BTV Post Completes World's First 4K Digital Cinema Frame Rate Conversion

Post-production Company Uses Snell's Alchemist OD to Convert Muse 4K Ultra HD Concert from 25p to 24p

Stadium rockers Muse recorded their concert in Rome's Olympic stadium in July this year in breathtaking 4K. Serpent Productions recorded the gig in both HD and 4K simultaneously using Sony F55 cameras. The decision to post-produce a 4K cinema version rested on whether it was at last possible to get a high enough quality standards conversion at a low frame rate and in 4K. BTV Post successfully managed both using Snell's new Alchemist OD file-based standards conversion platform to convert the concert with stunning results. Alchemist OD was used for the entire conversion, which dovetailed seamlessly with BTV's 4K Mistika post-production pipeline.

"This sets a new benchmark for the conversion of performance content for digital cinema, and films for television and DVD, without ever needing to slow down or speed up again," said BTV Post CTO Jon Lee. "Working closely with Snell's engineering team, we have come up with workflows to get a low frame rate conversion that is virtually indistinguishable from the original content."

The Muse concert will be released in U.K. cinemas in 4K on Nov. 5, 2013.

advertisment

About BTV Post:
BTV Post is a cutting-edge production facility, leading the way in post-production, digital media solutions, and video editing. A specialist in HD, 3D, and 4K content, BTV Post delivers on behalf of the world's most prominent production companies across all genres, standards, and formats. In 2004 it opened its doors to Brighton's creative and digital media community, growing rapidly to attract an international client base, as well as a diverse range of creative producers around the world. In 2010 BTV Post opened a second facility in London, Soho, aimed at putting it at the forefront of stereoscopic 3D, digital media services, and traditional post-production.

advertisment

About Snell and Alchemist OD:
Snell is a leading innovator in digital media technology, providing broadcasters and global media companies with a comprehensive range of solutions for creating, managing, and streamlining the distribution of content for today's multi-screen world. Specializing in TV Everywhere and Live TV applications, Snell provides the necessary tools to transition seamlessly and cost-effectively to 4K UHDTV, file-based, and 3Gbps operations, while enabling broadcasters to monetize and deliver their media assets across multiple distribution platforms. Alchemist OD is the new software-only version of Snell's acclaimed Alchemist Ph.C-HD standards converter. It offers instant access to high quality, rapid, anytime frame-rate conversion of media files and utilizes Snell's unique Ph.C (phase correlation) technology for breath-taking quality. From international program delivery, to integration of movies or user-generated material into schedules, Alchemist OD makes it easy to bring frame-rate conversion seamlessly into file-based workflows.