Digital Video and Compression

Ever wondered how the Professionals create videos for the web which are tiny in size yet have extremely high quality? They understand and have mastered the key concepts of how Digital Video really works!
Key concepts such as:

- Key Frames
- Frame Rates / Data Rates
- Aspect Ratio
- Video Codecs
- Spatial and Temporal Compression
- Interlaced versus Progressive Scanning
- Digital Video Formats (DV, SD, HD, DVCAM, DVCPRO etc...) and more ...

We'll give in-depth explanation of all these and other important concepts in easy to understand language so you're not left guessing! Whether you're creating digital videos for home, upload to Youtube or Facebook, for a client or just video blogging, you need to know how video and compression really works! We'll explain in detail how to work with color, graphics, audio, video conversion, formats and codecs. Learn the tools and techniques for transferring video footage from your mini DV camera to your computer, editing and sharing video via the web or DVD.

Total Episodes: 20

Running Time: 2 Hours 14 Mins

Analog versus Digital

What's the fundamental differences between analog and digital signals? This is probably one of the most misunderstood concepts. We'll answer this once and for all. We'll also compare the advantages and disadvantages of analog and digital in terms of cost, storage and ease of manipulation.

Analog systems

Ever wondered why a DVD bought in the UK or Europe does not work in North America? It's because diffent countries decided to follow different video standards. It's just like the VHS versus Beta Max war. Learn the 3 main analog video formats in the industry:

- NTSC
- PAL
- SECAM

Detailed explanation on how the 3 formats differ with respect to Scanlines, Resolution, Frame Rate and Color.

Progressive versus Interlaced

Progressive and Interlaced scanning are the two primary video display formats. We'll explain the difference between the two and discuss which one is better if any! We'll go into scan lines, refresh rates, pillar and letter boxing, horizontal and vertical resolutions. We'll talk about flickering and how to avoid it in videos.

Fields versus Frames

Field is just another term for a video frame. We'll explore the subtle difference. Learn about Frame rate, or frame frequency. This is the measurement of the frequency (rate) at which a video playback device can show consecutive frames of images.

Digital Video Formats

This episode focuses on Digital Video Formats. In-depth explanation regarding the differences between:

- DV (Digital Video)
- SD (Standard Definition)
- HD (High Definition)

Explore the various formats within these categories such as MiniDV, DVCAM, DVCPRO, DigiBetacam, HDCAM and the newly emerged HDV format (which is combination of DV and HD).

Video conversion - Telecine

Why do we need video conversion?
What is the concept of Telecine (pronounced "tele-Sin-ee")?
This is important to understand when you are converting from traditional film to the digital world! We explore how 24 Frames per Second of film are converted into 30 frames or 60 Fields per Second of video using the technique called 3:2 pulldown.

Aspect Ratio

The term Aspect Ratio refers to the width of a picture (or screen) in relation to its height. Ratios are expressed in the form "width x height". We also explore the concept of field of view and show you the best distance to watch TV on a traditional 4:3 versus wide screen 16:9 televisions.

Time Codes

A time code is a sequence of numeric codes generated at regular intervals by a timing system. Time codes are used extensively for synchronization in videos. The SMPTE time code family of timecodes are almost universally used in film, video and audio production, and can be encoding in many different formats.

Progressive vs. Streaming

There are 2 methods to deliver video on the web. Progressive Download which is also known as On Demand Video and Streaming video. These two approaches are compared from a cost, technical and efficiency point of view.

Linear vs. Non Linear Video Editing

Linear video editing refers to selecting, arranging and modifying the images and sound recorded on videotape whether captured by a video camera, generated from a computer graphics program or recorded in a studio. Non-linear editing for film and television postproduction is a modern editing method which involves being able to jump to and access any frame in a video clip with the same ease as any other.

Computer and Video Graphics Compared Part I

There is a big difference between computer graphics and video graphics. If you take graphics created on a computer and show it on a video monitor, you'll be surprised to see the results! First of all, you'll notice that the colors don't look the same. If you've used thin lines, they'll tend to quiver and the picture will generally look fuzzy. So why are Computer and video graphics so different in nature? In this tutorial, we explore these differences.

Computer and Video Graphics Compared Part II

In this video guide, we explore the differences between graphics on a computer versus graphics on an analog Television.

Basic Concepts

In this video guide we define what a color space is and talk about the common color spaces currently in use today. We also cover color bars, what they are and how they're used to calibrate video monitors.

White Balance

White balance is an important function of any good quality video camera. We'll explore how white balance works and why it's crucial in the creating natural colors in videos.

Video Compression

What is video compression and why do we need it? You'll be surprised to learn that without this technology, video files would be extremely huge in size and video on the web would not be possible due to today's internet bandwidth limitations. We also the differences between a lossy and a lossless compression.

Spatial and Temporal Compression

Spatial and temporal compressions are the two main compressions schemes used today in achieving small video file sizes. We explore in-depth how they work and the pros and cons of both.

Key Frames

Key frames are probably the most misunderstood concepts of video editing. Their understanding is key to knowing how video compression works. The in-depth visual examples and explanation will demystify key frames once and for all!

Video Codecs

The word codec is a play on two words. Compression / Decompression. Video codec can be a hardware device or a software program that enables video compression and/or decompression (during playback) for digital video.

Data Rate

Data rate is crucial to understanding video compression. How does data rate effect the amount of compression achieved? We'll also explore the differences between constant bit rate and variable bit rate.

Basic Concepts

This episode introduces the essential concepts of audio. We start with a brief introduction to sound, then quickly move onto how sound is converted to digital audio and explain the concepts of samples rates and audio bit rates.