Major Camera Manufacturers Propose HD Video Specs
July 08, 2003
Tokyo, Japan - Canon Inc., Sharp Corporation, Sony Corporation, and Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC) have announced a joint proposal of basic specifications for “HDV” (tentative name) format which realizes
recording and playback of high-definition video on a DV cassette tape.
The HDV format includes 720p (progressive) and 1080i (interlace) specifications, and enables the development of products conforming to the global high-definition infrastructure. The four companies will actively promote the specifications throughout the industry and plan to finalize the
specifications around September 2003.
BS digital high-definition broadcasting, which started December 2001, and digital terrestrial broadcasting scheduled to commence in December 2003 have increased anticipation toward the expansion of high-definition broadcasting in Japan.
Growing sales of high-definition television sets and the
introduction of digital high-definition video recorders, such as D-VHS and
Blu-ray Disc recorders, have enriched customer enjoyment of high-definition video in the home.
The HDV format specifies the data recording of MPEG2 compressed
high-definition signals based on the DV format, which is internationally
accepted as a consumer digital VCR format.
Because the new format employs the same cassette case, tape speed, and track pitch as the DV format, it can utilize mechanical parts based on the DV format. It also makes it easy for
manufacturers to undertake the development of products that are highly
compatible with the DV format.
The 720p specifications in the HDV format are the same specifications as
adopted in the GR-HD1 high-definition digital video camera which JVC
introduced to the market in March 2003. By adopting both the 720p and the 1080i specifications, the HDV format will enable users to record
high-definition video and further disseminate the enjoyment realized of
high-definition video.
The HDV format records both video and audio through compression by MPEG encoding. Video signals are compressed by MPEG2 encoding (inter-frame compression) as BS digital broadcasting, making possible the recording and playback of high-definition video at a bit rate equivalent to the DV format SD (standard definition) specifications (intra-frame compression.)
Audio signals are digitized with a 48kHz/16-bit quantization sampling frequency and compressed to 384kbps by MPEG1 Audio Layer II encoding.
HDV Format Key Characteristics
1) Ability to record and play back high-definition video on internationally
accepted DV format cassette tapes
2) Adoption of 720p/1080i formats to comply with progressive and interlace specifications for high- definition recording and playback
The HDV format complies with both the 720 scanning lines (progressive)/1280 horizontal pixels 720p format (60p, 30p, 50p, 25p), and the 1080 scanning lines (interlace)/1440 horizontal pixels 1080i format (60i, 50i).
3) Improved error correction
By changing the error correction method from error correction within a
track, as specified in the DV-SD format, to error correction among multiple
tracks, the HDV format offers improved error correction capability and
enhanced resistance to lost data caused by dropout.
4) Data for special playback
Video signals compressed by MPEG encoding do not support image display
during special playback such as fast search. The HDV format records specific data for special playback on a dedicated tape, enabling the display of video images during special playback such as fast search or slow-motion playback. (Video image quality during special playback will differ from that during normal playback.)
HDV Format Main Specifications
Media Same as DV format (DV and/or Mini DV cassette tape)
Video
Video Signal 720/60p, 720/30p
720/50p, 720/25p 1080/60i, 1080/50i
Number of Pixels 1280 X 720 1440 X 1080
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Compression MPEG2 Video (profile & level: MP@H-14)
Sampling Frequency for Luminance 74.25MHz 55.7MHz
Sampling Format 4 : 2 : 0
Quantization 8 bits (both luminance and chrominance)
Bit rate after Compression Approximately 19Mbps Approximately 25Mbps
Audio
Compression MPEG1 Audio Layer II
Sampling Frequency 48kHz
Quantization 16 bits
Bit rate after Compression 384kbps
Audio Mode Stereo (2 channels)
System
Data Format MPEG2 Systems
Stream Type Transport Stream Packetized Elementary Stream
Stream Interface IEEE1394 (MPEG2-TS)
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