Shadow Telecine

High performanceSolid StateDigital Film Imaging Technology

Shadow Telecine

High performanceSolid StateDigital Film Imaging Technology

SHADO

Table of contents

SHADOW Telecine

• Introduction

• Simplicity

• New Scanner Design

• All Digital Platform

• The Film Look

• Graphical Control Panel

• Film Handling

• Main Features

• Six Sector Color Processor

• Cost of ownership

• Summary

W Telecine

The Film Transfer market is evolving rapidly. There are ahost of new DTV formats required for the North AmericanMarket and a growing trend towards data scanning asopposed to video transfer for high end compositing work.Most content today will see some form of downstreamcompression, so quiet, stable images are still of paramountimportance. With the demand growing there is arequirement for a reliable, cost effective solution toaddress these applications.

The Shadow Telecine uses the signal procesing concept ofthe Spirit DataCine and leverages technology and featureof this flagship product.This is combined with a CCD scan-ner fulfils the requierements for both economical as wellas picture fidelity. The result is a very high performanceproduct with all the features required for today’s digitalapplication but at a greatly reduced cost.

Unlike other Telecine solutions available in this class, theShadow Telecine is not a re-manufactured older analogTelecine, nor an update kit to an existing machine. Whilethese solutions may fit the budgets of many facilities, theyare clearly compromises designed to try and make older,obsolete Vacuum tube (CRT) technology perform totoday’s demanding digital standards. The Shadow Telecineis one hundred percent a digital machine, using latest stateof the art technology and was designed by ourEmmy award winning Spirit DataCine design team. It ismanufactured alongside the Spirit DataCine in our factoryin Weiterstadt / Germany. For an investment similar to thepurchase of upgrade kit or re-manufactured machine, acomplete Shadow Telecine system is available that offersnew, state of the art technology with the best performancein this class of machine. Further, like all of our newproducts, it carries a full warranty and guarantee and isbacked up by our extensive world wide product supportand service team.

IntroductionThe Film Transfer market is changing const-lantly. There are a host of new DTV formatsrequired for the North American Market anda growing trend towards data scanning asopposed to video transfer for high endcompositing work. Most content today willsee some form of downstream compression,so quiet, stable images are still of paramountimportance. With the demand growing thereis a requirement for a reliable, cost effectivesolution to address these applications.

The Shadow Telecine uses the signal proce-sing concept of the Spirit DataCine and leve-rages technology and feature of this flagshipproduct. This is combined with a CCD scan-ner witch fulfils the requirements for botheconomical as well as picture fidelity. Theresult is a very high performance product allthe features required for today’s digital appli-cation but at a greatly reduced cost.

Unlike other Telecine solutions available inthis class, the Shadow Telecine is not are-manufactured older analog Telecine, noran update kit to an existing machine. Whilethese solutions may fit the budgets of manyfacilities, they are clearly compromisesdesigned to try and make older, obsoleteVacuum tube (CRT) technology perform totoday’s demanding digital standards. TheShadow Telecine is one hundred percent adigital machine, using latest state of the arttechnology and was designed by our Emmyaward winning Spirit DataCine design team.It is manufactured alongside the SpiritDataCine in our factory in Weiterstadt /Germany. For an investment similar to thepurchase of upgrade kit or re-manufacturedmachine, a complete Shadow Telecinesystem is available that offers new, state of theart technology with the best performance inthis class of machine. Further, like all of ournew products, it carries a full warranty andguarantee and is backed up by our extensiveworld wide product support and service team.

High performance,Solid State,Digital Film ImagingTechnology fromThomson multimedia.

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SimplicityThe Shadow Telecine is a CCD based machine with all the advantages that CCD technologyhas to offer, providing very high performance without complexity. Unlike Vacuum tube (CRT)technology there is no need to provide a host of complex defect masking, enhancement andcorrection circuitry to compensate for the poor performance of the Vacuum tube. Simplicity alsoresults in repeatability, reliability offering high utilization and a very low cost of ownership.

The Shadow Telecine isone hundred percent adigital machine, usinglatest state of the arttechnology and wasdesigned by ourEmmy award win-ning Spirit DataCinedesign team. It is manu-factured alongside the SpiritDataCine in our factory inWeiterstadt / Germany.

Application

Thomson film scanning solutions are provided with a standard primary Colorcorrector (RGB) which offers extensive range and latitude combined withprecise digital control. This correction is real time and resolution-independent(up to 2K) so correction for any output format is supported, even data,with transparent switching between formats . There are applications where thebasic primary functionality needs to be enhanced with basic secondary colorcontrol.

This option is a cost-effective solution designed to be used either alone with acontroller or to enhance the features offered by third party color correctors thatare today available on the market. Dailies, best light transfers and the growingadoption of downstream disk-based color correction systems means a high quali-ty basic grade is required before the finishing touches are applied later in the pro-cess. Just like the Primary color correction system, the secondary color correctoris also real-time, resolution independent and working with the full film color spaceand at full film resolution-independent.

Six Sector Color Processor

The Shadow Telecine uses a new custom-built optical system by Carl Zeiss, Jena inGermany and the illumination system is aninnovative combination of a cost effectiveHalogen light source, optical fibertransmission system and pre-gate filters toallow precise optical reproduction of any16 or 35mm film format. Light istransmitted from the illumination system tothe lens gate using a Kaleidoscope and afiber bundle. It then passes directly into thefilm skid plate, where a secondKaleidoscope is used to re-shape the lightand provide diffuse illumination onto thefilm plane — a simple, yet highly effectivedesign. Diffuse illumination is vital for thenatural, artifact-free optical reduction of

the effects of dirt and scratches. VacuumTube (CRT) light sources use collimatedlight which actually accentuates the ble-mishes resulting from dirt and scratches,usually necessitating multiple passesthrough a film cleaner and hours of elec-tronic dust busting in Post.

The Shadow Telecine also providesthe possibility for the user to adjust theillumination level (or exposure) relativeto the density of the film with preciseoptical matching for the type of filmbeing used. This process, again very simple,is close to the natural photographic processof optical film printing and therefore deliversmore filmic, natural results to the user.

New Scanner DesignThe heart of the Shadow Telecineis a totally new custom designedscanner. Using the latest advance-ments in correlated double samplingtechnology combined with newcustom built CCDs, this new scannerdelivers incredible performance.

Halogen Light

Condensorwith IR Filter

Filter wheel -optical matching offilm stocks

Density wheel -light control

Features

Fiber Light Guide -aperture conversion

Film Gate,Skid Plate

Projection optics

Beam Splitter,Red, Green, Blue

3 CCD Line Sensors

Integrator forlight diffusion

The demands of today’s market, applica-tions and working environment requirereliability, repeatability and high utilizationfrom any new product. These can only beachieved with well-designed all-digitalproducts. Any analog processing addsnoise and the potential for drift.Many Telecine products claim to be“Digital” but only a very small portion ofthem are in fact truly Digital. A largeproportion of the system within thesemachines is still analog, with heavyreliance on the analog Vacuum tube (CRT)as a light source. This by nature is a greatsource of drift and variation in the filmtransfer process requiring complexcorrection systems designed to mask andrecover performance over time. TheShadow Telecine uses the latest solid stateCCD technology and immediately after thelight has been converted into an electricalsignal it is digitized directly in the scannerassembly. There is no risk of noisecontamination and the signals are totallyfree from any analog drift and the fulldynamic range of the film has beendigitally preserved.

Using the “all digital” approach to thedesign of the machine not only guaranteesperformance over time but also totallyeliminates the need for routine alignment.There are no “pots to tweak” and “things tofiddle with” on the Shadow Telecine toensure peak performance. Simply press anauto alignment button once a day and themachine will be digitally aligned andcalibrated to ensure optimum performanceat all times. The system also constantlymonitors itself while in use, and if a fault

condition should ever arise it is reportedon the graphical control panel for quickproblem diagnosis. All these attributesensure the machine can always bemaintained at peak utilization, generatingrevenue whenever possible. After all, thelast time we checked, film transfer was abusiness designed to make money. It is nota hobby or a place for expensive, cute,analog tinker toys anymore.

The Shadow Telecine draws upon much ofthe established and proven technologyfrom its big brother, the popular SpiritDataCine, and the same signal processingconcepts is used in both machines. Thistried and trusted technology with a trackrecord for reliability and performance pro-vides the user with the confidences neededfor any new purchase. Many of the opera-tional features loved on the Spirit DataCineare now provided on the Shadow Telecine,including many that were never availableon the Shadow’s predecessor the Quadra.

All Digital Platform

A lot of subjective comments andindustry speculation is made aboutwhat the “film look” is and what itshould be. It is true, a Digital CCDmachine looks different from aVacuum tube (CRT) machine. Thetransformation in the market over thelast three years with the almostrunaway adoption and success of theSpirit DataCine into all high-endfacilities has demonstrated that this“new look” may be different, but isvery desirable. Lush, crisp noise-freeimages, pure accurate spectral colorreproduction, even focus and shadingdistribution with filmic soft clippingand endless dynamics via uniqueexposure control describes the CCDTelecine. It is reliable, very fast to useand predictable, delivering greatresults day in, day out, all of the time.

The Film Look

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Application

While in creative telecine applications athird-party controller is essential, there are anumber of situations which do not needthose advanced features. In thesecircumstances it makes sense to release theexpensive Telecine controller and colourprocessor hardware for other work and usea more simple local control panel.The GCP is revolutionary in telecine designin that it provides full access to all of theinternal functionality of the Spirit DataCine,Specter Virtual DataCine or ShadowTelecine, including the internal primary and6-sector color processing as well as Screamand SteadiScan. This is done via a simple butpowerful graphical user interface. A carefullydesigned combination of a large colour TFTtouch screen, soft key controls and digitalpotentiometers give both flexibility andspeed of use. For test and alignment, theGCP gives the engineer access to allfunctions of the system, without the need to

use a third party controller.Colorists can also use it to explore thecapabilities of the system, with junior stafflearning the fundamentals of telecinecontrol.It could even provide all the control youneed for some dailies and long form work.Because the GCP is software based anddriven through on-screen menus and softkeys, it can easily adapt as new facilities andfeatures are added to the host system - SpiritDataCine, Specter Virtual DataCine orShadow Telecine – and will continue todevelop as new products are added to theThomson Digital Film Applications portfolio.Physically, it is a direct replacement for theoriginal functional control panel, or it can bedesk mounted or rack mounted dependingon the application. An upgrade programme is available for usersof the functional control panel who wish touse the new GCP.

Much more than just a local control panel, the GCPis an innovative and flexible way to control theThomson range of film imaging products : SpiritDataCine, Shadow Telecine and Specter VirtualDataCine as well as Scream and Steadiscan.

Graphical Control Panel

specification

• microprocessor-based architecture• TFT colour display with touch screen• 6 assignable digital potentiometers

• 1 trackball • 37 assignable hard keys

• internal power supply• no fan required

• same footprint as FCP• trade-in upgrade programme for FCP

• simple 19” rack mount included optional table mount with swivel frame available

optional 19" rack mount with swivel frame available

Film is a most precious commodity.Careful design and perfection ofmanufacture is imperative in the transportsystem, if the objectives of safe handling ofthe film and avoiding even the slightestrisk of damage are to be achieved. TheShadow Telecine uses servo systems pro-ven in the well regarded Spirit DataCine,employing the very smooth continuous-motion capstan drive system. The capstandrive removes the risk of damage even ifthere is a failure, since it is not necessaryto either “pull” or “push” the film as withmechanical sprockets or pins located in thefilm sprocket holes. Any failure on thattype of mechanical drive system alltoo readily results in film breakage orshredding, very in opposite to the solutionprovided in Shadow TeleCine and SpiritDataCine, which are famous for its superbfilm handling.

Even if film is laced on the ShadowTelecine incorrectly by an inexperiencedoperator, with for example loose tensionand spooling direction set incorrectly, theShadow Telecine will gently try totension the transport, detect a problem andrelease tension before damage can occur.Under normal operation the film corediameter can be preset into the digitalservo and, when in fast shuttle or evenplay the machine will stop on the film heador tail automatically, avoiding the film runoff at high speed. The Shadow Telecineensures the minimum required tension ofthe film, which is automatically changedbetween 16 and 35mm film formats, so hel-ping to prevent damage and abrasion andalso provides consistent, firm packing ofthe film.

Film Handling

High performance Zeiss Optical systems for 16/S16mmand ACA35/S35mm film formats

Image X,Y Zoom, X,Y linearity and 360 degree image rotation

Optical matching for all film types (Print, IP, Neg, Primetime)

Negative matching controls

Built in resolution independent digital Primaryand Secondary color correction

Diffuse illumination (for optical removal of blemishes due to dirt and scratches)

Optical diffusion filters provided for effects

Built in PTR (Particle Transfers Rollers)

Built in universal Keycode mounting system

Precision capstan-drive digital servo control system

2 to 57 fps variable speed, forward and reverse

Stereo optical (35mm) and mono 16mm optical and magnetic audio

Remotely adjustable mechanical focus

Data output delivering standard RGB DPX files.

Single wire Cheapernet interface to third party control systems.

Multi-standard video outputs (Analog and Digital)525i / 60Hz 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 or 8:4:4625i / 50Hz 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 or 8:4:4 720P / 60Hz 4:2:2 or 4:4:41080i / 60Hz 4:2:2 or 4:4:41080i / 50Hz 4:2:2 or 4:4:41080P / 24Hz 4:2:2 or 4:4:41080P / 25Hz 4:2:2 or 4:4:41080P / 24PsF (48Hz) 4:2:2 or 4:4:41080P / 25PsF (50Hz) 4:2:2 or 4:4:4

There are many new features available on the Shadow Telecine, which are not self-evident in thisclass of product. Key features include.

Main Features

Optical filtration

6Application

Thomson film scanning solutions are provided with a standard primary Colorcorrector (RGB) which offers extensive range and latitude combined withprecise digital control. This correction is real time and resolution-independent(up to 2K) so correction for any output format is supported, even data,with transparent switching between formats . There are applications where thebasic primary functionality needs to be enhanced with basic secondary colorcontrol.

This option is a cost-effective solution designed to be used either alone with acontroller or to enhance the features offered by third party color correctors that

are today available on the market. Dailies, best light trans-fers and the growing adoption of downstream disk-basedcolor correction systems means a high quality basic gradeis required before the finishing touches are applied later inthe process. Just like the Primary color correction system,the secondary color corrector is also real-time, resolutionindependent and working with the full film color space andat full film resolution-independent.

Six Sector Color Processor

Control

Operational control is provided via the popular controllers from DaVinci andPandora. We also support full control from our graphical control panels suppliedwith the DataCine and Shadow Telecine products. No additional cables are requi-red, all control functions are embedded within the existing IMCS Cheapernetcontrol interface that is used on these products.

The Secondary Color processingoption fits seamlessly within theinternal processing and rack structu-re of the Spirit DataCine and ShadowTelecine.Two cards are required for the SpiritDataCine, and one card for theShadow Telecine. This option is avai-lable for any Spirit DataCine pre-viously delivered.

The design and implementation is100% digital integrating perfectlywithin our high-speed digital signalprocessing architecture, it employsup to 16-bit quantization and ope-rates in real time at up to 2K resolu-tions. Most important, when in unity modecomplete transparency is affordedthrough the system.

SystemFeatures

Technology

Six SectorColor Processor

The basic secondary color processor comple-ments the primary color corrector already sup-plied with Thomson film scanners and vastlyincreases the functionality and flexibility of thebasic Telecine system. Selected colors can bechanged in luminance, saturation and hue acrossa wide range. The qualification of the selectedcolor is defined by hue, and is split into the sixapplicable sectors, Red, Yellow, Green, Cyan,Blue and Magenta. To increase creative latitudewe also refine the qualification of the color byadjustment of the position and width of each sec-tor, a master saturation control is also provided.

A further very powerful feature within this optionis a limiter and color legalizer. The limiter worksin the luminance channel and can be switchedbetween hard and soft clipping. The legalizer(that can be enabled or disabled at the userswish) works in the chrominance channel whereproblems with illegal colors may arise. The colortint (hue) is always maintained but the saturationis reduced in that particular picture element. Thisis an innovative way to maintain creative latitudeand also ensure you are within legal color ranges,making possible the use of highly saturatedcolors without having to worry about illegalcolors.

There are various factors that influencethe expense of owning a Telecine system.Aside from the obvious capital cost of theinitial purchase other expenditures can bea huge drain on revenues.

Influencing factors:

• Initial investment in technology• Expected “useful” life of machine

(depreciation)• Provided manufacturer warranty• Cost of consumable parts• Downtime (utilization)

The Shadow Telecine is offered at a veryattractive purchase price. It is a brand newdesign using state of the art all-digitaltechnology, most of which has beenproven in the Spirit DataCine. Based uponits features and options, it can address allof today’s new demands in terms of formatsupport and delivers unrivaled quality for amachine in this class. Other solutionsoffered in this class are re-worked olderanalog machines or complex update kits.

The Shadow Telecine is a brand newproduct; the machine carries a fullPhilips warranty and is supported by ourworldwide service centers.

The Shadow Telecine has practically nocost associated with consumable parts. Ituses an extremely low cost Halogen lampthat is simple and fast to exchange and

requires no alignment once installed.Compared to the cost and associateddowntime when dealing with Vacuum tube(CRT) machines the cost for the ShadowTelecine is totally insignificant.

Downtime is a serious consideration. Lostoperational hours represent hours lostfrom billable revenue and upset clients.Repeatability, reliability and ease of serviceare essential in today’s economicenvironment. Many Telecines can run twoor three shifts a day so utilization has to behigh for return on investment. The removalof any routine engineering adjustment,built in diagnostics, the all-digital solidstate design, combined with the fast,inexpensive exchange of consumables onthe Shadow Telecine make it a very highutilization machine.

Cost of ownershipTodltdEndfDW

Summary

The Shadow Telecine is a machinebuilt to provide the perfect balancebetween cost, image quality, featuresets and utilization for today’s marketsand applications.

The Shadow Telecine uses state of theart CCD Technology which has beenproven on the Spirit DataCine to pro-duce a clean desirable artistic filmlook and recognized by most oftoday’s top film producers and direc-tors across all market segments. It isthe perfect compliment to the highend Spirit DataCine machine in mostfilm transfer applications.

The Shadow Telecine is a machinebuilt to provide the perfect balancebetween cost, image quality, featuresets and utilization for today’s marketsand applications.

The Shadow Telecine uses state of theart CCD Technology which has beenproven on the Spirit DataCine to pro-duce a clean desirable artistic filmlook and recognized by most oftoday’s top film producers and direc-tors across all market segments. It isthe perfect compliment to the highend Spirit DataCine machine in mostfilm transfer applications.

Shadow Telecine

Head Office :Thomson multimedia Broadcast Solutions17, rue du Petit AlbiB.P. 824495801 Cergy-Pontoise Cedex FranceTel : + 33 1 34 20 70 00Fax : + 33 1 34 20 70 47

North America :Thomson multimedia Broadcast Solutions2255 N. Ontario streetSuite 150Burbank, CA 91504Tel.: +1 818 729 7700Fax: +1 818 729 7710Toll-free: +1 800 962 4287Email: info.broadcast@philips.com

Asia Pacific Region :Broadcast Television Systems (S) Pte Ltd8 Jurong Town Hall Road30-01/6 JTC SummitSingapore 609434Tel.: +65 379 1333Fax: +65 379 1422

South America :Thomson multimedia Broadcast SolutionsRua de Rocio, 45004552-000 Sao PauloSP BrazilTel.: +55 11 821 2020Fax: +55 11 821 2188

Germany :Thomson multimedia Broadcast SolutionsBrunnenweg 964331 WeiterstadtTel.: +49 61 55 870 0Fax: +49 61 55 870 300

For your nearest Thomson multimedia BroadcastSolutions representative,please visit our websites :www.thomsonbroadcast.comwww.thomson-multimedia.com 08

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