Said to be the biggest breakthrough in broadcasting since colour TV, HD offers wider pictures with greater detail. Compared to standard television (NTSC or PAL), true HDTV images have twice the luminance definition - vertically and horizontally - and are 25% wider. Standard television aspect ratio is 4:3 while the HDTV aspect ratio is 16:9. The biggest difference and the greatest appeal is its clarity. True HDTV pictures are composed of 1 080 active lines whereas current standard television pictures are composed of only 486 active lines. (Sourced from www.hdpictures.com).
"To get the full benefit of HD, pictures have to be transmitted in HD, and it'll be a while before SABC, e.tv and M-Net go that route," says Keet. "This is over and above the fact that SA consumers will also all have to invest in wide-screen TVs. Proper HD images would not look stretched, like the PAL ones currently do on these sets."
Is HD cost effective? "Not at the moment," says Keet, "HD is expensive for now, mainly because there are only two cameras permanently in the country, and they are pricey."
John Rohrs of The Video Lab points out that elsewhere in the world it is cheaper to shoot HD, "In countries such as the USA where stations have undertaken to transmit in HD, it has become cheaper to originate on HD because you cut down on film stock, film processing and film to tape transfer."
But the fact of the matter is, that if it is not transmitted in HD, there are no actual benefits to the man in the street.
Are there advantages to shooting HD? "Absolutely," agrees Keet, "If you are shooting a TV commercial that is definitely going to cinema, then HD is a bonus. In fact, anywhere you will be using footage on a big screen, for example at product launches, will be advantageous to HD."
The reason? Simply put, you have double the resolution of the normal PAL picture, so when the commercial is put on a big screen, no quality is lost.
Should we be using HD then? "We're not against it," emphasises Rohrs, "It's just that in this day and age when budgets are shrinking, it is an expensive route and not a necessary route. There is little point in cutting budgets to shoot in HD at the moment."
"Look," says Rohrs, "We're the only company that do 2k resolution in this country. 2k is superior to HD, so we are not shying away from it, we're just pointing put that TV commercials need not be shot in HD until the transmission changes. HD is great if used in the correct context. We're merely pointing this out as a service to our clients."
The Video Lab has upgraded their Inferno's to work in the HD format and have successfully completed long form and commercial work this way. "Use us," say Rohrs and Keet, "We undoubtedly have the talent and people who understand film and are visual effects literate".
Rohrs goes on to say that if you want the wide screen look, you can do the same thing with PAL but you shoot it anamorphically, which basically gives you the 16 x 9 image displayed on the 4 x 3 screen.
What about conversions? "It is very easy to convert HD up or down," says Rohrs, "In fact much easier than the PAL- NTSC conversion. So for international clients, to originate on HD is a plus as it is a universal standard and you lose no quality. It's also a pleasure for submission requirements as tapes can be provided easily with no quality loss. Copying to different formats is easy to achieve and you get better quality at the end of the day."
Currently, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Japan are some of the countries looking at changing their transmissions to HD. However no clear date for conversion has been set. Many TV producers have shied away from HD, as they still want the leverage that film can offer. For example, it is difficult to de-focus the background to accentuate the foreground as an in-camera effect with HD video cameras, and lighting can also be a problem in uncontrolled lighting conditions. Some recognisable series that are being shot in HD are "Friends", "JAG" and "Touched by an Angel".
Both Keet and Rohrs invite anyone wanting to shoot on HD to contact them for a one-on-one meeting, as there are many technical aspects to consider. "We would prefer to meet with clients beforehand so that we can advise and help in whichever way we can," says Rohrs.
"Film is still the best origination," says Keet, "But HD follows closely as long as the full benefits can be achieved."
