Some major breakthroughs were already achieved at the 2nd meeting of the Strategic Programme on file-based HDTV production standards (SP-HIPS) which started beginning of 2010. The programme is divided into four areas of work:
- new high quality HDTV studio codecs (for all legacy HD formats and for 1080p/50, the next generation HDTV format in TV
production),
- MXF file-based production interoperability,
- on guidance for new studio HDTV 3G-HDSDI infrastructures, and
- on acquisition camera metadata.
HDTV quality counts and future format
The evaluation of new studio compression is an important task for EBU Members, but very resource demanding. NRK provided extensive shootings of new 1080p/50 HDTV test sequences created on a large sensor camera from Sony using prime quality lenses. A selection and agreement on the HDTV sequences was made, and the test procedures with the industry were further developed. Consequently, the EBU evaluation on the first high quality studio codec can start soon. Progress was also made on defining a structure for the best practice EBU document for 3G-HD SDI infrastructures in TV production.
Interoperability achievements
The group also made substantial achievements on Acquisition Metadata such as generated by camcorders and studio cameras: first by proposing a set of technical Metadata and secondly also on a proposal for descriptive Metadata. The group is now seeking for feedback on this Metadata by the wider EBU Members community and by camera manufactures not present in the meeting. Important progress was also made in the area of MXF: The MXF time code specification of the EBU will be updated as a new Recommendation R122 on handling 50p frame rates; also, the important matter of subtitles in a file based MXF environment was discussed and a clear approach was developed. Last but not least, the overall interoperability question for a constrained MXF Format Specification to support common Production Workflows was discussed. Important deliverables will now become available between now and the next meeting which is planned for 1-2 September 2010.