ABC's Vision of HD
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ABC’s Vision of HD An interview with Alex Wallau SIMULCAST IN (HDTV) WHERE AVAILABLE 26634A_HighDef 9/15/04 3:58 PM Page 1 access HD © Eastman Kodak Company, 2004. Kodak is a trademark. a is Kodak 2004. Company, Kodak Eastman © HD goes mobile Now HD production goes anywhere you want to go. Panasonic’s new ONLY FILM LETS YOU SHOOT ANYWHERE. AC/DC-powered AJ-HD1200A deck streams native HD footage from a Film cameras are increasingly more ® portable. And are better than electronic VariCam camera directly to your Final Cut Pro HD-equipped Apple G4 capture devices at withstanding variations in laptop via IEEE 1394. Pre-visualize scenes as you shoot them, check temperature and humidity. Plus, only film timing and determine on the spot whether a new take is required. Even gives you the visual information needed process in-camera slow motion effects, with no loss of camera-original to explore all your options in post. quality. To learn more about Panasonic HD production solutions, visit KODAK Motion Picture Film. www.panasonic.com/hdworld or call 1-800-528-8601. The freedom to go wherever your story takes you. www.kodak.com/go/motion. AJ-HDC27F VariCam® variable frame-rate HD Cinema camera © 2004 Panasonic Broadcast PUB: HighDef Magazine 8.25 x 10.75 / BP2004 c o n t e n t s NEWS 6 FEATURE ABC’s Vision of HD 8 8 an interview with Alex Wallau HD Tips: Know Your Camera by B. Sean Fairburn 14 HDTV Forum: Mixed Message on LCOS by Chris Chinnock 16 HD Sky Captain Eric Adkins by Conrad Denke 17 17 Daniel Pearl Creates Dark, Frightening “Frankenstein” by Bob Fisher 20 HD Gets the Red Carpet by Gerard Pomeroy 22 “A Prairie Home Companion” Comes to DVD by Jessie Nagel 24 24 Highdef Science on Discovery by Joseph Becker 26 HDTV, the Consumer Front by Dale Cripps 28 Post in HD or Not? It’s No Longer the Question by Randie Swanberg 29 “Strange Days on Planet Earth” 26 by Brian Cali 30 AMP Equips Blind Expedition in Tibet by Pamela Davis 32 The Ideal HD Editing/Compositing Workstation by Terry Cullen 34 Chris Columbus Discovers Paradise by William Conner 37 32 HD Color Grading Basics by John Davidson 40 Vol. 7, Issue 1 HighDef Magazine is published quarterly, free for professionals in all areas of video and film production, nationally by American Press Services, 2247 15th Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119. PUBLISHER: Conrad W. Denke EDITOR: David W. Thompson PRODUCTION: Gina Griffin Hanzsek DISPLAY ADVERTISING: Call David Thompson at 1-888-282-1776 or e-mail [email protected]. Deadline for advertising mechanicals is fifteen(15) days prior to publication date. Current and back issues and additional resources, including subscription request forms, are 37 available on our website: www.HighDef.com. Send address changes to: HighDef Magazine, 2247 15th Ave. West, Seattle, WA 98119. PRINTER: Banta Publications Group, www.bantapublications.com Front Cover: Desperate Housewives, primetime soap with a truly contemporary take on “happily every after,” this new hour-long drama takes a darkly comedic look at suburbia, where the secret lives of housewives aren¹t always what they seem. (L to R) Nicollete Sheridan, Brenda Strong, Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Eva Longoria, Teri Hatcher. Photo courtesy of ABC/Moshe Brakha NEWS NFL HD FACILITIES EXPAND ear digital editing software. Avid Xpress comer Laura Allen, and filmmaker and NFL Network has installed a master Pro HD software delivers support for Louisville native Romans in the title control suite that supports mirrored native Panasonic DVCPRO HD acquisi- role. The film is one of the first feature- SD and HD program feeds transmit- tion and editing, Avid DNxHD editing length projects to take advantage of ted to cable and satellite affiliates. Last and rendering, and realtime multicam- the desktop HD editing capabilities November the network launched its era functionality. made possible by the Panasonic/Apple cable and satellite operations with the implementation of IEEE 1394 FireWire help of Ascent Media Network Services FOX, CBS TAP HELINET FOR with 100 Mbps DV-HD (the native operations and engineering staff. HD FOOTBALL video compression of Panasonic Fox and CBS have selected the DVCPRO HD recording systems). DALSA OPENS LA FACILITY Helinet/Cineflex HiDEF HD aerial BAND PRO PARTNERS WITH DALSA Corporation announced the camera platform to provide aerial HD ACCUSCENE DALSA Digital Cinema Center in coverage of NFL games this season. Woodland Hills, California. The 12,000 The aerial cable system – built around AccuScene Corporation Ltd. of square foot full service rental facility the Sony HDC-950 and HDC-F950 Scotland announced the appointment at 6160 Variel Ave will be home to cameras – has been used in several of Band Pro Film and Digital, Inc. of the DALSA Origin, the world’s first games in 2004 and is enlisted for Super Burbank, California as a Sales Partner and only 4K HD digital motion picture Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville, Fla. for the AccuScene™ range of HD eye- camera. The Center will provide a full piece viewfinder products and accesso- spectrum of digital cameras, accesso- LG EQUIPS HOTELS WITH ries. A full-color, high-definition eyepiece ries and services to meet the needs of HDTV system, the AccuScene™ provides an production companies and directors LG Electronics is equipping hotels with advanced viewfinder with the added of photography for a wide range of HDTVs, some integrated with digital facility of integral exposure monitor- production needs, from reality televi- tuners. The array of a new televisions ing and focus assist systems for precise sion programs to feature film produc- includes a widescreen 42-inch PDP, adjustment of both camera focus and tion. DALSA acquired the assets of 32-inch LCD and 30-inch CRT HDTVs exposure. Broadcast Plus, an established video that have encryption technology to SONY CHOSEN FOR THE equipment and services provider in protect digital content. “Now we have REBEL BILLIONAIRE Los Angeles currently serving broad- an encryption system that is both com- FOX’s The Rebel Billionaire: Branson’s cast and HDTV productions. patible with existing PPV interface con- trollers and meets the needs of movie Quest for the Best treats viewers to KVH BRINGS HD TO RVS studios and satellite providers,” said a program that not only features the KVH Industries is launching its Richard Lewis, senior vice president, LG largest prize in reality show history, but TracVision HD converter for DirecTV Electronics. also one that has been shot using the programming for RVs and motor tools of choice for high definition pro- homes. TracVision enables DVB-com- ARTBEATS FILM CLUTTER 2 ductions, Sony CineAlta™ technology IN HD patible TrackVision L3 and S3 anten- and the HDW-F900 camcorder. Bunim- nas to seek out, decode and track Film Clutter 2, sequel to Artbeats’ Murray Productions, the award-winning DirecTV’s new bird at 101 degrees popular Film Clutter collection, is now production team behind The Simple W, which beams most of DirecTV’s available with over 80 new clips of Life and The Real World, opted to shoot HDTV programming. countdowns, leaders, grain, scratches, the The Rebel Billionaire using six Sony light leaks and gate artifacts. Artbeats, HDW camcorders for their cost-effi- HDTV ON DEMAND IN D.C. an industry leader in royalty-free stock ciency, flexibility and image quality. Comcast has launched HDTV On footage for film, video and multimedia Demand in the Washington, D.C. professionals, developed unconven- BEXEL ADDS 60 CANON metro region, which includes the tional techniques for damaging film LENSES surrounding Virginia and Maryland to produce some of the most useful “Bexel has landed quite a few large suburbs. Philadelphia-based Comcast and unusual effects footage available. reality projects, including Survivor serves nearly one million households Artbeats Film Clutter 2 is available in and past and future episodes of The in the D.C. metro region and has both SD and HD. Apprentice,” stated Tom Dickinson, man- invested $600 million to upgrade aging director of Bexel, a world-leading more than 9,000 miles of fiber-optic SWEET WILLIAM ON international provider of professional cable. The On Demand service is VARICAM AND FCP HD video rental equipment and on-site added to the 18 HDTV channels that Sweet William, an emotional coming- technical broadcast services. “And our Comcast currently offers. of-age feature, was shot on location Olympic rental contract also included in Louisville, KY last summer with a large amount of lenses. Given those AVID XPRESS PRO HD Panasonic’s AJ-HDC27 VariCam® two factors, it made perfect sense to Avid Technology, Inc. announced plans HD Cinema camera. Writer/actor buy a significant amount of Canon to release Avid Xpress Pro HD soft- Bruce Marshall Romans’ debut film, lenses to service those two large types ware, the first portable HD version of Sweet William stars celebrated screen of rentals. HD 6 the company’s industry-leading nonlin- and stage actor Frank Langella, new- “NYPD Blue,” presently in its 12th season on ABC, is one of the longest-running ABC’s Vision of HD police dramas in broadcast history. Since its network debut in September 1993, the series earned 27 Emmy nominations in its first season, won the coveted award for Outstanding Drama Series in its sophomore year and received Emmy Awards for writing and directing in its fourth and fifth seasons. “NYPD Blue” has received an astounding 82 Emmy nominations, winning 20. Set against the gritty backdrop of New York City, “NYPD Blue” portrays realistic characters devoting themselves to the pursuit of justice while attempting to integrate their personal lives. “NYPD Blue” stars Dennis Franz as Detective Andy Sipowicz, Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Detective John Clark, Gordon Clapp as Detective John Medavoy, Bill Brochtrup as John Irvin, Henry Simmons as Detective Baldwin Jones, Jacqueline Obradors as Detective Rita Ortiz, Currie Graham as Lieutenant Thomas Bale and Bonnie Somerville as Detective Laura Murphy.