Capture Devices and Video Encoding Standards

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Capture Devices and Video Encoding Standards
Video Capture and Editing
B.Sc. (Hons) Multimedia Computing
Media Technologies
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Agenda

• Devices
• Connectivity
• Compression / Decompression (CODECS)
• Export formats
• MPEG-4
• Cinipac
• Sorenson Spark
• Deployment
• Support for Legacy Formats

B.Sc. (Hons) Multimedia Computing
Media Technologies
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Capture Devices

• PCI Card (PC)
• FireWire port on Mac( Developed by Apple) PC
• USB Port
• Video Camera
• Web Camera

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Connectivity
SCART Plugs and Sockets
Phono Leads (RCA)
Video in Audio in left Audio in right
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Connectivity
Audio Left (White)
Video (Yellow)
S-VHS
Audio Right (Red)
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The Serial Digital Interface Firewire

• Originally developed by Apple as the IEE1394
  Serial Digital Interface
• Refereed to as FireWire
• Simple and highly efficient method of not only
  transferring digital signals between devices
• Most Camcorders have DVout which can be connected
  to computer Firewire Port via appropriate lead
• Two connector sizes, four pin - Camcorder, and
  six pin - computer

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The Serial Digital Interface Firewire

• Connection between computer and camcorder
  enables users to control the camcorder playback
• Where suitably equipped DV-in camcorders are
  present - recording functions using the on-screen
  controls of the appropriate program

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Compression Decompression CODECS

• Need CODEC on system to play movie or extract
  compressed data to load into an editing
  application ( Premiere) etc.
• Some CODECS not well-supported across platforms
• MPEG is best for multimedia
• Sorenson via Flash MX best solution

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Export Formats

• Cinepac (Radius)
• MPEG
• Sorenson Spark
• Video for Windows (Indeo)
• File types
• avi (Windows)
• mpg. (MPEG)
• Mov (Quicktime)

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Deployment

• Compromises required to bring resource
  requirements of video within capabilities of
  delivery medium ( e.g networks) and low-end
  machines
• Reduce frame size - down sample to quarter frame
  size - i.e. 320x240 pixels
• Reduce sample rate (12 or 15 fps is OK for
  smoothmotion, flicker not a problem on computer
• Reduce colour depth

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Support for Legacy Formats

• Betamax
• Video 8
• VHS

Director Final Cut Video Transfer Interface
Devices
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References

• Digital Multimedia 2nd EditionChapman N. Chapman
  J. Wiley. 2004
• http//www.cinepak.com/
• http//www.mpeg.org/
• http//www.sorenson.com/

B.Sc. (Hons) Multimedia Computing
Media Technologies