Everyone,
I’d like to take a moment (or longer) to talk, not so much about April Showers, but about the technology behind the film as well as its distribution.As you are no doubt aware April Showers was filmed using new technologies and a format referred to as 4K. What 4K means is that the image itself is 4,000 pixels across by approximately 2,000 pixels tall. To put that into perspective the current resolution king in the home video space is Blu-ray with its 1080p resolution. 1080p simply means 1,920 pixels across by 1080 pixels tall. Which makes 4K basically four times the resolution of current HDTV sets. 4K is essentially the digital equivalent of 35mm film when it’s scanned into a computer, however when 35mm film is projected theatrically, because of the distance to the screen and light output, it’s actual quality is closer to 2K or 2,000 pixels across. Now there are 4K theatrical projectors and depending on where you saw April Showers in theaters you did view it through a 4K projector but for most digital cinemas you viewed a 2K version of the film.
When it comes to the home markets, i.e. DVD, Blu-ray and iTunes things get a bit more interesting because two factors come into play, image size and compression. A raw 4K frame, at least in the case of April Showers, is roughly 50MB, which is rather large. Even at the 2K level the frame is huge at anywhere between 25-30MB. However, a standard DVD is what we call standard definition, which is 720 pixels/scan lines wide by 480 pixels/scan lines tall and has a maximum disc capacity of 8.54GB if you’re using a single sided dual layered disc, which most DVD movies use. If you’re using a single sided non-dual layered disc then your storage capacity shrinks to 4.7GB. What dual layered means is that data is sandwiched on two layers on the same side of the disc resulting in a slight or sometimes not so slight pause of the content when viewing a film on DVD.
Not taking compression into consideration it stands to reason that taking a large file, like April Showers, and resizing it to fit on a DVD would make for a fine, very dense and detailed image. This is true, however, compressing April Showers, which is essentially a 50GB file in 2K to fit onto a 4.7 or 8.54GB DVD is quite a feat. Luckily, there are compression codecs that do a good to great job of getting all the data to fit but you will always be loosing some thing in the translation. I’m not bringing this up to warn you that April Showers on DVD is going to look bad, not at all, just thought perhaps you may want to know what goes into taking a film from the big screen to your living room. Other factors come into play as well such as special features, for they all require their own space on a disc which either means you have to compress the film’s image quality more or package multiple discs in a single case to accommodate everything. With April Showers we were able to fit the theatrical version of the film as well as all the special features and menus at a very good quality onto a single DVD which was no small feat.
Now, Blu-ray is a whole different animal for it can hold far more information as well as boasts a native resolution that is larger than standard definition DVD. A single layer Blu-ray disc can hold 25GB of data and a dual layer Blu-ray disc can hold 50GB. Taking April Showers from 2K at 50+GB is a lot easier and requires far less compression to get it down to 1080p at 25GB. Will the Blu-ray version of April Showers look better and be closer to the theatrical quality, yes, as it should. Also, due to the larger storage capacity, we’re able to fit more features on the Blu-ray than we can with the DVD.
Lastly, there is iTunes. Personally, I love iTunes and think that downloading movies and viewing them via home theater based computers or enabled streaming devices is absolutely going to become the standard over time. When iTunes first launched their video download service it left a lot to be desired, okay it was horrid. The video quality was on par with bad YouTube video, yet they felt that it was okay to charge customers $9.99 for the privilege. Happily, this is no longer the case as the format and technology behind it has improved exponentially resulting in video quality, on the low end, that rivals DVD and in the case of HD downloads from iTunes comes close to hitting the Blu-ray benchmark. In the case of April Showers, the iTunes file is basically the same as the DVD resolution however it uses a slightly different codec which enables the file size to shrink to a little over 1GB. Obviously, with regards to iTunes they don’t have fancy menus or special features to contend with hence the smaller file size. Still with me?
The reason I bring this up or at least want to give you a crash course in today’s modern video formats is so that you have a better understanding as to what you’re buying/viewing so that you can maximize your experience, not only in regards to April Showers but for any film you choose to watch at home.
Sticking with iTunes for a moment. iTunes content can be viewed in a number of cool and unique ways. It can be viewed via your computer screen, which if you have a 16×9 or 16×10 monitor is probably going to boast an HD or 1080p beating resolution which is great for viewing movies on a small scale at your desk or on a laptop. You can also view April Showers on your iPhone or iPod Touch, which is going to be a slightly smaller experience but still very clear. You can even view your downloaded content on an iPod video, which is the smallest of them all but arguably the most portable. The nice thing about iTunes is that you only have to download one file and the various Apple products will perform the down convert either at the software/hardware level or in the transfer itself. So purchasing April Showers on iTunes is a bit like getting 3-4 versions of the movie in one, which is why I believe in iTunes and the service they provide.
One quick side note, my discussing iTunes and/or support for their products is by no means the result of being paid to endorse iTunes and/or Apple. Though I wish I were being paid to endorse iTunes and/or Apple, but that is not the case.
Moving on. Beyond watching April Showers on your iPhone or computer there is a really cool product out there called the AppleTV, which allows you to view your iTunes purchased content on your TV, or better still, your HDTV.
The AppleTV is where things get interesting for me not only as a filmmaker but as a distributor of films as well. For starters, the AppleTV does not require a computer or Mac in order to operate; it only requires an Internet connection, preferably a wireless one. So you PC users out there can keep your PC’s and PC based laptops and still use an AppleTV for viewing content on your HDTVs etc. However, if you have an iTunes account on your current home computer the AppleTV will interface with it (wirelessly) allowing you to stream music, television and movies to any TV connected to an AppleTV. On the simple side you can purchase a single AppleTV for, I think, $229 retail and connect it to your HDTV via an HDMI cable and begin renting/buying movies via iTunes and watching them on your big screen TV within a matter of minutes. Via an AppleTV you’ll have access to the entire iTunes music library as well as television and movies. You can even view/listen to podcasts for free as well as view/search YouTube and Flickr. Anything you purchase/download will be stored locally on the AppleTV’s internal hard drive until you chose to erase it. On a slightly more technical side you can do what I do, which is maintain a central server that houses all my movies, music etc and use the AppleTV to stream that content wirelessly throughout my entire house. The reason this is so cool, at least to me, is that it’s relatively instantaneous and so easy to use. As a filmmaker I want to put as few obstacles between my content and you the viewer and iTunes and the AppleTV has done that. I truly believe that the film industry as a whole has to embrace the idea that content must be made available to the consumer on their time/schedule versus the studios.
The more we get used to downloading movies versus buying/renting discs the better the technology will become. Another nice benefit to downloads is the green principle. Downloads produce less waste, take up less space and are cheaper in the long term. Imagine housing thousands of movies on a single drive accessible by a small box, roughly the size of five CD cases stacked on top of one another and having a total entertainment system. No more shelving, no more scratched discs, no more wasteful slipcovers or needless packaging that only drives the cost up, not your enjoyment.
Okay, so enough about iTunes, let’s talk Blu-ray for a moment. Blu-ray, a format pioneered by Sony, is the only true or full HD format available to consumers today, boasting full 1080p resolution with the capability to play back uncompressed audio in either Dolby TrueHD or DTS Master Audio. To date, no other format before or current can match the quality of Blu-ray and/or gets you closer to the theater experience. That being said Blu-ray is still a small percentage of the overall marketplace though it is growing each and every quarter. As the retail price on Blu-ray players comes down more and more users are snatching them up. However, one thing that many consumers don’t know is that most Blu-ray players (I’d venture to say all by this point) are better standard DVD players than many of the players consumers currently own. What this means is by upgrading your player by purchasing a Blu-ray player you’re effectively getting two players in one, saving you space and money over time. Most Blu-ray players don’t just stop at being able to play back and upscale DVD’s, many or most can play MP3 burned discs, CD’s, SACD, as well as photo discs. If you haven’t yet purchased a Blu-ray player now is good time. If you have an HDTV (720p or better) and you’re currently using a DVD player that is 18 months old or older you’ll get more value for your money by investing in a new Blu-ray player than by hanging onto your old DVD spinner. If you want to view April Showers in as close to theater quality as possible as well as enjoy a barrage of new special features than Blu-ray is the only way to do so. There are currently a number of Blu-ray players on the market that retail for around $200.00 but there are a few things you want to take into consideration making your purchasing decision. Here is a list of features to look for when purchasing a player:·Ethernet or wireless upgradeability (this is important)
·Profile 2.0 at least
·Full 1080p/24p playback
·1080p upsampling
·Support for uncompressed audio playback (Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio)
·CD, DVD, MP3 etc. playback capability
A few nice things possibly worth spending a little extra on:
· Multi-channel analog audio outputs
· Gold plated stereo analog audio outputs (for use when playing back music CDs)
· Extra format support such as SACD, DVD-A, etc.
· An easy to use, backlit remote control
Personally, I’ve found the Sony PS3 and Sony BDP-S350 to be two of the best affordable Blu-ray players for sale today.
One last thing to take into consideration with regards to everything I’ve mentioned above is that first and foremost you’re going to need an HDTV of some sort or quality to take full advantage of all the performance you’ve been reading about. HDTV’s are becoming more and more affordable everyday but, like all new formats, can be confusing when it comes time to buy. At a basic level you’ll want to make sure your HDTV purchase includes the following:· True 1080p/24p capability and playback
· Multiple HDMI inputs (at least 3)
· Energy Star compliant
Some things to consider:
· 120Hz MotionFlow technology (not really necessary, I personally can’t stand it).
· LCD versus Plasma. Plasma is going to be more expensive to operate than LCD.
· Look at LED, though it may cost a premium due to it being new technology. LCD is bound to be the most affordable alternative.
· Don’t buy to big. While there may be a smokin’ deal on a 55-inch display, if you only sit six feet away you’re going to be hating life after about fifteen minutes.
If you’re looking for brands to consider, I personally stick to Vizio and Samsung. Vizio is a great budget conscious brand that will get you into the HDTV game and Samsung has a number of affordable sets that are top-notch performers when compared to the costlier competition.
I want to thank you for taking the time to read through all this techno mumbo jumbo with me. I only bring it up and wish to make the information available to you so that you can maximize your entertainment experiences as well as hopefully arm you with a bit of knowledge so you don’t go spending your money on needless features. Remember, regardless of which route you choose to go for your home viewing needs you should always take a few minutes to calibrate your TV or HDTV for best results.
Thank you all, have a great weekend, take care and stay tuned…
Andrew
