Image formats for HDTV

For several years, European broadcasters have been making programmes in high definition – often based upon co-production deals with the USA and Japan – using the 1920 x 1080 Common Image Format. However, European consumers are currently restricted to down-converted standard-definition versions of the original full-resolution HD content. This situation will soon change as more broadcasters offer HD services – in addition to the pioneering and ground-breaking start made by Euro1080.

This article offers an overview of HD scanning formats and advises European broadcasters not to go against the tide by introducing new production formats for HDTV. Broadcasting and television are now entering the era of High Definition (HD) – a transition as profound as the first introduction of television and the subsequent transition from black-and-white to colour television.

Unfortunately Europe lags behind other parts of the world, denying consumers the chance to view HD programmes in anything other than standard definition. HD has been with us since the early 1990s but those early European attempts unfortunately proved to be unsuccessful. So what has changed? The renewed interest can be attributed to several factors, the main ones being: the availability of high-resolution, large, flat-panel displays for consumer use; a track record of success in other parts of the world; desk-top high-definition production and editing; significantly reduced costs.

Before delving in to the details of scanning formats for high definition, it may be of interest to briefly review the origins of television and their respective picture formats. One of the early pioneers of television was John Logie Baird who introduced television in to the UK with a 30-line vertical mechanical scanning format (see Fig. 1). Despite refinements, it was of course inevitable that electronic scanning should become the mainstream. In the early 30s, the UK moved to 405 lines with a theoretical video bandwidth of 3 MHz. Germany, also an early pioneer of television

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