As organizations like the EBU, SMPTE and the ITU investigate the TV formats that will follow HDTV, one of the concepts that comes up regularly is High Frame Rate video. The idea is that by using frame rates above the 50 or 60 frames per second currently used for television, we could improve the quality of the pictures and thus the experience for the viewer. But how exactly does a higher frame rate help? Why did director Peter Jackson choose to use double the normal frame rate for cinema (48fps instead of 24fps) to shoot his new movie the Hobbit?
In the newest video in the David Wood on... series, the EBU's former deputy technical director uses a Lego windmill, a flashlight and an upturned bicycle to explain the benefits that High Frame Rate video will bring in future.
EBU Members and other stakeholders can join our BeyondHD project group, where the needs of broadcasters with regard to future TV formats are investigated and defined.