wonder, Mr. Miller, while you are damning your unlucky colleagues with faint praise (at least they are staying in the labor force at Home Depot), have you considered hiring some of those single-task professionals for shoots? I have striven to see that out-of-work colleagues are given a fair chance at any opening on my productions. If we cannot offer even a slender helping hand to those in our industry, then what are we really good for?
Allan Soifer
Freelance consultant
Ottawa, Canada

I wanted to thank Barry Braverman for his article on filters for DV (“The Curse of DV Revisited,” December 2002). I currently shoot with a [Canon] XL-1 with the 14X manual lens, and I took his instructions to heart.I purchased the [Tiffen] 1/2 Black Diffusion FX and am very pleased with its performance.

I know circular polarizer filters are used to enhance skies and minimize glare. When shooting people for both wide angles and close-ups, can a circular polarizer improve overall color/contrast and complement flesh tones? In other words, can a polarizer replace the 1/2 BDFX for exterior shooting? I am using a .6 ND as well, which is giving me a nice two-stop reduction.
Philip Rebentisch
Digital video producer
Wine Table Media

Barry Braverman responds: Yes, a polarizer of any kind can improve contrast and skin tones. Especially in daylight, as the filter reduces glare off white or Caucasian skin. Be aware, however, that I (and many shooters) prefer a more three-dimensional look, and want to preserve skin highlights. Polarizers give a flat look. For bright exteriors with exposed flesh, the Soft FX or Warm Soft FX is usually a more tasteful choice. The BDFX is practical only if you can maintain a large f-stop to prevent the etched pattern from appearing on screen.

In your review of the NEC HT1000 (January 2003), Jeff Sauer mentioned that the contrast ratio was only 260:1 and 226:1. Was that a mistake and should they be 2600:1 and 2260:1?
Cliff Cain

Jeff Sauer responds: 260:1 is what I measured. Though the test methods for my results and NEC's claim are quite different. I use the ANSI-specified method of sampling brightness from 16 alternating white and black regions in a projected checkerboard pattern. This puts a premium on controlling light as opposed to just spewing light.

However, because the eight white regions create ambient light for the black regions, these measurements may not reveal the depth of the blacks. In that test, 260:1 is a good contrast ratio — not industry best, but strong.

To highlight black levels and present a more striking contrast number on a spec sheet, many manufacturers (including NEC in this case) use a “full on, full off” measuring method. “Full on” measures brightness, but “full off”? That can be anything from measuring brightness of a projected black screen to turning the projector off and taking a room measurement. There's value in that measurement, but less industry consistency.

Industry measurements are almost always derived from a projector's data mode, which operates very differently from video mode. It's a little unfair to hold the HT1000 to the same data projector standards because specs like brightness aren't of the same importance. Color depth, strong grayscales, and consistent color temperatures are more revealing. It's in these ways that the HT1000 is so effective, regardless of the way you measure contrast.

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