4:1:1 vs. 4:2:2 at DVinfo.net

Jason Chang · October 22nd, 2003, 08:47 PM

Can anyone tell the difference between a video footage shot on a 4:1:1 format camera and a camera with a higher color sampling ratio?

John Jackman · October 22nd, 2003, 08:56 PM

Yes. If your eyes are trained and you know what you're looking for, you can see it. It shows up clearly in certain situations where sharp color shifts are needed.

It shows up worst in chrom keying, of course, but there are now good solutions for that.

The average eye will not be able to see the difference, but there are post processing situations that will accentuate the problems.

Jeff Donald · October 22nd, 2003, 09:15 PM

The term 4:2:2 refers to the ratio between the number of samples of the luminance channel (4 samples) and the chrominance channels (2 samples each). So for every 4 luminance samples each color channel is sampled twice. 4:2:2 would have twice the color bandwidth or detail as 4:1:1

Jason Chang · October 23rd, 2003, 07:12 AM

Thanks for taking the time!

Zac Stein · October 23rd, 2003, 07:25 AM

I think the difference you will see will actually come from the fact that any camera that output 4:2:2 is of much higher quality than a standard consumer dv camera. So yes everything jumps in quality.

Zac

Barry Green · October 23rd, 2003, 10:28 AM

You can answer this one for yourself, if you get a chance to demo the Panasonic SDX900. It's switchable between 4:1:1 and 4:2:2, so you can see the exact same camera/lens combo used to record both formats, and then judge whether you think there's a difference...

Jason Chang · October 25th, 2003, 09:58 AM

Thank you for taking the time to help me out!

October 22nd, 2003, 08:47 PM	#1
Jason Chang Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: San Diego, CA USA Posts: 163	4:1:1 vs. 4:2:2 Can anyone tell the difference between a video footage shot on a 4:1:1 format camera and a camera with a higher color sampling ratio?

October 22nd, 2003, 08:56 PM	#2
John Jackman Great DV dot com Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Lewisville, NC Posts: 78	Yes. If your eyes are trained and you know what you're looking for, you can see it. It shows up clearly in certain situations where sharp color shifts are needed. It shows up worst in chrom keying, of course, but there are now good solutions for that. The average eye will not be able to see the difference, but there are post processing situations that will accentuate the problems. __________________ John Jackman www.johnjackman.com

October 22nd, 2003, 09:15 PM	#3
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	The term 4:2:2 refers to the ratio between the number of samples of the luminance channel (4 samples) and the chrominance channels (2 samples each). So for every 4 luminance samples each color channel is sampled twice. 4:2:2 would have twice the color bandwidth or detail as 4:1:1 __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

October 23rd, 2003, 07:12 AM	#4
Jason Chang Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: San Diego, CA USA Posts: 163	Thanks for taking the time!

October 23rd, 2003, 07:25 AM	#5
Zac Stein Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 730	I think the difference you will see will actually come from the fact that any camera that output 4:2:2 is of much higher quality than a standard consumer dv camera. So yes everything jumps in quality. Zac

October 23rd, 2003, 10:28 AM	#6
Barry Green Barry Wan Kenobi Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 3,863	You can answer this one for yourself, if you get a chance to demo the Panasonic SDX900. It's switchable between 4:1:1 and 4:2:2, so you can see the exact same camera/lens combo used to record both formats, and then judge whether you think there's a difference...

October 25th, 2003, 09:58 AM	#7
Jason Chang Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: San Diego, CA USA Posts: 163	Thank you for taking the time to help me out!