Broadcast/Podcast Safe color question

[hotmonkey]

Hope you don't mind a rather obvious question about video podcasting. It's because I can't seem to find an answer on my own, now seems like the time to just ask for a bit of help.

Do I have to be concerned about using “Broadcast Safe Color” correction when doing a video for use as an MP4 that is for display on a computer screen? Or if it is viewed on a TV with something like iTV or as the monitor for playback from an iPod or some other MP4 playing device?

Or even if I upload to someplace like YouTube or other video playing destination that recompresses it?

I realize that it may seem lazy on my part not to do it “right” on all steps the first time. But at the moment I'm still a lousy photographer (compared to others) and seem to exceed Broadcast Safe limits from time to time. Getting better as I get more experience though... I'm just concerned that the materials I already have could be a wasted effort from too much or too little work.

So, do I still need to be as strict to make sure I fix each segment or cut for color with this new delivery medium?

Any comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I'm new and could use all the feedback I can get.

Thank you.

[bigbang]

Broadcast Safe is really just enforced by the FCC or the Federal Communications Commission. They put a regulation on how a video will look in order for it to be broadcast on television only.

The requirements for NTSC (which is used in North America and various other parts of the world) are as follows.

There should be 525 Horizontal lines to the video. Visibly this is also 480 pixels, as in 720×480, which is a standard size for video.

The frame rate should be 29.97 frames per second, which is standard for NTSC and television. In Europe (also known as PAL standard) it is 25 frames per second.

The resolution should be 720×480 which I stated above.

The Black levels should be at 7.5 IRE for NTSC - What this is, is a setup to properly make your blacks look right. If they are set up too dark, then they become one massive lump of black instead of showing the necessary detail.

and the White levels are 75% Intensity - The amount of intensity of the white can actually take over the television signal, and not only cause the image to distort, but interestingly the audio will distort as well. If the whites are TOO white, it will cause an ugly pattern on your television screen, and your audio will buzz like a fly.

These settings are set up so that you get the best image possible on the television screen, and it will help prevent it from varying the picture from one TV to the next.

I hope that helps you it, as much as it did me…

[hotmonkey]

Thank you bigbang for your information.

It is helping me to better understand how these things work.

If you happen to read this follow-up post, I just want to clarify one comment. You mentioned “...in order for it to be broadcast on television only...”, which I am taking to mean as “displayed on”. If I am incorrect in this presumption, well.. I'm still new.

If someone will please correct me if I am wrong in this summary, it would be appreciated.

If I were to make an h.264 video file that may be found online, viewed through a monitor and also through an iTV, TiVo or some other device. I should take the time to make sure that its colors are “broadcast safe” regardless? Not only because it is the proper way to do a video. But by not doing so will results in a lousy image and possibly poor audio if I don't when viewed through a TV.

That the meaning of “broadcast safe” is not about the signal being transmitted through the air, or via cables. But about the signal being sent to the actual TV. Regardless if it comes from an aerial, cable, DVD, VHS or digital file. Right?

Example being the display of a screen capture of an Adobe Illustrator pasteboard. Most likely a 100% white background image with some text or other image displayed in the middle (surrounded by the white pasteboard) as seen and captured from the computer. When seen on a computer monitor, it may still be seen as Ok. But if played on a TV screen, may be out of the safe range and cause (or possibly cause) a poor image to appear.

So if it were included in an h.264 video file that may played on each device, computer or TV. It should still be checked/made/rendered as “broadcast safe” regardless. Whites will still seem as white when viewed on a computer monitor as they do on the TV or as they did originally? For the most part in this example anyway.

Sorry to be so remedial about this... It is just that this part of the process is still new to me and I think it would be best to understand the process and limits for each display medium before I pick up too many bad habits that I will need to unlearn or replace.

Do I still need to worry about “broadcast color” safe if the h.264 is converted to a flash video?

Perhaps another way to say tis is that I would like to create a video file (h.264) that contains actual live footage and screen captures from time to time. Is there anything special I should know about this combination that goes beyond making sure it is all within the “broadcast safe” color range?

Again, thank you all for your interest and comments.

[bigbang]

Even if you don't need to "safe up" your non-broadcast videos, I would do it anyway to future proof it when (or if) it does go on broadcast television.