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Feb 7, 2005 3:01 PM
Recording HDV Using WM9
By Steve Mullen
While we wait and wait for the Blu-ray and/or HD DVD to arrive, how can we distribute HD productions at a low cost? Because I prefer to watch HD on my LCD projector, I want a video oriented device. So I use JVC’s D-VHS. If you are not familiar with D-VHS, and many videographers are not, I’ll cover it in our next issue.
For others, especially those whose only HD-capable device is their computer screen, the current ideal solution is to encode DVDs using Microsoft’s Windows Media 9 encoder.
Microsoft renamed the codec VC-1 in hopes of SMPTE approval as a "standard." This hasn’t happened yet, but may in the next few months.
While all this works itself out, you can use WM9 with most applications that support HD and/or HDV to create 720p or 1080p HD DVDs. If you choose this path, you need to be aware of an issue. The playback computer must meet Microsoft’s requirements. There are different requirements for 720p and 1080p. Check www.wmvhd.com to learn what the current requirements are.
To experiment with WM9, I decided to use Sony Vegas 5 to create WM9 encoded media. First I created a short text “movie.” Then, using Sony’s tools, I added a 5.1 Surround Sound track. After creating a timeline, I issued File > Render As… then, under Save As, I set the Type to “Windows Media Video V9 (*.wmv)” and set the type of encode as 720p. It really couldn’t be simpler--unless you own a Mac.
Fortunately, a new product called Flip4Mac WMV Pro/HD allows you to encode HD WM9 under OS X. (See the Flip4Mac feature list below.) However, when it comes to playing WM9 on Mac, you have a major problem.
The WM9 decoder supplied by Microsoft for OS X is essentially unable to play HD at any reasonable rate. It’s not clear when, or if, this problem will be solved by Microsoft. Apple, of course, has no interest in solving any WM9 product problem because it is betting on the highly improved MPEG-4 H.264 (AVC) QuickTime codec shipping later this year.
WMV Export Component 1.0.3
($99 Standard version, $179 Pro/HD version)
Standard version features:
- Windows Media Video 9.
- Single-pass video encoding.
- Constant (CBR) and variable (VBR) bit rates.
- Windows Media Audio 9 Standard.
- Up to 48 kHz audio sampling rates.
- Two-pass video encoding.
- Up to HD video resolutions.
- Windows Media Audio Professional.
- 5.1 channel audio.
- Up to 96kHz audio sampling rate.
The Flip4Mac WMV Export Component lets you export Windows Media files directly from within QuickTime-based application running on the Mac OS X platform. It supports QuickTime Player, iMovie, Final Cut Pro HD, and more. By encoding right on your Mac, you save time and the hassle of working with different systems and software packages.
Simply select Windows Media from the list of available formats in the Export function of your QuickTime-based application. You can either set the format parameters or set the specific format parameters you desire.
System requirements include: Mac OS X 10.3 or higher and QuickTime Pro Version 6.5.1 or later. Applications supported include: Final Cut Pro HD, iMovie 3.0.3, Media Cleaner 6.1, and Sorenson Squeeze 4.1
Recording HD on a CD-ROM
By Steve Mullen
When we think about HD and optical media, we naturally think DVD. I’ve discovered that’s a way too limited view of WM9. After creating a WM9 file with 5.1 WM9 audio on a PC, I had to move it to my Mac to check playback. My first thought was to move it via WiFi. I decided against moving an HD movie via wireless because I expected it would take far too long. My next thought was to burn a DVD, but I did not have a blank DVD+R.
So I popped in a CD and burned the 4:25-minute movie. After the burn, I checked how much space was free on the CD. It was only then I realized how tiny the HD movie was—only 222MB. The WM9 video and audio process is really efficient.
A quick calculation shows 12 minutes of 720p30 HD with 5.1-channel sound can be stored on a CD-ROM. That is long enough for many purposes. And if you typically send short productions on optical discs, you can save a lot of money.
With a powerful computer that has a fast CD-ROM, you can play a movie from the optical disk. The better option, however, is to copy the movie to the computer’s internal hard disk.
There is one issue you need to consider when playing WM9 files, DVDs, and CD-ROMs. Microsoft records its 5.1 audio as six WM9 encoded channels. Dolby Digital 5.1 is not used. That means if you want 5.1 audio, you’ll need to purchase a
When a SP/DIF port is available, you can use the
Now that we know how small an HD movie can be, one has to wonder how small the computer can be. My appreciation of WM9 encoding increased when discovered I was able to play my HD CD-ROM movie on the 1280x768-pixel screen of a 3lb. Sony VAIO PCGTR3A notebook. This is one of the smallest laptops, with a screen perfect for 720p HD video. Wow!
Apple Announces iLife ’05
Apple has announced iLife ’05, the upgrade to Apple’s suite of digital lifestyle applications, featuring major new versions of iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and GarageBand, and including the latest version of iTunes.
Now iMovie HD allows users to capture and edit stunning High Definition Video (HDV) from the new generation of HDV camcorders. iMovie HD also includes Magic iMovie. With just a few clicks, Magic iMovie automatically imports your video into separate clips, adds titles, transitions, and music, all in one step. iMovie HD imports video from HDV and standard DV camcorders, and from video cameras that generate MPEG-4 video.
iDVD 5 includes 15 new themes featuring moving drop zones that can display video clips or photos in motion across DVD menus. iDVD 5 also features OneStep DVD, which lets users create DVDs by simply plugging in a DV camcorder and clicking a button. iDVD 5 now supports all single-sided DVD formats including -R, +R, -RW and +RW with a compatible Apple SuperDrive.
iPhoto 5 adds advanced editing tools so you can perfect your photos without ever leaving iPhoto, including controls to set exposure, black and white points, saturation, tint, temperature, and sharpness, while also showing users a histogram. iPhoto 5 adds support for uncompressed RAW photos throughout the entire application so that high-end users can exploit all the image data their cameras can capture.
iLife ’05 also includes iTunes 4.7.1. iTunes provides seamless integration with Apple's complete family of popular iPods, including the new iPod shuffle.
GarageBand put a complete recording studio on a Mac. GarageBand 2 adds eight-track recording, so users can record an entire band at once, plus pitch and timing correction to quickly fix those tracks that don’t sound perfect. GarageBand 2 now displays and edits musical notation in real time for people who know how to read and write music or want to learn.
iLife ’05 is available for $79 through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers. The iLife ’05 suite of applications will be included with all new Macs, and an iLife Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to all customers who purchase a new Mac on or after Jan. 11 that does not include iLife ’05 for a shipping and handling fee of $19.95.
Sonic Announces Support for Blu-ray Disc Data Recording
Sonic Solutions announced at the Consumer Electronics Show that it will support the forthcoming Blu-ray data recording standard in its line of Sonic and Roxio consumer applications, as well as in its industry-standard AuthorScript Software Development Kit (SDK) for CD and DVD creation. Working closely with the leading drive manufacturers implementing the Blu-ray format, Sonic is using the technology to deliver the industry's first next generation BD-RE and BD-R data recording applications. The first drives will ship in the summer of 2005.
Ideal for the new generation of multimedia PCs, Blu-ray recordable media can hold 25GB of data on a single-layer disc, providing the high capacity required for digital media archival of home movies, recorded TV shows, music collections, and digital photos. As the Blu-ray Disc video formats are finalized, Sonic will release a complete line of professional and consumer Blu-ray Disc applications for creation and playback of high-definition interactive content.
“With the capacity to store four to five times the content of a standard DVD, Blu-ray Disc can satisfy the requirements of a whole new range of data-hungry applications, including high-definition video recording and playback, data backup, and personal media archival,” said Jim Taylor, general manager of Sonic's Advanced Technology Group. “The increased capacity of Blu-ray, combined with data transfer rates of up to 36Mbps, offer both consumers and professionals a new range of recording applications.”
By incorporating Blu-ray file system support into Sonic’s AuthorScript engine, the technology core that underlies Sonic’s consumer and professional products, Sonic will rapidly enable its complete line of CD and DVD recording applications to take advantage of the Blu-ray Disc data format. This support also provides the foundation for future high-definition recording applications such as recording HDTV programming directly to disc with high-speed random access and retrieval of recorded programs, as well as editing and marking functions.
Century New Wide Angle Converter for Sony HDV
The new Century .7X HD Wide Angle Converter has been specially designed to complement the Sony HDV camcorder’s higher resolution, wider angle lens system. This professional add-on lens produces crisp, high resolution images with low distortion, and superior contrast edge to edge. Century’s hallmark multi-coated glass elements provide sharp images free of unwanted distortion or chromatic aberration.
Well suited for shots calling for a wider angle of view while retaining full zoom capability, the .7X HD Wide Angle Converter attaches to the front of the 12X lens to offer 30% more coverage at any setting, from wide angle to telephoto. Equipped with a bayonet mount, installation and removal is quick and easy.
The .7X HD Wide Angle Converter permits a variety of filtering solutions. As an introductory special, Century is including at no charge a rectangular 105mm clamp-on wide angle sunshade ($275) with a provision for (1) 4x4 glass filter in a holder. (Holder not included.) Screw-on round filters such as the Schneider Clear-UV and Polarizer are also available for direct front lens mounting. Plus, the Converter is fully compatible with most professional matte boxes, including the Century MKII System. The price for the .7X HD Wide Angle Converter is $995.
In addition to the .7X HD Wide Angle Converter, Century Optics offers a series of lens add-ons for the Sony HDR-FX1 HDV and HVR-Z1U camcorders, including: the .6X Wide Angle Adapter, 1.6X Tele-Converter, Fisheye Adapters, and Achromatic Diopters.
