"P" vs. "K"

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"P" vs. "K"

There are a lot of numbers being thrown around regarding resolution - 4k, 3k, 2k, 1080p, 720p, etc. They all seem to get lumped in together as HD but I want to draw the definite distinction between them. "K's" while being high in resolution are not HD at all, in fact they aren't even video. "P" denotes a digital video HDTV format - information that conforms to a SMPTE HD protocol - 292M, 274M, 296M and references Tri-Level Sync to maintain a frequency and cadence that can be broadcast. "K" means RAW data that must be converted into some sort of viable video format before it can broadcast. The "K's" do not utilize video sync and do not conform to any protocol or color space other then whatever has been arbitrarily assigned to them. So in other words - "P" is video and "K" is data. A VariCam or Sony F900 is a video camera. A RED is a data camera. A Phantom is either a video camera or a data camera depending on if you are shooting "P" or "K". Just because a camera is tapeless - HPX, HVX, EX1, etc. - it does not make it a data camera. The data that would be recorded to digital video tape is instead recorded to a Hard Disk but the information that is recorded is still in the form of digital video and NOT RAW data. For example, you can shoot 1080i DVCPro HD files to a P2 card, give those files to the satellite feed truck and they can be on the air almost instantaneously. Not the case for "K". Someday with some modifications, "K" or some from of it may be a viable broadcast format. At this moment however, we just don't have the bandwidth to accommodate it.

Here's the Wiki on HDTV >>>

and Digital Cinema >>>

RED build 16

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RED build 16

Been working a lot with build 16 and I must say I'm pretty impressed. Some of my previous posts regarding RED have been less than positive and I don't want to create the impression that I'm anti-RED. Anything but. I think the addition of the REDspace viewing option is a huge improvement. Because RED is not digital video, I never understood why there was so much emphasis on working in REC709 color space in previous builds. Because most of us will be finishing our RED projects in HD, it makes sense to monitor and preview in the color space that you'll be mastering in but there was always something so wrong about the colors on the video tap. I find the REDspace to be much more complimentary to the color information in the Redcode RAW files and therefore more faithful for monitoring. That's the thing that's really cool about RED - it's not digital video so the possibilities for finishing are really endless.

Overall the image quality is on the up - less noise, a bit more latitude. There are some other features that while not so critical are nice to have such as 1080p playback and the VIEW RAW user switch. That key is actually pretty useful in that you can show production what they're going to see when they open the RedCode files. Takes a bit of the surprise away which is nice for them and for you.

When RED announced their upcoming products - Epic, Scarlet, and now the DSMC, I was a bit concerned that they were spreading themselves too thin and that they were no longer fully committed to making the One the best camera that it can be. I can say that with build 16 and the proposed features of build 17 that these guys are tireless and are totally committed to the One. In a few years this camera could easily be a fixture on most low to medium budget productions.

Basically what I see is that despite the rising cost of everything, there are new, remarkably affordable products out there that help to bring the cost of this new variety of post within the means of most productions. Products like the HP DreamColor monitor ($3000) which allows for color critical monitoring in 2k resolution. If you're wondering which monitor to use for color correcting your RedCode files, this is the one!. You'll need this too to get the most out of your monitor, the HD Link Pro from Black Magic Designs ($795). So there you have it - an affordable, color accurate monitoring solution for RED post that is under $4000. That's pretty amazing.