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Help me to get broadcast quality?

Monday, 06/18/2007 -- by Alexey Drakunov. Subject: Help me to get broadcast quality?

Can you recommend any broadcast-quality(hi-end) Scan Converter to use with Scala? what is you opinion about "Matrox MXO" ?
Should i prefer DVI output from video-card? or S-video?

Is there professional video-cards with broadcast quality output, that supported in Scala?

Is there way to get Mpeg2-stream output from Scala?

Monday, 06/18/2007 -- by John Schilling. Subject: You need to use a "Broadcast Quality" Scan converter and stick to Broadcast resolutions

This has be covered many times over the years on this site. In searching on this topic you will find discussions extending past 11 years on this exact subject and most of its possible variations.

In short:

NTSC: 720x480, interlaced, 59.94 Hz, Use and ATi graphics card with EnTech Taiwan's PowerStrip to get the exact interlace timing modes. If you have a computer monitor connected--make sure that it can Scan _DOWN_ to 15kHz. Keep your colors "NTSC-Safe". [no pure black, red, or white--no more than 40 B/W or R/B color transitions to a Scan Line. If you have a higher-end can converter: 1440x960--PROGRESSIVE at 59.94 Hz. Snell & Wilcox or CURIOscan or Magni--expect to pay between USD$4,000 and $7,000 for the Scan Converter.

PAL: 720x576 or 1440x1152 50Hz interlaced. There is no "color transition" limitation as with NTSC--however do not over saturate your colors.

Remember: PC "Red" is not "Broadcast Red"--the color phosphors on TV's are different than on Computer Monitors. Never use a LCD or a PDP in designing your content for TV--stick to good MultiSync CRT's.


--JSS

Wednesday, 06/27/2007 -- by Alexey Drakunov. Subject: ?

Cant find any detailed information on what exactly video card should i chose, what Scan-converter is better in quality/cost ?

What color depth should i prefer?
should i configure my second monitor as analog display or default monitor?

Should i configure advanced timing on n-vidia videocard?

And, only on those resolutions scanconverters can give me broadcast quality on output? With readable small letters & text?

is 1440x1152 better than 720x576?

Can you advise me exact models of scanconverters that will suit me?

Do you know Realmagic videocards product family, those with composite video output? will they help me to get better result?



Wednesday, 06/27/2007 -- by John Schilling. Subject: 576 or 1152 mostly depends on what your Scan Converter can handle.

PAL video is 720x576i @ 50 Hz.

Feeding "Double H-V PAL", (e.g. 1440x1152p@100 Hz) into a Scan converter can result in a better quality image because the translation circuitry in the Scan Converter can use this "edge information" to make better alias selections on the outside edge" pixels of objects.

The obvious disadvantage is that with 4x the pixels to process--you need more computer/graphics horsepower. But given that "Broadcast Quality" Scan Converters retail in the USD$4,000 to $18,000 price range--the difference between using a $1,500 or a $2,500 PC to run your Player is trivial.

For Scan Converters/"A.K.A. Down Converters"

TVone:

http://www.tvone.com/scanconpage.shtml


Magni:

http://www.magnisystems.com/products/pricelist.htm


Snell & Wilcox:

http://www.snellwilcox.com/products/conversion_restoration/

NOTE: There is much more to the story--Reference Sync source, Video Switching, RF-Modulators, etc. If this is not your field--hire a Consulting Video Engineer.


--JSS

Wednesday, 07/04/2007 -- by Alexey Drakunov. Subject: ?

So if i dont want to have problems with scan converters and just take signal from S-video and then put it in video mixer for normalization?

If i will use card with high-quality S-video, like some Matrox or X-card (those must work as usual videocard also) will it help me?

What is in few words , main problem of today videocards s-video out in case of getting broadcast quality signal? whats wrong with them?

Wednesday, 07/04/2007 -- by Alexey Drakunov. Subject: ??

and i dont understand why Snell & Wilcox closed their production of hi-end scan converters??

Any way to use hi-end scan converter i need to split my RGB signal.. and have a sync signals... this is also not easy task..

Just want to try to get low-cost solution for broadcasting with good quality, dont want to spend more that 5-6k$ for equipment..

other way such solutions like mediabox are better..

Wednesday, 07/04/2007 -- by John Schilling. Subject: The C2 product line is in the $3K-$7K range

Problems:

The two or three graphics cards on the market with "broadcast quality" NTSC/PAL outputs are pathetic as actual graphics cards. [the Matrox cards are no interesting for anything with substantial 3D demands]

[and don't talk about any cusomer card with a USD$3.67 video encoder part for its S-Video...]

My approach would be to source a _used_ Magni 2300 series Genlock or one of the older DELTA/VineMicro/TVOne CURIOscan products. VGA input. Problem solved.

The real issue--the industry is in transition. Classic analogue NTSC/PAL is going away. All of the new stuff is targeting SDI, SDTV, and HDTV/DVB production.

--JSS


Sunday, 07/08/2007 -- by Alexey Drakunov. Subject: Dont sure what i need..

Cant find those old Magni Scanconverters, what exact Scanconderter do you recommend? http://www.tvone.co.uk/scanconpage.shtml C2-2100 ?

What can you say about MATROX APVE http://matrox.com/graphics/en/pid/products/parhelia/apve.php

Are you sure that there no Videocards with high-quality S-video output?


Maybe there is way to get mpeg2-ts stream from ther server that runs Scala?

Thursday, 07/12/2007 -- by Alexey Drakunov. Subject: What about matrox MXO?

Is there chance to cheat this mac Hardware and run it with scala?

Thursday, 07/12/2007 -- by John Schilling. Subject: Matrox offers excellent video/signal quality--with no useful performance

The matrox products provide for great resolution/signal attributes. However their actual _performance_ as 3D Graphics cards is unacceptable.

As for the scan converters--almost any of the external models _could_ meet your requirements. You really have not defined things well enough to indicate if the Eclipe CS-4## ($600) or a C2-2155 ($5,000) would meet your needs.

You really need access to a consulting Video Engineer so that you will know and learn what you do not know.

--JSS

Tuesday, 07/17/2007 -- by Alexey Drakunov. Subject: We have no provessional video enginieer in that area there in Kazakhstan



What things needs to be defined? Videocard? N-vidia Gforce 7900, IC3 player.

I have tried external CS-460 but results are pathetic... maybe because of incorrect input resolution?


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