Re: Normal / Full Range

Hi all, Joseph has the most accurate description just above this post. If I can add;

Most digital image processing systems use the full range of code values to describe the signal. Let's assume the range is 0-1023. Some inputs are not at this full range, some outputs are not, they are often at what's knows as video levels, 64-940. Your HD-SDI monitor will likely expect 64-940 to display a Rec.709 signal accurately.

It might seem ideal for TV work for the image processing to only work at 64-940 internally. Video range in, process and out. This however limits the range of control you have and also does not fit the full range you would get from a film scan, VFX or the like.

What if you are grading a film project and need full range 0-1023, then want to make a tape dub? That needs to be at 64-940. The image just needs scaling to video level which the DeckLink does. In this case you don't want to process in video level and regrade the images just for the tape dub.

In Resolve, we process in full range, but we allow you to set the tape I/O and file I/O, and the monitoring to match the limitations from outside sources/devices.

In regards to where to set the switches... if you have a standard Rec.709 monitor, you need video range for that. If you are sending images from Resolve to another device to finish, like a Flame or Smoke, render and send full range. What you will see on your grading monitor is the scaled representation of the full range that the Flame wants to use.. its going to process in full range too. If your monitor permits full range use that. Resolve does not know that your monitor can accept full or video range regardless of the 444,422 setting. You need to set that. 422 does not mean video range so Resolve can't decide that for you.

Regardless of whether Resolve or the Flame etc is the final mastering device, its at that last step that you want to 'deliver' in the final format you need and most times you want full range data levels for all the processing steps before then. You may be monitoring using video levels but each device would have full range in and out till that last 'deliver' step.
Peter