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Let's Talk REAL HD (HIGH DEF)
Hey all,
I'm researching HD broadcast presently for an article I'm writing on the State of HD, for a Videography magazine for which I'm a usual contributor ...
I figured I'd bring my research here for those of you interested in this change that will be happening over the next couple of years.
in the US the FCC has put a deadline for HD convergence for 2009 .. Canada is closely following 2 years later in 2011. By these dates most analog (only small and very local short wave stations will remain) stations will be a thing of the past ...
presently, and mostly due to how the convergence from analog to SD over the last ten years, it's very hard to track the size of the HD market. But according to the lastest figures form US based Consumer Electronics Association who's been tracking DTV and HDTV sales since the 1990s and other sources in Canada, it is estimated that about a quater of people that buy HD ready Televisions are actually subscribed to an HDTV signal/set-top box.
In Canada ( Since I'm Canandian, these are the sources I watch regularly) the estimates are as follows: approx. 3 -3.5 Million HD-ready monitors are in Canadian homes, it is estimated that approx. 700,000 - 750,000 Households have actually enabled they're monitors with HD set-top boxes. They expect that number to reach 1 million by years end. In Fact, 15 % of poeple that buy HD ready sets, think they are watching HDTV by virtue of buying an HDTV ready TV.
Lastly an Important piece of imformation to keep handy, is that HD channels take apporx 6 times more bandwidth then SD channels .. and as things are presently our Cable and satelite providers can not handle this load.
So with this said, you can be sure that Broadcasters will no longer accept SD programing by the end of the year 2008. In canada by mid 2010. Also most Broadcasters are Boycotting any HDV content. That's right, HDV is not HD and most are refusing to broadcast HDV for HD.
So, What does this mean for us ?
I have Experience shooting HD and converting it to HDV or SD .. however it's become apperent to me that the Compression Ratio is too grand and the final product is actually Suffering from it (darker images, Less saturation and a fucked up frame rate) ... Should we be gearing up for HD. It would be more fisable to shoot SD 16:9 (anamorphic) rather then HDV and Up convert the signal to HD for Broadcast. Or plainly shoot in HD Downcover your edits to SD for Web ... with another edit in HD for broadcast. Should this even be one of our conserns? I say yes.. mostly for the simple and often over looked "Maximise your Content" aspect of bussiness.
As it turns out, by the next decade people will not be able able to watch tv without paying for a premium HD package, period. In my opinion this will inicrease the amount of Webusers for VOD and PPM looking for quality content without paying outrages cable/satelite fees.
We should ready ourselves for a new workflow where you double up your efforts to put out an SD compression and a HD non compressed clip. One for web and the other for Broadcast .. since broadcasters will be scrabbling to find HD adult production.
Personally I've already been contacted by Some local Networks that are now looking at funding HD Adult production in anticipation of the BIG SWITCH in 2011 (for Canada)
What are your Opinions on this subject and where do you see HD going online ?
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