Good video processing preserves the vision of the filmmaker.

Interested in enjoying video images that completely draw you into the experience, exactly the way the filmmakers intended?

Of course you are. Who wouldn't want this? But a good video monitor or projector can't do this job alone. It can show bright and colorful images, but without fully reflecting the vision of the director. It may not give you just the right color or detail or the feeling that can be so artfully portrayed on a big screen. And then you've lost something from the experience of watching a movie. This is where video processing comes in. A good video processor can more accurately reproduce a movie or video program the way it was meant to be seen.

There are several very complicated reasons for this, but in simplest terms, think of a video processor as a translator. It takes a video signal and converts it to a form that is presented properly on the display. Sounds simple, right? But remember that from the movie studio to the couch, we are taking film content, a transparent analog medium projected at 24 frames a second, and converting that to video, an electronic scanning medium displayed at the equivalent of 30 frames a second—and these days mostly in pixels—while maintaining the look, feel, aura and mystique we have come to expect from our movies. That's all.

Video processors have a lot of things to compute and execute. Let's start with just three: motion, color and detail. They are the building blocks of any excellent video image. To show motion, we need to convert interlaced video to progressive video (a whole other article), which operates at different frequency rates, or the rate at which the image is refreshed on the screen. We then have to recognize what is called "3/2 pull- down," or the conversion of 24 frames of film to the equivalent of 30 frames per second on video, and map the action to keep it smooth and artifact-free. For an example of this, look at the opening credits of Star Trek: Insurrection, and watch for the squiggly, jagged effects you did not see in the theater. This tortures all but the best video processors in their inability to detect 3/2 pull-down and properly display panning motion.

Next, the ability to render smooth, rich color requires proper color tracking and the ability to display the proper range of contrast. Look at the rendition of the color red and skin tones on a familiar piece of software on different displays, and you will quickly see a wide variation. Chapter seven of Driven is a perfect cut to use to compare.

But the most critical and most difficult issue to resolve is detail. Every image has edges, which need to be clearly delineated. There are large edge transitions, black-to-white for example; small edge transitions; shades of gray; color transitions; vertical transitions; and horizontal edge transitions. Your processor needs to have plenty of computing power to keep all these transitions and edges clearly distinct during motion scenes and over time. Here, increased bandwidth equals increased detail. The ability of a video processor to do its magic and still preserve the bandwidth encoded on the video content is a huge factor in the pursuit of very fine detail. Look at the close-ups in chapter 19 of Vertical Limit, and see the astonishing differences from processor to processor and from video display to video display.

So if you're really interested in enjoying video images that evoke the best of your movie house experiences, you need video processing that is up to the challenge. Grab some DVDs with your favorite scenes, look around, compare, contrast and evaluate your video processing display options. Make informed decisions, have fun, but most of all trust your own experience and perceptions.

John Brodie is a professional photographer and filmmaker whose only claim to fame is that his home theater is worth more than his home. He lives in Michigan with his golden retriever. His wife left after the 100-inch screen and new subwoofers were delivered.

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