Apple Final Cut Express 4 - Manual (Page 1057)

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Video Formats
This appendix covers the following:
 Characteristics of Video Formats (p. 1057)
 Video Formats Supported by Final Cut Express (p. 1079)
 A Brief History of Film, Television, and Audio Formats (p. 1081)
Characteristics of Video Formats
All video formats achieve the same basic goal: they store black-and-white or color
information as electronic lines that make up a video frame. The number of video frames
recorded per second varies depending on the video standard the format supports (for
example, NTSC formats are recorded at 29.97 fps; PAL formats are recorded at 25 fps).
Video formats can be characterized by the following factors:
 The medium used to store the video information: This is primarily videotape, but can
also be optical disc, solid-state memory, or a hard disk.
 The size of the media and the shape of the shell: For example, videotape may be
1", 1/2", 3/4", or 8 mm. Many video formats have different shell sizes for portable and
studio use, such as mini-DV (portable) and the larger DV cassettes for studio decks.
 The video standard supported: For example, NTSC, PAL, ATSC (HDTV 1080i or 720p),
and so on.
 The type of electronic signal recorded on tape: In other words, the way luma
(black-and-white) and chroma (color) information are combined and recorded.
 The aspect ratio of the video frame: The ratio of the frame width to the frame height.
 The dimensions of the video frame: The number of pixels per line, and the number of
lines per frame.
 The aspect ratio of the pixels: This is a subtle factor that is explained in more detail below.
 The frame rate: The number of frames recorded per second.
 The scanning method: Interlaced fields (two fields per frame) or progressive (one
complete frame at a time).
 Color recording method: RGB, component (YUV), S-Video (Y/C), or composite.