Amid the hustle and bustle of visitors, trade exhibitors, and students learning the tricks of the HDTV trade, attendees were finding out about the latest technology at MEB 2005’s technical seminars. During six seminars, spread out over two days, trade exhibitors talked about digital cinematography, transitioning from tape to IT-based solutions, Apple’s Final Cut Studio, Avid’s DNxHD, studio acoustics, and Canon TV lenses.
Tony Farjallah of Spirifilm Studio kicked off the sessions by explaining the types of video cameras used by cinematographers today, going over valuable lessons like how to choose the right number of frames per second needed to attain the perfect image. Farjallah, who lectures at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, also debunked a few myths about renting camera equipment. “The only thing that affects the image is the lens. A cheap camera and cheap lens equals poor resolution. But if you rent an expensive lens for a cheap camera you can make a perfect film.”
Due to the high cost of using 35mm film – priced around $275 per 400 feet of film –  Farjallah said it was essential to shoot with editing in mind. But with HD cameras, electronic frames are used, which “like a Xerox or scanner,” read the image instantly, recording at 525 or 625 lines at 30 per second. This reduces both costs and time spent developing the film.
Apple representative Eric Charles talked about his company’s approach to digital video, HD compression and storage, and TriMedia Middle East’s Graham Day walked the audience through the latest Apple sound and image editing technology, Final Cut Studio.
Apple’s editing technology rival Avid addressed the advantages and disadvantages of HD. Aside from the perks of crystal clear pictures and sound, the disadvantages center around the management and high storage consumption requirements of digital images. According to Avid, problems with storage can solved through an efficient codec – an algorithm program that helps minimize memory space.
Meanwhile, Alctra’s Gustavo Alcuri delved into the acoustical aspects of studios and control rooms, pointing out the need to recognize that noise mapping in control rooms is not always as accurate because the human ear filters sound.
Canon’s Wilfred Soerel addressed an audience of maintenance technicians from Lebanese state TV TeleLiban, a director and several students on the development of camera lenses – from the first zoom lens developed by Canon in 1958 to the latest internal focusing technology. Soerel said lenses have become smaller and lighter, from 2.5 kilograms in 1982 to 1.42 kilograms in 2002, and that in the future technical support for digital lenses will be provided by connecting the lens to the web for Canon technicians to virtually analyze any problems.