American Cinematographer - September 1996 - 16

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A New Telecine Debuts from
by Debra Kaufman
At NAB '96,

Philips Broadcast Television
Systems unveiled its long-awaited new
telecine, the Spirit DataCine high-resolution film scanner, which a company

spokesperson characterizes as "a wholly
new technological approach to transfer¬
ring film images."
"This product represents a gi¬
ant leap forward in imaging technology,"
explains Steve Bussell, marketing man¬
ager of Film Imaging Products. "Philips

1200 S.E.

2500 S.E.

4000 S.E.
575/1200W
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AVAILABLE FOR SALES & RENTAL FROM:

LEONETTI
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1- 800 - SUNRAY-1
9420 Chivers Ave.
Valley, CA 91352

Sun

Tel: 800-786-7291

today's TV markets of 525 and 625 [lines
of resolution], and we're ready for HDTV

lamp provides the correct light output to

oping this product for the past

can

also offer

a

seven

2K data

output for download into workstations at

blistering speed."
The Spirit can transfer these
high-resolution digital files in real-time
and deliver 2K x 2K images (2,000 pixels
by 2,000 pixels per frame) via a computer

a

interface in DPX or TIFF file formats, uni¬
versal computer graphic standards suit¬
able for direct use on high-end computer

workstations, and is easily integrated
into any form of standard digital storage.

Spirit DataCine's real-time transfer
capability (24 frames per second) is
limited by current industry interfaces
to 6 to 10 frames per second, a rate
which still compares quite favorably
with the speed of other film scanners
in the marketplace.
The resolution-independent
output of the Spirit DataCine is a key fea¬
ture. The resolution-independent images,
achieved in real time, suggest a progres¬
sion towards a digital master which can

A blue-rich 300W Xenon

arc

match the DataCine's sensors; it also
offers optical stability during transfers.
Since Xenon lamps have no spectral
color shift during their lifetime, new
transfers of the same material done
months after the original session will
maintain the same picture values and

require only minimal color correction.
also
optically masks film base scratches.
The Spirit DataCine film scan¬
ner also offers all the image manipula¬
tion capabilities of a high-end flying spot
telecine. The SPOT (Spatially Processed
Optical Transformations) spatial interpo¬
lator is capable of processing over seven
gigabytes of digital information per sec¬
ond in real time, and produces moves
including X-pan, Y-pan, zoom, X-size,
Y-size and 360-degree image rotation.
All image manipulations take place at
The diffused-illumination system

full 2K resolution.

be "archived" online and endlessly re¬
used for whatever format, standard or
resolution is needed.
Much of the technology be¬

According to Bussell, the Spirit
scanning technol¬
ogy, combined with the all-digital signal
process, "has resulted in a machine
which is free from any electronic noise.
In fact, the noise is way below the film

hind the

grain

Spirit DataCine is different than

DataCine's advanced

the current breed of telecines, though it
looks like a traditional film scanner. It

so it cannot be resolved," he says.
"This means it is now possible to push
the machine across its full dynamic range

utilizes

without the fear of the

proprietary CCDs produced by

213-469-2987
Fax: 213-469-9223
14

rangement exceeds any conventional
telecine

years. We now have a machine which
can deliver outstanding images in

and Eastman Kodak have been co-devel-

The

2500/4000W

Eastman Kodak, which include a foursensor and tri-linear array
for color sensing. According to Bussell,
the performance of this detail/color ar¬
element detail

using BGB beam splitting.
The Spirit also uses a white
light beam splitter and dichroic filters
over each color sensor, providing far
more light to the sensors and reducing
optical loss. To achieve the same results
with a conventional beam splitter would
require a light source eight times as
bright, which could cause injury to the
film stock being transferred.

and ATV. We

575 S.E.

Philips

September 1996

image appearing
American Cinematographer - September 1996

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