Evaluating HD Options

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"Mid-range HD Turnkey Editing System"

If you are planning to buy an HD editor, make sure you know theproper criteria to use when shopping.

Leitch’s dpsRealityHD features both HD and SD formatcapabilities. It was designed to bridge the gap between HD and SDpost.

Those considering the purchase of a postproduction finishing systemrealize that they may need to handle high definition in the nearfuture, but selecting an affordable system is difficult. Thistechnology is so new that there is even confusion as to what criteriashould be used in evaluating systems.

In this column, I would like to look at mid-range turnkey products($25,000-$85,000) that are available for HD post. You will have tojudge for yourself whether these represent affordable investments giventhe potential of HD for your business. You must also bear in mind thatdesktop HD tools are becoming more powerful all the time and mayeventually blur the line between systems that cost tens of thousands ofdollars and those priced in the thousands.

Let's start with criteria for considering such an HD finishingsystem. I think the most important differentiators among the systemsare:

• Image quality.

• Performance.

• Interoperability and workgroup capabilities, including fast andefficient automated conforming of offlines, and the ability to delegateparts of production (such as audio design, outsourced effects creation,and 3D integration) through distributed workflow.

• Finishing tools (color correction, touch-ups, advanced keying,etc.).

• Effects work, including 3D DVE, plug-in effects, graphics tools, andadvanced compositing tools.

• Ability to work with and output all formats (including audio formatsand variable frame rates), and access and mix them.

• Archiving capabilities.

• Good return on investment.

Those who read my columns know that I frequently take a “goodenough” attitude about image quality. If the client is happy andthe average viewer will not notice a difference, the quality is goodenough. The problem with a “good enough” attitude whenworking in HD is that many more image quality problems are noticeable.Computer graphics offer an especially critical environment with regardto image quality.

Be sure to take a close look at DVE filtering when analyzing imagequality. The reason I point this out is that you must judge foryourself what is good enough image quality.

Some manufacturers will tell you that if you work in SD and“uprez,” viewers will not notice. Others promote usingwidescreen DV and “uprezzing” to HD formats when you finishediting. Still other manufacturers say you need to work with 2K imagesor 16-bit RGB/YUV processing.

I will not comment on the various claims, other than to recommendthat you do some tests and decide for yourself what is good enough.There is a quality vs. cost vs. performance continuum. You must decidewhere you want to be in this three-dimensional space, and what locationoffers the best return on investment.

When working in high-definition video, you must expect rendering tobe required for many tasks. You should try a system in a real-worldsituation and decide for yourself whether the performance is“good enough.”

Do you find rendering requirements distracting and interminable, orreasonable and workable? Everyone has their own tolerance for suchthings. You must find what level of performance is acceptable and fitsbest with your return on investment requirements.

Some systems appear to offer better editing performance but limitthe formats you can work in or may not have a toolset that will meetyour needs. Other systems allow you to work on other sections of thetimeline while a specific segment is rendering. For example, theAvid|DS has a separate rendering station for exactly that purpose.

If you plan to use different manufacturers' products in a workgroupscenario, AAF appears to be the best choice for metadata compatibility.But if you plan to import offline EDLs or timelines, there are twoareas of performance criteria. Not only is there the speed at which thesystem can import images, sounds, and graphics, but there is the amountof metadata that does not need to be recreated in the HD finishingstep.

You may find that the ability to import proprietary metadataoffers an important advantage — even if the actual importation ofmedia is slower. This also applies to editors sharing media andmetadata with graphics/FX compositors, animators, or sounddesigners.

Finishing tools refers to the online toolset not available orapplicable to an offline editor. Color grading and correction tools aregood examples. Advanced keying or compositing tools such as matte edgetools, detail restoration, or edge color suppression are critical in afinishing system.

The quality of the graphics or text creation tools is far moreimportant when working in high-definition video. It is common to create3D DVE moves in the finishing step because the toolset for such effectsis more extensive.

Audio is another important capability that is often absent. Whilemuch high-definition audio is done in a sweetening suite, your systemshould be able to deal with 5.1 channel surround sound and workgroupcollaboration with the audio suite.

Plug-in effects are probably the most common effects used today.Make sure the leading manufacturers' plug-ins work with the systems youare considering.

Also analyze the compositing tools offered, from chromakeys tokeyframe adjustment parameters, and from motion effects to adjustingramping parameters of the effects. Does the system offer an effectstree to assist in compositing work? Compositors frequently thinknothing of creating a 20- to 40-layer build. Does the system have thetools to create the type of composites you will need, and is theperformance acceptable?

There are several formats defined by the acronym HDTV. Not all ATSCformats are compatible with all HD editors. Furthermore, HD cameras mayshoot in a variable frame rate, and not all editors accept variableframe rate formats.

The new trend in nonlinear editing is the ability to store allformats natively and then have the ability to access, mix, and outputthe various formats, including varying frame rates, aspect ratios, andresolutions. Resolution Co-existence is the Quantel name for such a setof capabilities, but Discreet and Avid systems offer similarcapabilities.

The ability to output to a variety of different formats, aspectratios, and frame rates — from digital cinema or 1080/24p tostreaming video or DVD MPEG — means that you can multi-purpose aproject and maximize the return for your efforts.

HD archiving requires a great deal of hard disk space, and the morequickly you can remove a project from your limited storage, the morework you can pass through the door. On the other hand, you do not wantto destroy your efforts if there is a long client approval process orif you intend to repurpose the programming.

Examine what archiving choices are offered and how long it will taketo save a high-definition project. Also consider how long it will taketo reload a project with all metadata.

Finally, there is the consideration of return on investment. Youmust select the best, most cost-effective solution in athree-dimensional space where the axes are price, image quality, andperformance. This includes getting the proper tools for the job and asystem of workflow that does not disrupt creativity. Of course, many ofthese criteria are relative to personal needs and experiences, and thetype of editing you plan to do.

Bob Turner has edited video on nearly every piece of equipment evermade, and has been a videotape editor since 1976. He can be reached atbobturner@attbi.com.

Avid Technologies offers an $85,000 turnkey configuration calledAvid|DS HD Editor. It features the same fully configured hardwareplatform as the flagship Avid|DS HD, including 288GB LVD storage,monitors, keyboard, mouse, Wacom tablet, and five-day trainingcoupon.

The editing interface of Avid|DS HD Editor is similar to that ofMedia Composer, with a few differences. For example, motion effects aretimeline-based instead of clip-based.

The editing interface is surprisingly Media Composer-like, but thereare a few differences to adapt to. For example, motion effects aretimeline-based rather than clip-based. The system can conform andfinish programs in multiple uncompressed HDTV formats, including 720p,720/60p HD, 1080PsF, and 1080i, as well as standard-definition formatsat 24, 25, 29.97, and 30fps. The system is AAF compatible andcompatible with Media Composer/Xpress timelines. Realtime tools includedissolves, SMPTE wipes, 3D-DVEs (with perspective and full Z rotation),moving mattes, color correction, keys, audio mixing (including soundsurround), and downstream graphics. Avid offers a realtime HD offlineediting at one-quarter resolution.

The HDBOXX starts at $49,995 and includes a dual 2.8GHz Xeonplatform with 2GB of memory, OpenGL graphics, HD/SD I/O, eight channelsof digital audio, and 360GB of RAID 0 storage. The system isupgradeable to 730GB and 1.4TB RAID 0 or larger with RAID 3.

HDBOXX comes with In-Sync Speed Razor HD software, which can handlePanasonic's Varicam HD format natively. This product also supportsstandard-definition video (both NTSC and PAL), all flavors of HD(uncompressed, 10-bit and 8-bit YUV, and 8-bit RGB), and can work with2K film resolutions at 8-bit RGB. Boxx Technologies is working ondevelopment of AAF compatibility, but offers only CMX EDL-basedthird-party interoperability at present. This system is designed formaximum performance with Adobe After Effects and Eyeon Software DigitalFusion. Boxx is also developing compression technologies for MPEG-2 HDand Microsoft's Corona formats.

Incite has announced Incite HD Suite with an anticipated price rangeof $60,000 to $80,000, depending upon configuration. It was not yetdelivering at press-time. The DVS-powered Incite HD Suite provides HDTVstandards 720p, 1080p, and 1035i/1080i formats. In addition, itsupports 24p editing, HDreel, and Panasonic's Varicam format (10-bitand 8-bit YUV, and 8-bit RGB).

The product features Incite software and shares metadata with otherIncite products. It also has Incite's dynamic clip architecture, whichautomatically re-links clips and sequences edited with Incite proxyapplications or from lower-resolution media to HD resolution formats.HD Suite supports SAN work-group connectivity as well.

Leitch dpsRealityHD is a turnkey editor/compositor featuring EyeonSoftware's Digital Fusion. The system starts at $24,995, with 146GB ofstorage, SDTI I/O, breakout box, dpsReality HD software, Eyeon DigitalFusion HD software, and one software HD codec (others are available asoptions). The system offers native support for Sony's HDCAM format.

The intent of this product is to bridge the gap betweenhigh-definition and standard-definition post by offering HD and SDformats, as well as DVD and Internet distribution capabilities.

The Digital Fusion HD software offers 64-plus bit color depth;extensive 3D, motion, warp, and particle effects; a complete set offilters in addition to the optional third-party plug-in effectsavailable; extensive compositing tools; a new color correctionsubsystem; tracking; paint; titling; and distributed network renderingpower.

Cinterra is a Linux-based HD/SD/film graphics/FX compositing andediting system. It starts at $60,000, and features a dual Xeon platformwith a Bluefish444 HD video engine, 1GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. Thesystem comes with Gigabit Ethernet and performs across LAN, SAN, andNAS networks. Maya and Cinelerra NLE software are packaged with thisOPENCUBE HD-based product.

All files are wrapped in the MXF file format. The MXF wrapper onOPEN CUBE allows any desired file format (625/525 SD, 1080p/1080psF at24Hz and 30Hz, 720p at 60Hz, YUV/4:2:2, and RGB/4:4:4 mode) to be mixedand played on the same timeline. (MXF is a subset of AAF, but thesystem does not yet support full AAF metadata. It will in the nearfuture.)

The system inputs and outputs 10-bit or 8-bit HD (SMPTE292M), SD-601(SMPTE259M), 2K film formats, or DV/DVCPRO. The Cinelerra software canalso perform a number of realtime effects, including dissolves, colorcorrection, advanced (16-bit internal) compositing and chromakeying,titling, multiple channel audio editing, digital effects andtransitions — all in uncompressed 10-bit HD. The system supportsrender farm rendering when needed.

Quantel’s new QEdit Pro uses the company’s DynamicRounding technology and Resolution Co-existent architecture, whichallows output of many types of formats for distribution.

The newly announced QEdit Pro turnkey costs less than $100,000 withthe HD option. This multi-format graphics/FX compositing andediting/finishing system features a dual Xeon PC with a three PCI cardQuantel processing engine. It produces very high-quality images with10-bit uncompressed video with 16-bit (64-bit per channel) YUV or RGBprocessing. It also incorporates Quantel's Dynamic Rounding technology.The system supports all HD formats, including 1080p/24 and 720p/60, thePanasonic Varicam format, and standard resolution. The system featuresQuantel's Resolution Co-existent architecture. It is also fullyAAF-compliant.

The toolset is standard to the entire post line, from iQ and eQ tothe software-only QEffects, and includes advanced color correction,sophisticated keying, touch-up, realtime 3:2 pulldowninsertion/removal, and 3D DVE effects. It accepts all Generation Qplug-ins and comes with the new Paintbox subsystem, pen and tablet,jog/shuttle unit, keyboard, and hand controller. It also comes withQuantel 24/7 support.
— BT

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