Encoding Super 8, by Philip Vigeant
Encoding is the process of converting motion picture images into something that can be played in a computer. Computers handle film images differently than it does analogue video or digital video. Because this is a new way to look at pictures there are many changes to the traditional ways we look at them. As with all new things there a lots of choices and big companies are trying their hardest to make themselves the new standard. Things are changing so rapidly that I fear even this article might have some outdated notions before it gets published. But since so many super8 users are exploring these options I thought it would be good to try and explain some of the exciting opportunities for Super8 users in the encoded world.
There are two areas where the computer has proven itself in moving images beyond any argument. First in its ability to edit and manage and second as a way to deliver content cheaply and quickly to an audience. Although these both run through a computer the objectives and the strengths and weakness are completely at opposite sides of the image universe. On the one side you have 35mm features being edited digitally at 2K and now even 4K resolution. On the other you have You-Tube the lowest quality images imaginable that is revolutionizing the film business. The maximum and the minimum resolution have included Super8 film, and being a part of both extremes for what is clearly completely different reasons.
Let’s start with the Max. To max out what you have on Super8 in a computer you have to understand the working parameter of modern computer and storage. Even though Super8 is the smallest form of motion picture film it takes enormous amounts of data to describe each frame. A 10 bit uncompressed minute of Super8 stored at 4:2:2 1920 X 1080 High Definition resolution is 8 Gigabytes of raw data at 23:98PSF. In short hand, this is what most people call 1080p, favored by most people that originate in film. If you work in 1080i which is 29.97 interlaced images, recorded at 59.94i, it would be 10 Gig per minute. In short hand 1080i is preferred by most people who originate in video. In standard definition the same minute of 10 bit uncompressed would be approximately 2 Gigabytes per minute.
Unless you’re in the professional post production world you will probably not have the capacity to play such large data files in real time on your home computer system. This will change as computers and storage devices get faster and cheaper but for now you’re out of luck. For this reason most information is compressed in some way so that lesser systems can handle this amount of data traveling at the speed necessary to play it. The good news is even though you can’t play these files in real time you should be able to access them and convert them to something you can play. One of the advantages of computer digital is that you don’t have to have an expensive tape machine to have a very high resolution version of your images that you can directly access. To do the top quality in Standard Definition in digital video tape you need a Digital Beta deck which costs about $40,000.00. With a 10 bit file you can have the same quality on a hard drive that you can axis from your laptop, so you can get axis to high quality without the expense of high end video decks. This will become even more important as you investigate High Definition. Unlike SD that is dominated by Digital Beta, HD has many competing tape formats that can run over $100,000.00 per deck. With the ever dropping cost of Hard Drives and computing speed this workflow is much more practical for independent filmmakers.
Regardless of how you compress the files it is helpful to start with data put into a form that is most compatible with your system. In Mac World the folder form is .mov which is usually played with a QuickTime Player. In PC world the folder is .avi and the player is most often Windows Media Player. You can play some .mov folders in Windows and some .avi files in Mac but this can get sticky at times. There are also many other players and formats…more about that later.
Once your raw data is put in a folder you have 100 different options on how to compress your motion picture images. This type of compressing is called a Codec. Compressing can be done with a software program or it can be done with a hardware based compressor. Hardware based compressing is often very fast and can usually work the data in real time. Software based encoders will often have to crunch on the data for some time to deliver the new file compressed. Some Codec’s’ are very universal like mpeg2, the one used for all DVD’s. Some are exclusive to particular programs like Macs’ new Pro-Res 422 designed for their new Final Cut Studio 2. You can think of a codec like a tape digital format such as DV Compressed, which is supposed is to be roughly the equivalent to Mini DV in the computer world. On thing that is very different about computer digital is that you can dictate to the program that is doing the encoding what quality level you desire. The program that controls the encoding can adjust parameters including the over all quality, the size and even the number of frames stored per second.
(Optibase Encoder Board)
At Pro8mm we use a hardware based encoder for doing DV compression files. A DV compressed file at its best resolution setting is storing 30 (29.97 exactly) frames per second. This is approximately 1 gigabyte for 4 minutes of Super8 film, (250 Meg per minute). This would be 8 times as compressed as a 10 bit uncompressed file of standard definition raw data. When we compress to the Mpeg2 codec we use an Optibase Hardware Encoder which also has a variable quality setting. In this situation we want the best quality but we need it to play on the average DVD player. Through experience of making thousands of DVD’s of Super8 film we have found the optimum to be a compression that works out to be about 40 megabytes per minute.
One of the more confusing parts of computer based images is to know all the parameters that are needed to get an image to play on your system. For example why will your computer play a commercial DVD and not a 10 bit .mov file? Most computers, having the programs to do so can play a 10 bit file, but they can not play it fast enough to watch it in real time. There is simply not enough speed between it’s’ storage form which is the DVD drive, the computer, and the display. For example my home laptop will not play even a DV compressed folder from a DVD, but it will play a DVD with MPeg2 recording. But if I drag the folder of DV compressed files from the DVD to the desktop it will play. The speed from my DVD player is sufficient to run Mpeg2 but not Dv compressed. The speed from my internal hard drive is fast enough to run DV compressed. If I try to run a 10 bit HD file of 23:98PSF in my computer with Windows Media Player it will play, but it will skip frames and often chokes on the process. If I play the same file in QuickTime it will not work at all. Once you have some of the parameters down you can do incredible things but you need to be prepared when entering this workflow on how to put it all together.
DVD’s can be used in a multitude of ways as both a vehicle to play images in a home player and to store computer files. The DVD is defined not only as a medium but by what is recorded on the medium. The DVD that is designed to play in a DVD home player has files encoded with the codec Mpeg2. In addition these DVD’s have header information so the player can recognize it and the information that can be organized with chapter stops and menus. The DVD’s we use to record on are DVD-R which is the most universal next to the commercial DVD. Some older home DVD players will not play a DVD-R even though the correct data is recorded on them. This is due to the reading systems of the first home DVD players. You can also use a DVD-R as data storage for computers. In this form of DVD, files can but place on the DVD for retrieval by computer systems. In addition to DVD single sided recording you can also use DL dual layer DVD to expand the capacity to 8.5 Gig on a single DVD. To play what is on a DVD you have to have the right hardware and software to do the job. For example if you have home DVD player you can look at the spec page to see what format DVD this player will play. Will it play DVD-R or DVD+R? Most computers are designed to play the different formats of DVD but you have to have the correct software on you computer to play the program. For example you could have a DVD+R DL that have a DV compressed .mov file. So if you computer has DL DVD capacity and a QuickTime Player you should be able to play this file provided your computer has the speed to handle it.
Once you start playing with movie files you quickly see how limited 4.7 Gig of space of is. The solution to this problem is an external Hard Drive. Portable hard drives are the perfect way to transport large data files. Hard Drives range from a low number gigabyte to terabytes. They can have 4 different types of connection and many have some combination of these 4: USB2, Fire wire 400, Fire wire 800 and E-sata. USB2 preferred by PC and Fire wire 400 preferred by Mac can handle the same speed of transfer between your computer and the hard drive. Fire wire 800 about doubles that and E-sata about doubles Fire wire 800. The transfer rate between your computer is important for two reasons. If you are just taking files from your drive and loading it into your computer it takes about 1 GIG a minute at USB2 speed to transfer the data. 40 gigs of data take 40 minutes. If you want to play the data from your drive on your computer without transferring it to your computer then the connection speed must support the data rate needed to play the data. This is critical for all computer devices both external and internal. Since 1 minute of Super8 stored at 10 Bit uncompressed HD in 23:98 PSF is about 8 Gigabytes per minute. You need some killer speed to play this file in real time. But no matter how slow your computer is you can transfer the data to your computer or just access the data from the drive, compress it and you can play it.
Some Basic Rough Super8 Numbers: Super8 @ (Mpeg2 DVD) 40 Megabytes per minuteSuper8@ (Dv compressed) 250 Megabytes per minuteSuper8@ (10Bit SD) 2 Gigabytes Per minuteSuper8 @ (10Bit HD @ 23:98PSF) 8 Gigabytes per minute To get the best encoding you have to start with the best digital version of Super8. We usually go directly from Super8 to SDI video (Serial Digital 4:2:2) into the encoder We can also go to digital tape then from tape to the encoder with the same quality provided we are always encoding from a higher quality source. For Mpeg2 we could first go to Mini DV. (Serial Digital 4:1:1) with the same quality as 4:2:2 but we would not make a 10 bit file from taking this path. We would have to go to Digital Beta. If you transfer Super8 to VHS and then encode to DVD verse Super8 to SDI 4:2:2 to DVD. The quality difference will be amazing. You never want to transfer from a high quality medium to a low quality and then back to a high quality. This is true with all image forms including the new world of images on computer. A big mistake would be to put Super8 directly on Mpeg2 DVD if you want to edit it with a program that uses DV compression. You will see a significant loss of quality when transcoding from MPEG2 to Dv compressed. If you transfer Super8 to Dv Compressed then edit and make a DVD with the same system you will see a significant improvement in quality. Within the computer world as with all images you can always transfer between one form and another and can even get this encoder for free on the internet. But there are different quality levels of encoders and you never want to go from low to high quality when you have a higher quality to begin with.
The best quality computer file of Super 8 in standard definition would be a 10 bit uncompressed file. These files are big so prepare to keep this on a large storage device like an external hard drive. Calculate your need at approximately 2 Gig per minute for Standard Def and 8 Gig in High Def. You will probably not be able to play this large file on you current computer system. But you can bring this file into your world then using your edit program to compress them down to a size your present system can handle.
At this time at Pro8mm we are already working with many customers that get their Super8 scanned to HD and we deliver 10 bit uncompressed files on portable hard drives. These companies then transfer the files into there computer as needed and with their edit software compress the data to there desired project working standard. If a project is for the internet it has to be compressed down to the standard required to travel at internet speeds. A project on You Tube has to be 100Mb or less. Since that is just over 1 minute of DVD quality how do they do it? On a computer, the size of the image can be changed along with the number of frames per second. By making images smaller you can compact them much more than if they have to stay the standard size for television. You Tube, like so many of the internet world players have their own compression technology that will take what you send them and compress it to fit in their space. As you will no doubt experience the way this data gets compressed on the output makes a huge difference as to how it looks. You can take a look at a 1 minute sample of the 2006 Pro8mm demo up on You Tube I did several years ago (Search Pro8mm and look at A Super8 Sample) and you will see how badly the compressor handles my file. I uploaded from a 1 minute Mpeg4 .mov file that looks fantastic on my laptop. Compare this to a 6 minute version of the 2008 Pro8mm Demo we recently compressed to play on Flash on the Pro8mm new web site and you can see how important compression and the players are to the final quality of your work. Both of these come from the same standard def Digi Beta original transfer of Super8.
Compressing Super8 for small screen applications has some exciting possibilities for Super8. Because of the way compacting acts on an image the difference between originating on larger film such as Super16 and something shot on Super8 is much less apparent. Simply put the smaller you make an image the more difficult you will find judging what format it was produced on. The first time I viewed and internet music video I worked on I had to go back to my notes and check what format the job was originated on. Since I look at this type of material every day I was more than a little shocked that I could not tell weather it was Super8 or Super16. I completely enjoy the unique look of super8…. a uniqueness that is more apparent the larger you make it. It is also exciting to know that the smaller you make it, the easier it is to fool an audience into believing a production was produced at a much higher level.
When working toward an internet release or even DVD it is also possible to work with much smaller much more compressed files. You don’t need to start with a 10 bit version of your Super8 if your objective is the internet. You could have your film encoded with compression so you can work with much smaller files. In DV compressed, about 18 minutes of Super8 would fit on a DATA DVD. Since the file is small most computers will easily play the file and you don’t need a large storage device. Everything you do in editing will run much faster with smaller data. Big files require a lot of time to move. A terabyte of data traveling over a USB 2 connection between a computer and hard drive will take over 16 hours. This kind of slow movement is not a lot of fun when you’re up against a deadline. So although 10 bit is the best in terms of information, it may not be the most practical if you want to rapidly get out a project for DVD or the Internet . . . The world of images is ever changing and you will no doubt discover new and interesting ways to work with Super8. Every day I see a project that pushes the way we understand the limits and the possibilities of Super8 film. New technology is often an incredible way to enhance what we already enjoy. What I find so interesting about Super8 is how adaptable and enjoyable the look is not only on Super8, but on video, on a computer, in a theater, in High Definition, or even downloaded on the internet.Encoding Super 8, by Philip Vigeant
Encoding is the process of converting motion picture images into something that can be played in a computer. Computers handle film images differently than it does analogue video or digital video. Because this is a new way to look at pictures there are many changes to the traditional ways we look at them. As with all new things there a lots of choices and big companies are trying their hardest to make themselves the new standard. Things are changing so rapidly that I fear even this article might have some outdated notions before it gets published. But since so many super8 users are exploring these options I thought it would be good to try and explain some of the exciting opportunities for Super8 users in the encoded world.
There are two areas where the computer has proven itself in moving images beyond any argument. First in its ability to edit and manage and second as a way to deliver content cheaply and quickly to an audience. Although these both run through a computer the objectives and the strengths and weakness are completely at opposite sides of the image universe. On the one side you have 35mm features being edited digitally at 2K and now even 4K resolution. On the other you have You-Tube the lowest quality images imaginable that is revolutionizing the film business. The maximum and the minimum resolution have included Super8 film, and being a part of both extremes for what is clearly completely different reasons.
Let’s start with the Max. To max out what you have on Super8 in a computer you have to understand the working parameter of modern computer and storage. Even though Super8 is the smallest form of motion picture film it takes enormous amounts of data to describe each frame. A 10 bit uncompressed minute of Super8 stored at 4:2:2 1920 X 1080 High Definition resolution is 8 Gigabytes of raw data at 23:98PSF. In short hand, this is what most people call 1080p, favored by most people that originate in film. If you work in 1080i which is 29.97 interlaced images, recorded at 59.94i, it would be 10 Gig per minute. In short hand 1080i is preferred by most people who originate in video. In standard definition the same minute of 10 bit uncompressed would be approximately 2 Gigabytes per minute.
Unless you’re in the professional post production world you will probably not have the capacity to play such large data files in real time on your home computer system. This will change as computers and storage devices get faster and cheaper but for now you’re out of luck. For this reason most information is compressed in some way so that lesser systems can handle this amount of data traveling at the speed necessary to play it. The good news is even though you can’t play these files in real time you should be able to access them and convert them to something you can play. One of the advantages of computer digital is that you don’t have to have an expensive tape machine to have a very high resolution version of your images that you can directly access. To do the top quality in Standard Definition in digital video tape you need a Digital Beta deck which costs about $40,000.00. With a 10 bit file you can have the same quality on a hard drive that you can axis from your laptop, so you can get axis to high quality without the expense of high end video decks. This will become even more important as you investigate High Definition. Unlike SD that is dominated by Digital Beta, HD has many competing tape formats that can run over $100,000.00 per deck. With the ever dropping cost of Hard Drives and computing speed this workflow is much more practical for independent filmmakers.
Regardless of how you compress the files it is helpful to start with data put into a form that is most compatible with your system. In Mac World the folder form is .mov which is usually played with a QuickTime Player. In PC world the folder is .avi and the player is most often Windows Media Player. You can play some .mov folders in Windows and some .avi files in Mac but this can get sticky at times. There are also many other players and formats…more about that later.
Once your raw data is put in a folder you have 100 different options on how to compress your motion picture images. This type of compressing is called a Codec. Compressing can be done with a software program or it can be done with a hardware based compressor. Hardware based compressing is often very fast and can usually work the data in real time. Software based encoders will often have to crunch on the data for some time to deliver the new file compressed. Some Codec’s’ are very universal like mpeg2, the one used for all DVD’s. Some are exclusive to particular programs like Macs’ new Pro-Res 422 designed for their new Final Cut Studio 2. You can think of a codec like a tape digital format such as DV Compressed, which is supposed is to be roughly the equivalent to Mini DV in the computer world. On thing that is very different about computer digital is that you can dictate to the program that is doing the encoding what quality level you desire. The program that controls the encoding can adjust parameters including the over all quality, the size and even the number of frames stored per second.
(Optibase Encoder Board)
At Pro8mm we use a hardware based encoder for doing DV compression files. A DV compressed file at its best resolution setting is storing 30 (29.97 exactly) frames per second. This is approximately 1 gigabyte for 4 minutes of Super8 film, (250 Meg per minute). This would be 8 times as compressed as a 10 bit uncompressed file of standard definition raw data. When we compress to the Mpeg2 codec we use an Optibase Hardware Encoder which also has a variable quality setting. In this situation we want the best quality but we need it to play on the average DVD player. Through experience of making thousands of DVD’s of Super8 film we have found the optimum to be a compression that works out to be about 40 megabytes per minute.
One of the more confusing parts of computer based images is to know all the parameters that are needed to get an image to play on your system. For example why will your computer play a commercial DVD and not a 10 bit .mov file? Most computers, having the programs to do so can play a 10 bit file, but they can not play it fast enough to watch it in real time. There is simply not enough speed between it’s’ storage form which is the DVD drive, the computer, and the display. For example my home laptop will not play even a DV compressed folder from a DVD, but it will play a DVD with MPeg2 recording. But if I drag the folder of DV compressed files from the DVD to the desktop it will play. The speed from my DVD player is sufficient to run Mpeg2 but not Dv compressed. The speed from my internal hard drive is fast enough to run DV compressed. If I try to run a 10 bit HD file of 23:98PSF in my computer with Windows Media Player it will play, but it will skip frames and often chokes on the process. If I play the same file in QuickTime it will not work at all. Once you have some of the parameters down you can do incredible things but you need to be prepared when entering this workflow on how to put it all together.
DVD’s can be used in a multitude of ways as both a vehicle to play images in a home player and to store computer files. The DVD is defined not only as a medium but by what is recorded on the medium. The DVD that is designed to play in a DVD home player has files encoded with the codec Mpeg2. In addition these DVD’s have header information so the player can recognize it and the information that can be organized with chapter stops and menus. The DVD’s we use to record on are DVD-R which is the most universal next to the commercial DVD. Some older home DVD players will not play a DVD-R even though the correct data is recorded on them. This is due to the reading systems of the first home DVD players. You can also use a DVD-R as data storage for computers. In this form of DVD, files can but place on the DVD for retrieval by computer systems. In addition to DVD single sided recording you can also use DL dual layer DVD to expand the capacity to 8.5 Gig on a single DVD. To play what is on a DVD you have to have the right hardware and software to do the job. For example if you have home DVD player you can look at the spec page to see what format DVD this player will play. Will it play DVD-R or DVD+R? Most computers are designed to play the different formats of DVD but you have to have the correct software on you computer to play the program. For example you could have a DVD+R DL that have a DV compressed .mov file. So if you computer has DL DVD capacity and a QuickTime Player you should be able to play this file provided your computer has the speed to handle it.
Once you start playing with movie files you quickly see how limited 4.7 Gig of space of is. The solution to this problem is an external Hard Drive. Portable hard drives are the perfect way to transport large data files. Hard Drives range from a low number gigabyte to terabytes. They can have 4 different types of connection and many have some combination of these 4: USB2, Fire wire 400, Fire wire 800 and E-sata. USB2 preferred by PC and Fire wire 400 preferred by Mac can handle the same speed of transfer between your computer and the hard drive. Fire wire 800 about doubles that and E-sata about doubles Fire wire 800. The transfer rate between your computer is important for two reasons. If you are just taking files from your drive and loading it into your computer it takes about 1 GIG a minute at USB2 speed to transfer the data. 40 gigs of data take 40 minutes. If you want to play the data from your drive on your computer without transferring it to your computer then the connection speed must support the data rate needed to play the data. This is critical for all computer devices both external and internal. Since 1 minute of Super8 stored at 10 Bit uncompressed HD in 23:98 PSF is about 8 Gigabytes per minute. You need some killer speed to play this file in real time. But no matter how slow your computer is you can transfer the data to your computer or just access the data from the drive, compress it and you can play it.
Some Basic Rough Super8 Numbers: Super8 @ (Mpeg2 DVD) 40 Megabytes per minuteSuper8@ (Dv compressed) 250 Megabytes per minuteSuper8@ (10Bit SD) 2 Gigabytes Per minuteSuper8 @ (10Bit HD @ 23:98PSF) 8 Gigabytes per minute To get the best encoding you have to start with the best digital version of Super8. We usually go directly from Super8 to SDI video (Serial Digital 4:2:2) into the encoder We can also go to digital tape then from tape to the encoder with the same quality provided we are always encoding from a higher quality source. For Mpeg2 we could first go to Mini DV. (Serial Digital 4:1:1) with the same quality as 4:2:2 but we would not make a 10 bit file from taking this path. We would have to go to Digital Beta. If you transfer Super8 to VHS and then encode to DVD verse Super8 to SDI 4:2:2 to DVD. The quality difference will be amazing. You never want to transfer from a high quality medium to a low quality and then back to a high quality. This is true with all image forms including the new world of images on computer. A big mistake would be to put Super8 directly on Mpeg2 DVD if you want to edit it with a program that uses DV compression. You will see a significant loss of quality when transcoding from MPEG2 to Dv compressed. If you transfer Super8 to Dv Compressed then edit and make a DVD with the same system you will see a significant improvement in quality. Within the computer world as with all images you can always transfer between one form and another and can even get this encoder for free on the internet. But there are different quality levels of encoders and you never want to go from low to high quality when you have a higher quality to begin with.
The best quality computer file of Super 8 in standard definition would be a 10 bit uncompressed file. These files are big so prepare to keep this on a large storage device like an external hard drive. Calculate your need at approximately 2 Gig per minute for Standard Def and 8 Gig in High Def. You will probably not be able to play this large file on you current computer system. But you can bring this file into your world then using your edit program to compress them down to a size your present system can handle.
At this time at Pro8mm we are already working with many customers that get their Super8 scanned to HD and we deliver 10 bit uncompressed files on portable hard drives. These companies then transfer the files into there computer as needed and with their edit software compress the data to there desired project working standard. If a project is for the internet it has to be compressed down to the standard required to travel at internet speeds. A project on You Tube has to be 100Mb or less. Since that is just over 1 minute of DVD quality how do they do it? On a computer, the size of the image can be changed along with the number of frames per second. By making images smaller you can compact them much more than if they have to stay the standard size for television. You Tube, like so many of the internet world players have their own compression technology that will take what you send them and compress it to fit in their space. As you will no doubt experience the way this data gets compressed on the output makes a huge difference as to how it looks. You can take a look at a 1 minute sample of the 2006 Pro8mm demo up on You Tube I did several years ago (Search Pro8mm and look at A Super8 Sample) and you will see how badly the compressor handles my file. I uploaded from a 1 minute Mpeg4 .mov file that looks fantastic on my laptop. Compare this to a 6 minute version of the 2008 Pro8mm Demo we recently compressed to play on Flash on the Pro8mm new web site and you can see how important compression and the players are to the final quality of your work. Both of these come from the same standard def Digi Beta original transfer of Super8.
Compressing Super8 for small screen applications has some exciting possibilities for Super8. Because of the way compacting acts on an image the difference between originating on larger film such as Super16 and something shot on Super8 is much less apparent. Simply put the smaller you make an image the more difficult you will find judging what format it was produced on. The first time I viewed and internet music video I worked on I had to go back to my notes and check what format the job was originated on. Since I look at this type of material every day I was more than a little shocked that I could not tell weather it was Super8 or Super16. I completely enjoy the unique look of super8…. a uniqueness that is more apparent the larger you make it. It is also exciting to know that the smaller you make it, the easier it is to fool an audience into believing a production was produced at a much higher level.
When working toward an internet release or even DVD it is also possible to work with much smaller much more compressed files. You don’t need to start with a 10 bit version of your Super8 if your objective is the internet. You could have your film encoded with compression so you can work with much smaller files. In DV compressed, about 18 minutes of Super8 would fit on a DATA DVD. Since the file is small most computers will easily play the file and you don’t need a large storage device. Everything you do in editing will run much faster with smaller data. Big files require a lot of time to move. A terabyte of data traveling over a USB 2 connection between a computer and hard drive will take over 16 hours. This kind of slow movement is not a lot of fun when you’re up against a deadline. So although 10 bit is the best in terms of information, it may not be the most practical if you want to rapidly get out a project for DVD or the Internet . . . The world of images is ever changing and you will no doubt discover new and interesting ways to work with Super8. Every day I see a project that pushes the way we understand the limits and the possibilities of Super8 film. New technology is often an incredible way to enhance what we already enjoy. What I find so interesting about Super8 is how adaptable and enjoyable the look is not only on Super8, but on video, on a computer, in a theater, in High Definition, or even downloaded on the internet.
