Virtual telecine

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Virtual telecine is Video equipment that can play pack data files in real time. The Colorist-video operator controls the Virtual telecine like a normal Telecine would be controlled (less controls like focus and framing). The Data Files can be from a Telecine, Spirit Datacine, Film scanner- like a Cineon, CGI-Computer-generated imagery Animation computer or a Acquisition Professional video camera. The normal input data file standard is DPX. The output of data files are often used in DI - digital intermediate post-production using a Film recorder for Film out.

The 2000 Movie: O Brother, Where Art Thou? was scanned with Spirit Datacine, Color Corrected with a VDC-2000 and a Pandora Int. Pogle Color Corrector with MegaDEF. A Kodak Lightning II Film recorder to data output to back to film.

Another advantage of a Virtual telecine is once the film is on the storage array the frames may be played over and over again without damage or dirt to the film. This would be the case for outputting to different TV standards (NTSC or Pal) or formats: (Pan and scan, Letterbox or other Aspect ratio (image). Also restoration, Special effect and other changes can be make to the data file frames before play out.

1 2k Virtual DataCine Products
2 Real Time Virtual Telecines
3 Non-Real time Virtual Telecines
4 Storage
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] 2k Virtual DataCine Products

First Virtual telecine by Philips, now Grass Valley (company) a Thomson SA Brand:
- VDC-2000 Virtual DataCine
- Specter FS Virtual DataCine

These are able to play out 2k data files in non-liner real time. size, rotation and color correction are all able to be done in real time controlled by a telecine color corrector. A SGI computer is used to play the Data files to "Spirit DataCine hardware". The Virtual DataCine can output SDTV (NTSC or PAL) and HDTV-high definition or Data files DPX (or TIF), the same as the Datacine. First generation input/output interface for data files as the Optical fiber HIPPI cables (up to 6 fps at 2k), the next generation interface is GSN-Gigabit Ethernet fibre Optic (up to 30 fsp at 2k). The SAN hard disk are interfaces to the Virtual DataCine by dual FC-Fibre Channel, cables. Real time 2k Color Correction is is done by a Pandora Int.'s Pogle with a MegaDEF. Input and outout 3D LUT-Look up table are also use to control the look and standard of the clips.

On a Spirit Datacine Phantom TransferEngine SGI Based or Bones Linux-Based Software is use to record the DPX files from the Spirit DataCine. These files are stored in the Virtual telecine or on a SAN Hard Disk storage array.

VDC-2000 Specter and Specter FS are made in Weiterstadt-Darmstadt Germany by Grass Valley (company) - a Thomson SA Brand, Former names see Philips Broadcast and Robert Bosch GmbH, Fernseh Division.

[edit] Real Time Virtual Telecines

HDTV 4:2:2 and better 4:4:4 RGB can be used as a Virtual Telecine. In this case, standard HDTV video products can be used in a post production work flow.
As faster computers and SAN-Storage area network come on the market, more Real time 2k Virtual Telecine will be on the market, SDTV is easier to output in real time than HDTV or 2k Display resolution files.
Limitation to speed are: Color Correction, Resizing Aspect ratio (image), dirt removal, Special effects, Motion picture credits, and other Restoration. Also bandwith speed of the hardware limits real time play out: CPU, interface, SAN, memory, software and hardware.
DaVinci Systems is coming out with a Real Time Virtual Telecine in 2007. da Vinci Systems [[1]] is a maker of Color Correctors.

[edit] Non-Real time Virtual Telecines

A number of products are on the market that can output frames in less than real time. These can be used to put DPX data file, but are to slow for HDTV. For some digital intermediate work 4k data is needed. These large 4k Display resolution files cannot be transfered in real time.

[edit] Storage

Each year Hard Disks get lager and able to hold hours of movies on Tera Byte systems. The challenge is to archive this massive amount of data on to Data storage devices.