CAM PRODUCTION SERVICES of Santa Monica, California specializes in non-linear online editing for production of high-end TV commercials, films, and television shows. Because they needed the highest quality, they recently selected JVC's DIGITAL-S videotape format and just completed work on a made-for-television movie entitled "Sweetheart Murders," which contains high-end compositing and graphics edited on DIGITAL-S.

CAM PRODUCTION SERVICES, a post production facility in Santa Monica, California needed the highest quality videotape format to support its business specialization – non-linear online editing for production of high-end TV commericals, films, and TV shows. They looked at a number of formats, including Digital Betacam, before selecting JVC's 4:2:2 component DIGITAL-S.

The facility is using a DIGITAL-S BR-D80 for graphics mastering with its non-linear editing system and for post production. According to owner Chris McCartney, the facility just completed work on a made-for-television movie entitled "Sweetheart Murders," which will be distributed to cable networks. The movie contains high-end compositing and graphics Monique Parent and Tawney McClure.

"The buyers who have looked at the project have been amazed by the quality," raved McCartney." In fact, after seeing the DIGITAL-S color reproduction, one of them exclaimed, 'Oh you shot this on 35mm!' What we really used was a 16mm camera, and then we did the telecine to DIGITAL-S." McCartney said.

"When you use Beta for the same purpose, you don't get the same crispness," continues McCartney. "DIGITAL-S is far superior to doing it with Betacam. DIGITAL-S came through like a trooper!"

In its non-linear bay, the facility uses a MEDIA 100 and Adobe After Effects with DIGITAL-S. McCartney said the advantage to using DIGITAL-S with his non-linear system is that he can pull frames from DIGITAL-S and work on them in Adobe Photoshop without losing any quality. Unlike other low-cost digital formats, DIGITAL-S uses 4:2:2 digital signal processing and mild 3.3:1 compression, so there is no compromise in quality when editing back and forth between tape and non-linear.

"I am really pleased with the quality of DIGITAL-S," McCartney said. "I looked at Sony Digital Betacam, and I am convinced there is no difference in picture quality. It's just that Digital Betacam costs about three or four times more."

CAM PRODUCTION SERVICES' McCartney plans to expand his use of DIGITAL-S for other studio applications. Concludes McCartney, "As a high-end post production facility, quality is important, and DIGITAL-S delivers where it counts most-in the quality of the finished product."