Camera Measurements
To help maintain acceptable levels of quality in European (U)HDTV programme making, the EBU has specified a series of measurements that will reveal a camera's ability to produce high quality television pictures.
The measurements and advice on how they may best be performed are published in EBU Tech 3335. This document augments previous EBU publications concerning camera quality measurements.
Knowing the performance of your (U)HD cameras is one thing, but understanding how this performance relates to a camera's suitability for a given programme genre is quite another. This is where tiering comes in.
Camera Test Reports
We host an extenstive collection of Camera Tests that have been performed by the BBC and Alan Roberts:
- Camera Test Reports (the tests were performed by Alan Roberts from 2012 - 2018, using EBU Tech 3335)
- Legacy Camera Test Reports (BBC WHP series, based on the same assessment methodology as EBU Tech 3335)
EBU Video Systems
Maintenance of the specs referred above and other work related to Camera systems, UHD, monitors, etc. is performed in the EBU Video Systems group. You are welcome to join the EBU Video Systems group with questions, proposals and other input here.
Camera Tiering
EBU Recommendation EBU R 118 uses the published technical specifications and measured performances (according to EBU Tech 3335) of cameras to categorize them into a set of levels, or tiers.
Once a camera has been allocated to a tier, its suitability for a production may quickly be determined, which will simplify production budgeting and facilities procurement.
Technically, the criteria used to identify which tier a camera falls into concern its:
- Resolution
- Sensitivity
- Noise
- Aliasing
- Exposure Range
- Codec used (see EBU R 132)
Members only report on the LED Wall based Workshop on Virtual Production.
It is commonplace to see mobile phones used to shoot video whilst held in a portrait configuration (long axis vertical), which results in aspect ratios such as 9:16, rather than the conventional 16:9. Nevertheless, the importance of user-generated content to broadcasters has created the need to handle and archive images with non-traditional aspect ratios.
Many Broadcasters are increasingly using Bonded cellular devices for ENG operations.
EBU R 118 recommends that (U)HD cameras be graded or tiered according to their technical specifications and measured quality (see EBU Tech 3335).
Measurement procedures for assessing the quality of video cameras used in TV production and that help in e.g. camera tiering.
The use of high efficiency light sources such as LEDs both in TV and film production may introduce colorimetric problems.
Assessment of a Sony BRC-H900 performed by Alan Roberts in line with EBU R 118. This report is a supplement to EBU Tech 3335.
This specification, agreed by EBU Members and manufacturers, is for use in a tapeless file-based or live production environment.
Issue 13 of tech-i includes a report on June's Technical Assembly in Zagreb, a report from the shooting of new reference test sequences in Turin, a profile of RTE in Ireland, and more...
Assessment of a Nikon D4 DSLR performed by Alan Roberts in line with EBU R 118. This report is a supplement to EBU Tech 3335.
Assessment of a Nikon D800 DSLR performed by Alan Roberts in line with EBU R 118. This report is a supplement to EBU Tech 3335.
Fast-action outdoor sports footage, shot by EBU and TPC. The camera used was a Sony HDC1500. Material is available in 1080p/50, 1080i/25 and 720p/50.
The purpose of this document is to provide manufacturers and system designers with a definitive view of the Metadata requirements for non-tape-based camcorders being used in a production environment.
Recommendation setting out the user requirements for non-tape based recorders for broadcast production of standard definition television.
Recommendation to use the methods described in EBU Tech 3249.
The General eXchange Format was originally conceived by Grass Valley Group for the interchange of simple camera shots over data networks, and for archival storage on data tape. Over the years it has evolved to include additional compression types, and more.
This document sets out parameters ensuring the interchangeability of lenses between CCD cameras using different prism designs for their beam-splitters. Both SD and HD is addressed. This document references EBU Tech 3249.
Recommendation that when shooting film for television, ground glasses should be used in film cameras that show the camera aperture and the maximum safe scanned area for the film format (outlined in an Appendix).
Recommendation specifying the hybrid optical/electrical connectors to be used between certain camera heads (requiring fibre optical interconnects) and their CCUs.
This supplement deals specifically with 16:9 CCD cameras that are switchable to 4:3 format; it gives appropriate adaptations of the specifications and parameters provided in the main document.
Methods for the evaluation of the video performance of 4:3 format solid state colour television cameras using charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors are described.
This is a guide to the essential set of objective assessments of the optical and mechanical performance of a TV camera lens that must be taken into consideration. Typical parameter values are provided.
In Barcelona, for the 1992 Summer Games, European broadcasters and industry pooled their resources under the "Barcelona 1250" banner.
This EBU specification details the measurement procedures for measuring the colorimetric fidelity of television cameras.
This is the third edition of EBU Tech 3096.
Methods of objectively assessing the colorimetric performance of TV cameras are given.
This document details methods for measuring the characteristics of 625-line colour television cameras.
A review of the systems available to synchronise an audio tape recorder with one or several film cameras.