User Guide

Chapter 2 Working With DVCPRO HD 49
Aspect Ratio
Regardless of the specific resolution used, DVCPRO HD always captures and displays an
image with an aspect ratio of 16:9 (or 1.78).
Frame Dimensions, Number of Lines, and Resolution
DVCPRO HD supports three resolutions:
 1080i60, 1080p30, 1080pA24: 1280 pixels per line, 1080 lines; interlaced (displayed at
16:9, or 1920 x 1080)
 1080i50: 1440 pixels per line, 1080 lines; interlaced (displayed at 16:9, or 1920 x 1080)
 720p: 960 pixels per line, 720 lines; progressive (displayed at 16:9, or 1280 x 720)
Final Cut Pro captures and processes DVCPRO HD using its native dimensions, but
displays the image on screen as you would expect 16:9 video to appear.
Frame Rate
DVCPRO HD is capable of recording and playing back all the NTSC, PAL, and film frame
rates. For NTSC compatibility, you can choose to alter whole number frames rate by
99.9%. In practice, the NTSC-related frame rates are used far more often than the whole
number rates.
 Whole number frame rates: 60, 30, and 24 fps
 NTSC-related frame rates: 59.94, 29.97, and 23.98 fps
 PAL-related frame rate: 25 fps
Some 720p DVCPRO HD camcorders support variable frame rate recording. In this case,
the video is actually recorded at either 60 fps or 59.94 fps (for NTSC compatibility), and
duplicate frames are flagged for removal during post-production. Once the duplicate
frames are removed, the video plays back at the intended rate.
Scanning Methods
DVCPRO HD can record either interlaced or progressive scan images, depending on the
frame size and format.
 1080i and 1080p: Interlaced and progressive
 720p: Progressive
1280 x 720
1280 x 1080
1920 x 1080
1440 x 1080
1
920
x 1
080
720p
1080i60, 1080p30,
1080pA24
1080i50
960 x 720