2.4 | Standards, Formats, and Frame Rates

Introduction

For this assignment, you will create a two-column script to plan your explainer video shoot.

Television Standards: Because television signals must be uniform across the entire system, standards are created for broadcasters and television manufacturers. In the United States, Digital broadcasting is governed by the NTSC-ATSC standard.
American Television - Frame Rate: In the United States our television signal is tied to the electrical signal. Our 120 volt signal oscillates at 60 hertz; analog frame rates must be tied to subdivisions of 60. This leads to 30 being the standard frame rate for American television (technically 29.97)
Interlaced v. Progressive Scan: Prior to advancements in broadcasting and display technology, signals were often transmitted in an interlaced format. This means that signals would alternate between two fields, where alternating lines would be sent in alternating frames.
Standard Definition - 480i: The original standard for television in the United States, was 480 lines of resolution, by 640 lines. The frame rate of NTSC standard definition was 29.97 interlaced frames per second.
High Definition - Full HD - 1080p: High Definition Signal in the US is defined as 1080x1920 pixels at 29.97 progressive scan frames per second.
4K and beyond: Formats larger than 1080p are named according to their long side. 4k is named as it is approximately 4000 pixels across.

A coder/decoder - a device or program that compresses data to enable faster transmission and decompresses received data.

H.264: 90% of video today is exported as H.264. It is a Lossy (Interframe) Codec.
Apple ProRes: A Lossless, Intraframe Codec. Used in Professional Recording and Exporting.

12fps: The minimum frame rate to create the illusion of motion. This is also the frame rate for stop motion animation. (double frame)
24fps: Movies, streaming video content (to account for a discrepancy in connection speed), and video game captures use this speed to achieve that classic cinematic look.
25fps: The television standard used in Europe, Asia, Africa, and parts of South America
30fps (29.97fps): Live TV broadcasts and most TV shows use this speed in North America, parts of South America, and Japan
60fps (59.97fps): A frame rate that is normally used to capture fast motion. Often used in sports broadcasting
120fps and above: Usually reserved for computer graphics and video game footage.