PLASTER CITY SPEEDS UP 2K WORKFLOW WITH PANASONIC AJ-HDP2000 2K PROCESSOR FOR EPISODIC TELEVISION AND FEATURE FILM MASTERING

July 2, 2008

Source: Panasonic

When it comes to mastering full resolution 2K television and film projects, LA-based post production house PlasterCITYDigital Post relies on a new tool to boost its post-production workflow, Panasonic’s AJ-HDP2000 2K processor. PlasterCITY has integrated the 2K processor into its overall post-production capabilities, which include dailies, color correction, offline and online editing and finishing.

When coupled with any one of the Panasonic AJ-HD3700H, AJ-HD3700A or AJ-HD3700B series D-5 HD VTRs, the AJ-HDP2000 2K processor allows professionals to record, play and edit both 12-bit 4:4:4 sampled 2048 x 1080 “2K” content, as well as traditional 1920 x 1080 HD video content. Recording to standard D-5 videotape, the 2K processor maintains the important real-time functionality of D-5 HD for easy HD / 2K mastering, editing, archiving, as well as interchange between facilities. The 2K Processor/D-5 HD VTR combination interfaces via SMPTE372M dual-link HD-SDI and has applications for critical image capture, telecine systems, postproduction, preview screenings and anywhere real-time 2K /1920 x 1080 recording/playback is required.

“The basis of our company is working with large amounts of high-resolution data and moving it around in the most efficient way, D-5 HD is the only tape format that can record the full 2K resolution picture, and the HDP2000 2K processor is the first tool to be able to capture full resolution 2K images for storage and exhibition,” said Stephen Beres, PlasterCITY’s Chief Technical Officer. “As more productions begin to utilize full 2K recording, it’s very important that the pictures maintain their highest resolution from beginning to end, which is crucial for the post process.”

PlasterCITY, which specializes in postproduction for independent film and episodic television, utilizes a custom uncompressed HDI workflow, supported by a 140-terabyte Storage Area Network (SAN), in which they edit and distribute high-resolution content. They currently use the AJ-HD3700B D-5 HD mastering video tape recording (VTR) deck for mastering full 2K resolution film content. The HDP2000 2K processor is used as a final mastering step for broadcast-ready content.

“Adding the HDP2000 2K processor to our D-5 HD VTR decks provides us with a very efficient way to master and playback pre-recorded full 2K materials. It allows us to carry full resolution 2K images throughout the post process, from edit to archiving, without degrading the image. And it was fairly easy to integrate into our system, because the HDP2000 doesn’t require special cabling or switching; it’s baseband HD.”

Beres has found the 2K processor a valuable tool for mid-to high-end episodic and film studio projects and screenings as well as a backup for 4K acquisition cameras. “We have a few projects in the works including a TV show that’s shooting with Red One camera. By mastering to the D5 with the 2K processor, we ensure that all of the original full resolution material is there and easily accessible, providing the fastest workflow possible for digital intermediate and mastering.”

Prior to using the 2K processor, Beres said that the post house had to ingest the content as DPX in the main server, and then ingest the footage into the nonlinear editor whenever access is needed. “This process, which would often take hours, ties up all the terabytes on the SAN. By adding the 2K processor to our system, we can now access the high-resolution 2K content in real time.”

“If we need to go back and make a change, we can insert to the D-5 master immediately while the client is in the review process,” said Beres. “That’s not possible with DPX files. You would have to go back to retrieve the files from the shared network and re-render the footage, then transfer it to an LTO (Linear Tape-Open) system, which takes a very long time. Now, we can edit and deliver 2K content, all without having to tie up finishing machines, which for us is significantly valuable and less expensive. It saves us time and resources.”

Beres continued, “The 2K processor allows us to treat high-resolution 2K material the way it should be. Images remain faithful throughout the recording process with minimal resolution degradation, and we can easily retrieve 2K resolution images whenever we need to in real time. It’s a very elegant, streamlined way to deal with footage from middle to-higher end productions with finite budgets.”

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