OT: Do Safe Areas apply for HD Delivery?

Cliff Etzel wrote on 6/10/2008, 8:50 AM
Right now I'm having to edit with safe areas on since standard TV sets are hit and miss on utilizing the full area of a video. I was at a colleagues house yesterday and he was showing me footage he shot on his new Z7U (Lust factor!!!). Content appeared to utilize the full area of each shot - ie; there didn't appear to be any cropping on his HD TV. He didn't use safe areas crop lines while shooting either.

I believe my HC7's have the option to view safe areas while shooting - should I be concerned with using safe areas when shooting HDV?

Cliff Etzel - Solo Video Journalist
bluprojekt | SoloVJ.com

Comments

Jeff9329 wrote on 6/10/2008, 9:20 AM
In my recent experience, YES, you should be very concerned.

All the RPTVs will have considerable overscan to paint the screen with a full image.

Then come plasmas which also seem to have some overscan but are more controlled.

Then come LCD TVs, which Im guessing are more of a digitally (pixel based) proportioned image rather than a scan line based image.

I made these observations after making many mistakes with my HDV and DV widescreen titling being halfway off the screen in many cases.
LJA wrote on 6/10/2008, 3:08 PM
I view my HD DVDs and BDs on a Samsung DLP HDTV. The overscan is less than what I am used to on CRT TVs, but still noticeable.
richard-courtney wrote on 6/10/2008, 4:13 PM
Yes because your program can still be downconverted to SD.

If you will never be broadcast.....then don't worry just keep your titles
centered and not too close to edges.

Remember the station bugs are in an area you don't notice during the
show.


riredale wrote on 6/11/2008, 5:03 PM
When I see video on my PC using WinDVD or PowerDVD--no overscan.

When I see video on a regular TV--about 10% overscan.

When I see video on a 63" Mitsubishi 16x9 DLP set--5% overscan.

I personally put a 4% cookie cutter black frame on all my stuff in order to hide any DeShaker effects, since I do a lot of handheld walking-around video.

I'd suggest you shoot so that there's nothing undesired showing in your full-frame video, but such that everything important happens within a 10% window, and titles happen within a 20% window (which is pretty much standard, by the way).
TheHappyFriar wrote on 6/11/2008, 9:26 PM
Yes because your program can still be downconverted to SD.

but SD broadcast via HD will be black barred on the sides & bottom. :)
John_Cline wrote on 6/11/2008, 9:38 PM
SD 4:3 shown on a 16:9 TV will certainly have black bars on the sides, but not on the bottom (or top for that matter) unless it wasn't converted properly.