Can I use 4:1:1 / 4:2:0 DV sources for upconversion to HDTV?
All SDTV source material will suffer when upconverted to HDTV, compared with material originated in HD to begin with. 4:1:1 and 4:2:0 material is reported by some to be problematic in this aspect; certainly a 4:2:2 original will be more forgiving and if upconversion is your primary goal, you may want to look closely at D-9 (Digital-S) or DVCPRO50. Snell & Wilcox have run DV through upconversion and reports that it look OK, especially if the excessive aperture correction (edge enhancement) in most DV cameras is turned down. Of more concern is that DV artifacts, especially mosquito noise, may become annoyingly prominent when upconverted. However, the jury is still out on this; I’ve performed upconversions without excessive artifacts, but a lot depends on the subject material. Again, reducing edge enhancement helps. Also, HD material is 16:9. The way many DV cameras produce 16:9 by throwing away vertical resolution is enough to send shudders up my spine for SDTV work; for HD, it’ll be a c
