If one were writing a concordance about the convergence of film and digital imaging technologies within the television industry, Chapter One would bear a simple and succinct title: "Emory Cohen."

"I literally grew up in this industry," he says. "My father was Sam Cohen, who headed the 16mm department at CFI Labs, going back to when it was part of Republic Studios. I recently found his employee card, which indicates he was the eighth person they hired. My mother told me that my father sometimes worked seven days a week, and they occasionally used a dry box from an unused film developer to dry my diapers. That's probably as close as you can get to having film in your blood."

As one of the founders, and current president, of LaserPacific Media Corporation, Cohen dreamt up the concept of an electronic film lab-a logical principle, if ever there was one. LaserPacific offers one-stop shopping for film processing, telecine transfer and postproduction. Although the potential of saved time is its most obvious advantage, Cohen had a more evangelistic vision in mind. He realized that non-linear video editing had become an unstoppable bullet train blazing down the technological tracks. By providing a convenient gateway for film-to-video format conversion, Cohen thought that he could preserve and extend the creative integrity of imagery recorded on film by cinematographers.

During the early Eighties', Cohen was working at the L.A.-based Compact Video when that company was pioneering usage of the new Rank-Cintel telecine based on flying spot scanner technology. Rank-Cintel had introduced the telecine in the U.S. and Canada during the late Seventies. Prior to that, film-to-video conversions were made with film chains based on 40-year-old optical technology. Producers' concerns about scratching or otherwise damaging the negative led to transfers typically being done from a print. The Rank-Cintel telecine handled the film gently and scanned images directly from the negative. The process marked a quantum leap in the ability of television to display film-like images.

Cohen recalls its impact on production as being almost immediate. In those days, video was the format of choice for all but a few situation comedies. Producer Norman Lear established that trend on All in the Family with a linear video editing system touted as a time- and cost-saver. Sitcoms tended to be produced in hard, high keylight that often resulted in a live or soap opera look. The new telecine provided a convenient gateway for converting quality film images to video for postproduction. With that transition, cinematographers shooting TV comedies on film began to take advantage of more subtle and dramatic lighting. Within a few years, a large majority of these shows became film productions. "I joined Pacific Video in 1982 with the idea of building a bridge between the film and video worlds," says Cohen. "Within six months, we had a plan for an electronic film lab on paper. It took us two years to put everything together in time for the '84 - '85 television season. We merged with another company and became LaserPacific Media.

With digital television (DTV) and HDTV now a reality, Cohen believes that the television industry has arrived at a historic crossroads. At the same time, the allure of Internet-based, non-linear programming is vying for increasingly larger shares of audience attention. A lot of hype also surrounds the upcoming 24 frame, progressive digital camera from Sony and Panavision. However, Cohen points out that the video camera vendors are aiming at a moving target. "I don't have to tell cinematographers about the remarkable progress made with current camera films and lenses," he explains. "All you have to do is look at primetime television and there is one program after another with great production values."

Cohen counts the development of the Philips Spirit DataCine as a monumental breakthrough. LaserPacific currently operates three of these multi-format devices. The Spirit DataCine employs advanced CCD technology to convert film images to digital video in either standard television (NTSC or PAL) or HDTV format. Kodak designed and manufactured the imaging center, which is the Spirit DataCine's heart and soul, with the idea of capturing contrast and color subtleties on the negative during conversion.

During the current TV season, LaserPacific is handling postproduction for eight of 15 primetime programs (as well as several telefilms) being simulcast in HDTV format by CBS Television. Processing the 35mm film, they are converting it to digital video in 1080/24p format. That means scanning is progressive-rather than interlaced-with 1080 lines of horizontal resolution at 24 frames per second. Programs are edited and color corrected in that format. The final product is a digital master that can be used as a universal source for distribution in all home video and television formats. The facility is providing the network with both high-def and standard resolution video for distribution. The same master will also be used for overseas releases in PAL or other markets in 16:9 widescreen or standard 4:3 TV aspect ratios.

The digital master provides a universal archive backed up by the original negative, which can be conformed to the video edit decision list. "The quality of the 35mm negative in HD format on a 16:9 screen is compelling," offers Cohen. "There are nuances in colors and contrast we have never seen on television before. It lifts film seen on television to another level-it's not just pretty pictures. There are many more opportunities for subtleties in visual storytelling. This is where the great cinematographers are really going to shine."

All current LaserPacific projects slated for HD simulcast originate in 35mm format. However, the facility produced impressive results with HD conversions of several documentaries shot on Super 16 film. "We have also done some experiments with dramatic footage produced in Super 16 format and the image quality is much better than we expected," he says. "It's not quite the same as 35mm film and there is less margin for underexposure, but a properly exposed Super 16 negative plays well on an HD screen. It is a great alternative to video HD origination if you are producing a lower budget program that requires a film look."

The high-definition programs being finished at LaserPacific are Early Edition, Family Law, Judging Amy, Diagnosis Murder, Becker, Ladies Man, Touched by an Angel and Love & Money, and movies-of-the-week include the first two hours of the Perfect Murder, Perfect Town mini-series and Murder in a Small Town. "We can deliver high-definition dailies made from the 24p master run through a special ATSC encoder," says Leon Silverman, LaserPacific's media executive vice-president. "The total cost for a package for viewing dailies in HD is under $7,000, or you can rent it for $350 a week, which is about the same as a standard definition package. So far, this option has only been used on MOWs or mini-series. It is a great tool which allows cinematographers and their producers to see the same quality images people with HDTV sets will see at home."

It is Silverman's belief that the transition from analog tape to digital HD dailies will accelerate as more producers and cinematographers view their work in the high-def format. "It's really interesting to watch their reactions when they see the image quality of their programs for the first time, and realize this is a very inexpensive way to future-proof their shows for syndication in any HD format," he notes. "If we didn't believe this was important, we wouldn't have made the investment. In effect, we have set up a small digital broadcast station with the ability to deliver HD dailies to our clients wherever they are working."

According to Cohen, many early concerns about originating programs to be seen in the HD format are fading. None of the eight episodic programs that LaserPacific Media is posting for HD simulcast have had problems with make-up, hair or sets. "If you have great lighting and cinematography, and good communications with the colorists, what shows up on the screen are great production values."

With few exceptions, cinematographers are composing programs for 4:3 screens, and camera operators are protecting the frame's edges to ensure that ancillary material-booms, the ends of sets and objects or people who don't belong in the scene-remain unseen. Occasionally, cropping a 16:9 image out of part of the frame becomes necessary. "It isn't the best creative solution," Silverman admits. "Ideally, most cinematographers would like to compose for 16:9 and letterbox their programs on 4:3 screens, but the U.S. networks aren't likely to accept that solution anytime soon. However, just from personal observation, the cinematographers on these eight shows are doing a great job of shooting for two formats. They are centering the action in the 1.78:1 frame and watching the edges as much as possible."

In the long run, Silverman believes that shooting film for HD display will boost production values. Cinematographers who view film in HD dailies are quick to notice their greater control over foreground, mid-ground and background. Also, more possibilities abound for using the entire frame to tell more compelling stories. "When they begin composing for widescreen images, it could affect the way scenes are written and staged," he says. "There can be different things happening in different parts of the frame and longer, moving shots with fewer cut-aways. In many respects, cinematographers have been preparing for this transition for quite some time."

Super 35 seems to be the favored medium of origination for narrative programs slated for HD simulcast. Other than that, and the challenge of composing for two aspect ratios, Silverman hasn't perceived any major changes in the interactions between the post facility and cinematographers.

The Shape of Things to Come
Thus far, the American TV industry ranks leagues ahead of the curve in adopting standards for digital HD display. Japan has had an analog HD system for about a decade, but Australia is currently the only other country to formally adopt digital HD. Nevertheless, Cohen says that demand exists for program content in PAL format composed for 16:9 screens in Europe. "One of the benefits of having a single-source high-def master in 24 frame format is that you can satisfy everyone's needs without re-mastering, and you get the best possible image quality. Chances are that some MOWs, mini-series and other narrative programs will be re-released in DVD format from the same master. Since the master is progressive, 24 frames per second, there's no need for a 3:2 pull-down in telecine, and since you don't have to de-interlace, there are no artifacts. If a network wants a 720 progressive finish, it's no problem. It's always better to go down from a higher resolution master."

A producer's sign off on the digital master gives the cinematographer a guarantee of what images audiences will see in perpetuity-at this point, all the colors are locked in. While the other mainstream networks have been more conservative than CBS about the numbers of hours simulcast in HD format, cable movie network Home Box Office is programming a high-definition channel and one of its 'sister' stations, Showtime, is also entering the field.

Industry futurists envision a time when content owners will store their libraries on digital file servers and offer access to Internet users, either on a subscription basis or through advertiser support. In the uncertain world of digital television, where future audiences will have innumerable options, the only prudent avenue seems to be establishment of a universal master file format that serves all foreseeable needs. "The digital master files we are setting up will also provide content for distribution via the Internet," says Silverman. "Computer screens display progressive images. While the Internet is now carrying relatively low-resolution images, chances are that will change in the future, at least for some types of programs."

Currently, there are 18 ATSC standards for HDTV transmission in the U.S. alone, and that doesn't account for DVD, one of the hottest items in the consumer electronics marketplace. Standards in overseas markets are still being defined. However, Silverman points out that ITU-an international standards organization for broadcasting-has embraced a common image format for HDTV, 1920 x 1080 of vertical-by-horizontal resolution within a 16:9 frame. They have also adopted a broad range of options for transmission, including progressive and interlaced scanning architectures, 50 or 60 fields, and 24 to 25 frames per second. "This has given broadcasters tremendous flexibility," he says, "but it creates a significant challenge for producers who rely on future and current syndication. For example, if a transmission standard requires a progressive scanning architecture, video masters stored in interlaced format could have artifacts and anomalies that would not be acceptable on HD channels. Video programs produced in either NTSC or PAL resolution in interlaced format are also likely to have a short life in an HDTV future."

Adds Cohen, "If you really believe that this [production of narrative television programs] is not just a commercial enterprise, that it's also an art, chances are you want to make a statement for posterity. You want future audiences to experience your programs in 10 or 20 years with the same emotional impact. In that case, it is a good idea to produce it on 35mm film and make a universal high-definition master like we are advocating."

Cognizant of the ever-changing landscape, LaserPacific Media offers HD postproduction services for content originated in film and HD video formats. "There is some speculation about whether some current film programs will convert to digital video HD origination because of the 24 frame, progressive camera being developed by Sony and Panavision," points out Silverman. "We'll have to see how it performs and what the images look like. My guess is that it will look like the best video you have ever seen, but I believe programs that want a 'fantasy' look will still originate on film. Even the best video doesn't have the texture or the scope in colors and contrast that you get with film."

Cost is yet another pertinent issue. Will producing HD programs for television with the new HD 24 frame progressive camera offer more bank for one's buck? "It doesn't take fewer people to operate a video camera, so the only possibility for savings is in the elimination of costs for buying, processing and converting film to HD format," Silverman concludes. "You have to offset that with the cost of renting HD equipment and down-converting the HD tape for off-line editing. Depending on the show, the difference is probably going to be less than one percent of the budget for a typical prime time dramatic program. There is a definite difference in aesthetic quality, but that is a subjective decision for the filmmaker. The other big question is whether HD tape is an archival medium on a par with film? Personally, I doubt it, but only time will tell."