Digital Media 101

NTSC image (the reason it appears “washed out” is because this is a log color space test image – ideally focus on the image size)

PAL image

In contrast, HD (High Definition) video has a much larger frame size, resulting in more horizontal and vertical lines. While there are several frame size combinations that qualify to being HD (the textbook definition of HD video is any frame size larger than NTSC or PAL), we will strictly be dealing with, and referring to what is called “1080”, which has a frame size of 1920×1080. If you do some quick math, you will discover that NTSC has a total of 378,000 pixels per frame; and PAL has a total of 450,000 pixels per frame. That’s all very nice, but consider that HD video has 2,073,600 per frame (or 2 megapixels). In other words, the amount of pixels in HD video frame is about 5 times larger than your home video NTSC videotape, and about 4 times larger than PAL. That’s quite a big difference.

HD image

Here at Advanced Media, we first convert the analog video into a stabilized digital signal using the best connectivity output source available to the format (SDI being first choice when possible, then component). We then run the new digital video through a broadcast device that analyzes the video and up-converts it to full size HD using very high-quality broadcast algorithms, that ensure a very smooth, broadcast quality and very sharp image in HD. It also performs digital noise reduction to maximize the image clarity. Since most older home videos contain a high amount of video noise, this feature is invaluable. We then capture the HD video on a dedicated system with full HD (and up to 4K) digitizing capabilities, resulting in a professionally made, high-quality broadcast-level up-converted HD video. In addition to that, we also boost the sound levels to maximize loudness, while ensuring they do not peak to prevent distortion. The entire up-conversion process is supervised, and we adjust the various controls to ensure the most pristine quality image.

HD image size comparison with PAL & NTSC images

Option 1: no aspect ratio conversion (also called vertical-fill, or v-fill). In this option we take the 4×3 SD video and up-convert it to 16×9 HD video without changing the aspect ratio at all. This results in an HD-size image that is the exact aspect ratio of SD, and the sides of the frame are filled with black (since we need to fill in the frame to fit the 16×9 aspect). The main benefits to this option are that (a) you get all the pixels from your original video (no image loss); (b) you preserve the original aspect ratio. The main disadvantage are the black bars on the sides (also called “pillar box”). If you are ok with the black bars on both sides of your video, then this is the option for you.

Vertical fill option (#1) – aspect ratio is preserved and black side bars are present (pillar box)

Vertical + horizontal fill (#2) – aspect ratio changed from 4:3 to 16:9 and image is stretched to fully fill frame

Option 2: horizontal-only aspect ratio conversion (also called vertical & horizontal fill, or hv-fill). In this option you actually do the 33% horizontal stretch we described above. This option will mostly work for SD video that was created in native 16×9 (widescreen) as we just described. There is one benefit to using this method for 4×3 SD video, and that is you get the best quality HD up-converted video, since you up-convert pixel for pixel, as well as fill in the entire HD frame, and more advanced video users could later on adjust the aspect ratio back to 4×3 (like an anamorphic squeeze). However, our goal is to provide a full working product and not expect our customers to do additional “self assembly required” type work at home. We’re not IKEA (we wish we were though). As you can imagine, the main disadvantage here is that the image will be stretched and unnatural to look at. When we have 16×9 SD video, we will automatically choose this option (unless otherwise directed), but we do not recommend this option to most customers.

Option 3: no aspect ratio conversion, with horizontal fill (also called horizontal-fill, or h-fill). In this option, just as the name suggested, the new up-converted HD frame is being fully filled horizontally, while the aspect ratio of 4×3 remains the same. This can only be achieved by magnifying the SD video by 36% more than the two options above (again, for your math lovers, a straight up-conversion of NTSC SD video to HD requires roughly 220% blow-up, while the horizontal-fill options requires 300% blow-up). Due to the additional enlargement of the frame, the result effect is loss of actual picture at the top and bottom (think of it as an “overfill”, where the top and bottom parts of the frame are being cut off). So it is very important to consider that by using this option you will lose about 33% of your image in the transfer (about 16.5% top and 16.5% bottom). The reality is that in many home videos, people tend to be framed in the center, which lessens the impact of the crop, however, you should remember that the cropped top and bottom will simply be lost and will not exist on your HD files. To summarize, option 2 key advantages are (a) full frame without any bars; and (b) original aspect ratio (people look normal). The two main disadvantages are: (a) image is being magnified by 36% more, resulting in slightly less focus and more noise; and (b) image is being cropped by 33%, losing top and bottom.

Horizontal fill (#3)– aspect ratio preserved and parts of top and bottom of frame are cropped

Flex-morph (#4) – aspect ratio slight changed and top and bottom of frame are slightly cropped. This option is preferred by most customers.

Option 4: hybrid aspect ratio conversion with hybrid additional magnification (also called flex-morph). In this option, which most people prefer, the up-converting system blends between option 2 and 3 to create a very acceptable result, with benefits from all advantages and with diminishing all the disadvantages of both methods. In this hybrid option, the system does a slight aspect ratio stretch of about 15%, which is fairly subtle, while also over-magnifies the image by about the same amount (these are not accurate numbers, but they are very close), resulting in a very subtle and marginal image loss at the top and bottom. The advantages are: (a) fully filled HD frame; (b) aspect ratio that is very close to the original (people still look normal); (c) high quality picture due to an only minimal 15% additional image magnification; and (d) minimal picture loss from top and bottom. On the same token, the two main disadvantages are: (a) final image quality slightly suffers from the 15% additional over-magnification; and (b) marginal image loss of 15% (7.5% from top and 7.5% from bottom), which in most cases would not be very noticeable, if at all. In fact, since some SD video tends to have tracking marks at the top and bottom of the frame, such cropping may even be desirable. That is again why most customers prefer that option. It combines the best of all options.

If you are a Mac user, this would be your default option. ProRes comes in many flavors. For videotape to file transfers, either ProRes HQ or ProRes 422 would work. The “naked eye” noticeable difference between ProRes HQ to 422 is primarily in the blue channel of the RGB video structure and will not affect most users. If you have the drive space to contain all of your files, HQ is always preferable, but even with ProRes 422 you are still getting excellent video. If you are a PC Windows user, please consider the current support issues, and you may also encounter limitations when using some video playback and editing software, since Quicktime is not a native container to Windows, and the ProRes codec is fairly alien and limited in the Windows environment. Having said that, most Windows PC should have no problem playing Quicktime ProRes files after downloading Quicktime for Windows (which as mentioned above is no longer supported by Apple).

If you need uncompressed archival video files, such as Uncompressed, DPX, TIFF and the likes, please Contact us. This article does not cover any advanced archival needs.

This question relates to choosing between scanning your film natively as it was filmed, without any modifications to the density and /or grain structure, and to doing some color adjustments and high-quality noise reduction. This is a difficult question to answer, partly because it is subjective for each and every person. At the end, it is about experience vs future use. If you plan on simply playing your film with family and friends, and perhaps sharing it online and with future generations, having us do color correction and grain reduction makes a lot of sense. If you are the do-it-yourself type of person and want to capture the film the was it was filmed, then this may not be for you. In addition, there is something to be said about the beautiful nature of native unmodified film, which many desire today. On the other hand, your film will look much better after being color corrected and grain reduced. There is also a cost issue to consider, since this is an additional, and very time consuming, process. You can see some samples [HERE].\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nAlso, we always calibrate our telecine system to capture your film in the most ideal way based on the film properties, and do subtle exposure adjustments when the film gets highly over or under exposed to get the most out of it. In fact, please read this article [HERE] to learn more about our telecine process. \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nWe use a high-end digital intermediate motion picture type color correction system to do color adjustments to your film, when you choose that option. We only do gentle color adjustments to get the most of out your film and balance the colors. We do it mostly per reel, but we do make a few changes through the reel. We do not do a shot-by-shot color correction. We only work from the highest quality uncompressed file source. It is very important to perform color correction on high bitrate, high quality files, to prevent video artifacts and other introduced problems.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nFor grain reduction, we use a clone-based grain reduction system that analyzes your actual film and creates a profile for your individual film reel grain structure, so it only addresses your unique grain, and does not affect other critical parts of the frame. Each reel gets its own profile. We do not use any generic grain reduction systems or processes, since they will be extremely inappropriate and will lower and limit the quality of your film.\r\n\r\nYou can go [HERE] to see some samples.\r\nThis concludes the 3 key questions you need to consider when transferring your film with us. If you have any questions, please Contact us. We will be more than happy to help.

Let’s start with considering home videos, which all fall under what we call “physical media”. We define physical (or tangible) media as media that you can touch and feel, including CDs and DVDs, and that you can mostly play using any working-condition player (or observe through the naked eye). Many people have collections of photos and even film that were taken as early as the 1930s (or even earlier). Others have audio reels and vinyl records from the 50s and 60s. A larger share of our customers have videotapes from the 80s, 90s and 2000s. What do all these examples have in common? For one, the idea that you can take any of these media formats and convert them into a current digital form (whether yourself or thought hiring a specialty business like us).\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nBut there is another aspect that is far more important. That aspect is the fact that not only do you have that physical media at your disposal, but it is basically an external storage medium that (as long as you are able to find a working reader, such as film scanner, audio cassette player, VCR etc and your media is in good working condition) you will be able to convert and trade into any current media of your choice. For the most part, that storage medium, be it photo negative, film, videotape etc, will most likely work, in some cases even a full century after it was created.

Let’s make a distinction for non-physical, intangible media, such as hard drives and mobile devices. As technology moved away from film-based cameras and tape-based camcorders and evolved into the prevalent smart phones of today, we have lost a very important component – the film reel, the videotape, the disc, the printed photo – in short, physical media. Clearly, external computer hard drives and mobile devices could fall into the “physical media” category as well, but for the purpose of this discussion we would distinguish them under “non-tangible digital media”. It is perfectly ok if you disagree with the distinctions. Just follow us for now, as the purpose of this discussion is reviewing practical long-term media strategies, and not debating linguistics or technical-theoretical concepts.

Let us present what we just discussed in a simpler fashion. When you play your VHS, DVD, slides, film or audio reel in a player, it is a fairly static storage format, and as such, it simply plays. You can play your nearly 100 years old film reel, if you happen to have such, and it will play. The quality may have faded, but chances are, it will be there. Same for your 35 years old videotapes.\r\n\r\nNow, let’s contrast that with hard drives and mobile devices, which have been around for anywhere from 35 years to 15 years, depends on how early you started with computers. Let’s explore some possible scenarios.

#1 – Let’s assume you actually have a VHS tape, as well as a floppy disk or even a hard drive from 1990. Which do you think will be easier for you to read – the VHS or the floppy / hard drive from the 90s? Even if you were able to connect the drive or find a reader for your floppy, the operating system of today may not be compatible with those ancient file systems, and you may not be able to access those disks without employing a company or a specialized software, while chances are – even if you borrowed a friend’s VCR – you’ll get to play your tape.

#2 – Let’s also assume you have a DV tape, as well as a flip phone from 2004. The flip phone battery died and you did not turn it on in a decade, but you just remember that you took some pictures of your newborn child right around that time, and would love to access them now, 15 years later. What would be easier – finding a business that can read your DV tape or finding a mobile phone store that could access your old and obsolete flip phone?

#3 – Let’s now assume you have 10 Hi-8 videotapes made in 2000. Let’s also assume you have a hard drive from that year with the same media, digitized at that time from those tapes. Now, let’s assume that your hard drive no longer loads up. It hasn’t in many years. Now, let’s also assume that one of your Hi-8 tapes got lost when you bought that new home, but you still have the remaining 9. Your child is now graduating college and it would be great to get all those moments transferred and experienced again. Wouldn’t you be happy that you at least have the ability to transfer again your 9 out of 10 tapes in case your hard drive will never work again?\r\n\r\nWe can add many more possible scenarios, but hopefully we illustrated the point that older analog technology, in some cases being obsolete for several decades, in some regards may still be easier to access today over discontinued digital technologies, which were equally obsolete for the same number of years, and in many cases – much shorter.

You don’t have to agree with this assumption at all, and our point is not to criticize digital technology or to imply that older analog technology is better. Both have their pros and cons. And technology evolves. That’s just how it is. We are only pointing to certain aspects that present a concern when considering the long-tem storage prospects of digital media. Let’s explore some of those key aspects:

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Aspect 1 – digital media is rapidly evolving

\r\nEveryone knows that technology is marching at a much faster pace than ever. New smart phones and devices become available constantly. What used to be revolutionary technology in 2005 is now considered slow, obsolete and completely dysfunctional. Just try using a 2005 computer today. It will not go well. Because of this key factor, your storage drives and devices of today may not be readily accessibly even 10 years from now and in some cases may even be less.

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Aspect 2 – digital media is volatile

\r\nRegardless of whether your media is stored on traditional hard drives with rotational magnetic components or solid state drives, each drive is prone to failure for a number of reasons. Sometimes all it takes is for you to pull out the drive without properly ejecting it from the system for it to stop working properly. Add to that mix accidental deletions, computer viruses, magnetic, electronic and mechanical failures, and the reality is that any drive or device at your disposal may stop working at any moment.

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Aspect 3 – digital media tend to be concentrated

\r\nAs we highlighted in one of our examples above, many of us tend to concentrate and consolidate much of our lifetime memories and family history media into 1 single drive, sometimes 2. If that drive goes bad, you may have lost the equivalent of 30 film reels or 50 VHS tapes. If on the other hand you had 2-3 film reels or videotapes that somehow went bad, the rest of your physical media lot will still be intact.

There are some additional aspects, such as the fact that majority of people buy cheaper types of drives (mostly those that are for sale at the big box retailers, which are not always of good quality), the fact that many people tend to over-use many of their drives, which increases risk, the fact that it is somewhat unknown what is the true shelf life of many disks and storage devices, but it is suffice to say that among the key risks for digital intangible media are the simple facts that it is (1) rapidly evolving, (2) relatively more volatile and (3) tends to be concentrated into very few drives, sometimes just 1.

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COMPUTER HARD DRIVES

\r\nIf you plan on using computer hard drive for storing your files, which most people do, then you definitely to read this.

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#1 – High-quality Drive Brand

\r\nIt all starts with investing in a high quality drive. High quality drives are typically more expensive than the drives you find in the large retailers or that show up on the various e-commerce sites, but not always. It is perfectly ok to have a cheap drive for storing your music, but when it comes to your irreplaceable memories – take a step higher. We generally recommend proven brands that are used in the film and TV industry. Some of our favorite are LaCie and G-technology. Other brands we like include Glyph, CalDigit, Rockstor, Avastor and similar. Regardless of whether you are going to buy a high quality drive, or an inexpensive one, we strongly suggest that you at least get a brand new drive for storing your video files.

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#2 – Drive Cloning

\r\nDrive cloning, which is a term that sometimes indicating copying entire content of a drive to another while using file verification processes, is a very inexpensive method of protecting your valuable files. Aside for investing in a high quality drive, this is the second best line of defense, and is relatively affordable.

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#3 – Drive Redundancies

\r\nNot all drives are made the same. Some drives come equipped with hardware or software based RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Drives). There are several RAID configurations, each has a unique blend on safety features and performance & storage enhancements or limitations. While we are not discussing what a RAID is, nor we are comparing RAID schemes, the benefits of a RAID setup over the long haul are astounding. For obvious reasons, RAID setups come at a higher cost. Please feel free to CONTACT us with any RAID related questions.

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#4 – Storage Segregation

\r\nIf you have more than one set of the same drive contents, great. If you can store them in separate rooms or better yet, store your clone at a storage facility, locked inside a sealed container (to protect against dust and humidity), you are ahead of the game. Please always read the manufacturer recommended storage conditions before storing.

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#5 – Solid State Drives

\r\nSolid-state drives (SSD) are relatively new in commercial production. These drives are non-volatile and devoid of magnetic rotational discs, instead relying on flash block memory. SSD drives overall are considered safer and less prone to destruction and wear and tear than typical hard drives. A thumbdrive is an example of SSD storage. We do not recommend using a thumbdrive or a similar type small memory card (CF, memory stick etc) for your valuable videos long-term storage. They are easy to lose, easy to steal and are prone to over-usage. If you go SSD, choose a high-quality external drive in an enclosure.

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OPTICAL DISCS MEDIA – DVD’s & BLU-RAYS

\r\nIt is no secret that optical media is slowly marching to meet its maker. There will be a day where DVD or Blu-ray disc will be associated with a VHS tape, and frankly, for some that day has arrived. However, it is likely that optical discs media is here to stay for the near-to-mid term. Also, optical disc media is non-volatile and extremely durable. You literally have to physically abuse it in order to destroy. In other words, if your drive fail to load 3 years down the line, chances are your DVD will play just fine. So let’s explore:

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#1 – “Play” (Authored) DVD or BD

\r\nEveryone is familiar with the authored disc – it is what you buy or rent at the store. Many of our customers request to have their videos transferred to DVD and/or Blu-ray. Overall, this is a very good strategy, esp if you get DVD/BD in addition to getting files. The main limitations with DVD is the compression, since authored DVDs are highly compressed. The compression is far less noticeable on Blu-ray, so when considering Blu-ray and compression, the conversation is far more nuanced. However, keep in mind that all authored discs have a fairly high level of compression. Side note – there is a new emerging format called UHD Blu-ray, which will enable playing video at what is called Ultra Hi-Def – a form of 4K video.

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#2 – “Data” DVD or BD

\r\nA data disc is a disc that doesn’t play the video files like an authored disc would, but that contains the file just like a hard drive would. When you mount the disc onto a computer, you will be able to access the disc and copy or play your files. Since most DVDs are limited to 4 – 10GB, this option is more appropriate for Blu-ray discs, which can hold anywhere from 25 – 100GB. The data disc is a very good option if you don’t need to play the disc, but you want to keep it as a secondary “clone” of your files, in case the primary hard drive stops working.

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#3 – Cloud Storage

\r\nEverywhere you look, there’s a technology company touting their new and improved cloud storage solution. Cloud storage is a remotely hosted storage solution. There are certainly many advantages, as well as many disadvantages to cloud storage. It is certainly a viable option for your family memories. Since it is relatively a new phenomenon, it is hard to comment about the true long-term prospects. Aside for considerations such as monthly cost, the ability to upload hours and hours of large files, piracy risk, lack of knowledge over where and how the data is stored, our take is that if your personal memories are truly valuable to you, you should have at least one storage solution that is within your personal reach and control, such as a hard drive or an optical disc –media storage that nobody else can one day delete for you.

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#4 – Magnetic Tape – LTO and others

\r\nNot everyone is familiar with magnetic tape storage. There are several formats out there and are mostly used by corporations and institutions, although some individuals use it personally. The most affordable format is arguably the DAT tape, however, we do not service data DAT and have limited knowledge of its usage (aside for audio transfers, which we do). We use the LTO format (Linear-Tape Open), which is widely used by the film & TV industry, as well as big data corporations, government agencies and others. The LTO format is continuously evolving and is now easier than ever to use. Due to the amount of ever-increasing content, we are fairly certain that the LTO format will continue to evolve and is here to stay. With $130-145 price point per 6TB (15TB compressed) cartridge (not including transfer costs), archiving your family history to LTO is certainly a viable option and not too challenging from a cost point. Out of all options highlighted in this article, the LTO format may be the most reliable over the long run. Please feel free to Contact us with any LTO related questions.

This concludes our long-term storage discussion. We strongly encourage you to read more and seek additional information. Only then would you be able to make the most informed decisions. We generally recommend mixing storage solutions from at least 2 storage media, such as hard drive and optical disc, or hard drive and magnetic tape. We completely understand that you may have some additional questions, so please Contact here and we’d love to help. Please always remember that anything written in any of these articles is for general educational purposes only and should not be relied upon as an advice.