User Guide

3
51
3 Combining Standard
and High Definition Video
As the video industry transitions from standard definition to
high definition video, you may need to combine HD and
SD video within the same sequence.
This chapter covers the following:
 About Standard Definition and High Definition Video (p. 51)
 Mixing High Definition and Standard Definition Video in the Same Sequence (p. 52)
 Choosing High-Quality Scaling Options (p. 52)
 Downconverting High Definition Video (p. 53)
 Upconverting Standard Definition Video (p. 56)
About Standard Definition and High Definition Video
Because high definition video systems are still relatively new, many video producers
find that they need to combine high definition with standard definition footage,
or several high definition video sizes, within the same project. Converting a video
format to a higher resolution format is called upconverting and the reverse is called
downconverting. The process of upconverting and downconverting is not as simple as
scaling a video frame. Changes in aspect ratio (4:3 for standard definition and 16:9 for
high definition), frame rate, and scanning method (interlaced and progressive) may
also be involved.
Some reasons you may need to convert between high definition (HD) and standard
definition (SD) or vice versa are:
 If you are working on an HD project and you want to incorporate 4:3 SD archival footage
 If you want to distribute an HD project in an SD format like Digital Betacam, DV,
DVD, or VHS
 If you are using HD footage in an SD project
A similar problem occurs when you need to use NTSC footage in a PAL project, or vice
versa. Converting between standard definition NTSC and PAL footage is known as
standards conversion.