Making a TV series with a handheld HD camcorder - Can it be done?

[Soopafresh]

Yeah, you're right. Still bothers the bejeezus out of my eyes.

[edDV]

Flicker and motion smoothness are different issues.

The lower human tolerance for flicker is somewhere between 48-60 refreshes per second. Inexpensive film projectors use a 2x gate as jagabo explained. Fancy projectors use a 3x gate for 72 Hz refresh rate. When I go to Europe, I notice considerable flicker from PAL 50Hz TV displays for several days until my eyes adapt. Even then I see 50Hz flicker in peripheral vision for extended periods.

Bright computer desktops are the worse case for flicker. It is generally considered 60Hz refresh is the lowest one should tolerate. More desirable is 72-96 Hz refresh to make a white sheet settle down.

Typical LCD displays have a flat backlight and achieve refresh by modulating the liquid crystal filters in front of the backlight. Newer LCD-TV technology allows each 24 fps film frame to be turned off and on up to 5 times to achieve 120Hz refresh. This doesn't decrease the motion stepping but does eliminate the 60Hz 2-3-2-3 judder and reduces flicker.

Fancier LCD-TV image processors interpolate new intermediate frames between "film" frames by motion analysis to give the appearance of smoother motion. Frame interpolation errors can cause artifacts that may appear as flicker.

Setting aside frame interpolation, the faster the camera's imaging rate, the smoother the video motion.

A 60Hz motion rate can be achieved with 1080i or 1080p. 1080i takes half vertical resolution pictures at a 60Hz rate. 1080p takes complete frames every 1/60 second. Since 1080i uses odd-even line sequential scans, areas of the image that are not moving show identical resolution for 1080i and 1080p. Moving objects or pans will show half vertical resolution for 1080i. As said above, the human eye doesn't perceive as much resolution in moving objects but is sensitive to motion update rate. 1080i makes a good compromise considering its use of half the transmission bandwidth of 1080p.

24fps progressive film display has the disadvantage of jerky motion vs. 60fps video, but it also requires only 40% the bandwidth of 1080p/60fps. For this reason, 1080p/24fps can be transmitted at similar bandwidth to 1080i and is an approved ATSC format.

The burden of 24fps jerkiness is born by the film producer. Production and camera operation techniques have been developed to minimize the effects of choppy motion. These techniques require a high degree of control over camera exposure and actor motion.

[filmboss80]

Hey, check out the latest issue of DV Magazine. Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" series for the Travel Channel is shot with just 2 Sony V1U HDV camcorders, with a minimal lighting kit. It CAN be done; you just have to be verrrrry good at what you do.