Nook Kim
03-29-2008, 07:22 PM
Resolutions
As discussed above, the image sensor consists of millions of light sensing cells, which are used to generate pixels. More pixels mean the finer (sharper) image with higher detail. Resolution is measured by numbers of horizontal lines (height) and vertical lines (width) that the format presents as follows. Display (Output) Format Resolutions
Standard Definition 4:3
D1 NTSC (ITU-R 601) - 720 by 486
DV NTSC 480i - 720 by 480
D1/DV PAL 480i - 720 by 576
High Definition 16:9
HDTV 720p - 1280 by 720
HDTV 1080i/1080p - 1920 by 1080
Digital Cinema
2K – 2048 by 1536
2K Academy projection – 2048 by 1107
4K – 4096 by 3072 (35mm 1.33 Aspect)
4K Academy projection – 4096 by 2214 (35mm 1.66/1.85 Aspect)
4K Academy Full Frame – 4096 by 2988 (35mm 1.37 Aspect)
4K Red Digital Camera – 4520 by 2540 (Super 35mm)
As you can see from the chart above, resolutions below 2K is referred by the number of vertical lines (height), such as 1080 referring 1980 by 1080 resolution. On the other hand, from 2K and above, it is referred by the number of horizontal lines (width), such as 2K referring 2048 by 1536 resolution. Therefore, it might appear to have a great difference in names when comparing 1080 and 2K, but in truth, there is only slight difference in between the two.
Also, it should be mentioned that the resolution of the image sensor could be different from the resolution of the recording format. In fact, most of the digital cameras’ cell count doesn’t match their pixel count of output resolution. For example, the Sony HDW F-900 camera sports three 1660 by 1080 image sensors to deliver its 1920 by 1080 output resolution. The camera achieves its output resolution by a method called “spatial offset .” Spatial offset is only possible in three CCD imagers, where RGB channels of the same image are offset in order to achieve more resolution when the three images from each CCD imager are combined prior to recording .<What to look for>
Since it has been addressed that there is difference from the image sensor’s resolution (cell count) to the display’s resolution (pixel count), we can take advantage of this fact in deciding which image sensor will give us the result that will look the best possible on the project’s delivery format.
Another thing to consider is what is called “over-sampling.” Over-sampling simply means that by shooting with greater resolution imager and down-converting to its delivery the resolution, we can achieve greater image quality than if shot with the same or less resolution as the display (delivery) resolution. A simple test to see this can be done by capturing a soft focused image with a digital still camera. Now, adjust the image size down to half or smaller, and you will see now that the image looks sharper and appears to have less noise than its original size image. Over-sampling is also effective for color sampling, bit-depth, and data compression.
DISCLAIMER: This article is only intended for the purpose of this forum, and it may contain inaccurate information.
As discussed above, the image sensor consists of millions of light sensing cells, which are used to generate pixels. More pixels mean the finer (sharper) image with higher detail. Resolution is measured by numbers of horizontal lines (height) and vertical lines (width) that the format presents as follows. Display (Output) Format Resolutions
Standard Definition 4:3
D1 NTSC (ITU-R 601) - 720 by 486
DV NTSC 480i - 720 by 480
D1/DV PAL 480i - 720 by 576
High Definition 16:9
HDTV 720p - 1280 by 720
HDTV 1080i/1080p - 1920 by 1080
Digital Cinema
2K – 2048 by 1536
2K Academy projection – 2048 by 1107
4K – 4096 by 3072 (35mm 1.33 Aspect)
4K Academy projection – 4096 by 2214 (35mm 1.66/1.85 Aspect)
4K Academy Full Frame – 4096 by 2988 (35mm 1.37 Aspect)
4K Red Digital Camera – 4520 by 2540 (Super 35mm)
As you can see from the chart above, resolutions below 2K is referred by the number of vertical lines (height), such as 1080 referring 1980 by 1080 resolution. On the other hand, from 2K and above, it is referred by the number of horizontal lines (width), such as 2K referring 2048 by 1536 resolution. Therefore, it might appear to have a great difference in names when comparing 1080 and 2K, but in truth, there is only slight difference in between the two.
Also, it should be mentioned that the resolution of the image sensor could be different from the resolution of the recording format. In fact, most of the digital cameras’ cell count doesn’t match their pixel count of output resolution. For example, the Sony HDW F-900 camera sports three 1660 by 1080 image sensors to deliver its 1920 by 1080 output resolution. The camera achieves its output resolution by a method called “spatial offset .” Spatial offset is only possible in three CCD imagers, where RGB channels of the same image are offset in order to achieve more resolution when the three images from each CCD imager are combined prior to recording .<What to look for>
Since it has been addressed that there is difference from the image sensor’s resolution (cell count) to the display’s resolution (pixel count), we can take advantage of this fact in deciding which image sensor will give us the result that will look the best possible on the project’s delivery format.
Another thing to consider is what is called “over-sampling.” Over-sampling simply means that by shooting with greater resolution imager and down-converting to its delivery the resolution, we can achieve greater image quality than if shot with the same or less resolution as the display (delivery) resolution. A simple test to see this can be done by capturing a soft focused image with a digital still camera. Now, adjust the image size down to half or smaller, and you will see now that the image looks sharper and appears to have less noise than its original size image. Over-sampling is also effective for color sampling, bit-depth, and data compression.
DISCLAIMER: This article is only intended for the purpose of this forum, and it may contain inaccurate information.