A high-definition tape of some scanned material was shown on a 16x9
high-resolution monitor while GTN staff took small groups on a tour of
the scanning facility.
Before an audience of 45 members and guests, Mike Christmann of Philips presented a technical discussion on high-resolution film scanning at high speed as implemented in the Philips Spirit DataCine, one of which is installed at GTN, a large production facility in Oak Park. He began with an overview of terms and parameters important in film transfers, including adapting the color gamut of film to electronic formats and the derivation of the number of pixels needed to scan a single frame of 35mm film.
He explained the operation of the Spirit with the help of a block diagram. The Spirit is format-independent in that scanned images are stored as raw data, with each frame consisting of up to 2000 x 2000 pixels. This allows the system to provide output either as video (RGB, NTSC, PAL, and multiple DTV) or data (as a HIPPI stream). The optical path uses diffused light from a broad-spectrum Xenon lamp to minimize the appearance of scratches on the film. The image passes through a beam splitter to different sensors for detail and RGB information. The sensors are physically fixed together so there are no registration problems. Detail is scanned at twice the resolution of color, taking advantage of the eye's characteristics.
Sampling for analog-to-digital conversion takes place at 14 bits to minimize errors rounding to 12 bit. Spatial processing takes place at a throughput of 6.2 gigabits per second resulting in real-time scanning at standard or high definition and 6 frames per second at 2k x 2k resolution.
The technical talk concluded with some discussion of audio issues and the applications of the system. These include long-form transfers of theatrical features for HDTV, and the ease of editing productions by making low-resolution scans, generating a pull list and scanning at high resolution only those scenes needed in the final product.
A high-definition tape of some scanned material was shown on a 16x9
high-resolution monitor while GTN staff took small groups on a tour of
the scanning facility.
Prior to the program, Central Region Governor Harold Miller gave the members an update on Society news from the Governor's meeting at the November conference.