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‐ The SDI format, technically known as CCIR‐601 or 601, is superior in quality to component analog
video and is the standard in professional and broadcast television.
‐ Because it is digital and uncompressed, it can be edited and copied many times with no detectable
loss of quality.
‐ Originally meant for standard definition, but a high‐definition version, HD‐SDI, is growing in
popularity as HD becomes more common.
‐ SDI is typically only supported in high‐end gear and can be expensive, especially for SDI video
monitors.
‐ The video, and sometimes the audio, is carried in a single BNC cable.
• Digital audio:
‐ There are many different digital audio formats.
‐ Consumer‐grade digital audio is carried on electronic (such as S/PDIF) or optical (such as square
TOSlink or round Miniplug) connection cables.
‐ Digital video carries an embedded digital audio signal with the digital video signal. ‐ The most
common professional‐grade digital audio format is Audio Engineering
Society/European Broadcasting Union (AES/EBU). A stereo channel of AES/EBU can be transmitted
over single BNC or single XLR connection cables.
Choosing the right capture codec
When you capture content, you must choose an appropriate codec. The choice depends on the capture
hardware you're using, the format from which you're capturing, and your storage requirements.
There are three basic types of codecs to choose from: DV, Motion JPEG, and
uncompressed.
1. DV codecs:
‐ Ideal when capturing from a DV25 deck. Over a FireWire connector = perfect copy. ‐ The data rate of
DV25 isn't quite enough for optimal encoding from source with analog noise
‐ The 4:1:1 color space also entails a loss in quality.
2. Motion JPeG codecs
‐ Have been the leading format for high‐end video‐editing systems for some time.
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