Video Terms and Acronyms

4:3
(see aspect ratio) Traditional U.S. television screens are 1.33 times wider than they are tall. 4:3 is an expression of the aspect ratio of that rectangular shape. 4:3 = 1.33:1

16:9
(see aspect ratio) Modern High Definition wide television screens are 1.78 times wider than they are tall. 16:9 is an expression of the aspect ratio of that rectangular shape. 16:9 = 1.78:1

ADC
An analog-to-digital converter (abbreviated ADC, A/D or A to D) is an electronic circuit that converts continuous signals to discrete digital numbers. The reverse operation is performed by a digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Typically, an ADC is an electronic device that converts an input analog voltage (or current) to a digital number. The digital output may use different coding schemes, such as binary and two's complement binary. However, some non-electronic or only partially electronic devices, such as rotary encoders, can also be considered ADCs.

aspect ratio
In television, aspect ratio is a numeric representation of the rectangular shape of the video picture. Traditional Standard Definition NTSC (U.S.) television pictures have a 4:3 aspect ratio (4 units wide by 3 tall) or 1.33:1. The standard for high definition (HDTV) is the wider 16:9 (equivalent to 5 1/3 units wide by 3 tall) or 1.78:1. Many people have been led to believe that movies shown on a 16:9 screen can be viewed uncropped, but this is not true. Traditional film theatre screen aspect ratios are wider than 1.78:1, generally 1.85:1 (academy ratio) or 2.40:1. Therefore some cropping is still necessary for a cinematic movie to be viewed on an HDTV screen. If you want to see the entire frame as it was originally shown in the movie theatre, it is still necessary to have "letterbox" black stripes at the top and bottom, although they will be thinner than on an older Standard Definition television screen. Most wide screen televisions have a digital "stretch" mode that will automatically warp the picture being viewed to fill the entire screen. Some people want to see the images in their original shape, while others object to blank bands and prefer to see distorted pictures that fill the screen.

ATSC
Established in 1982, the Advanced Television Systems Committee is the group that developed the ATSC digital television standard for the United States, also adopted by Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and recently Honduras and is being considered by other countries. ATSC standards intend to replace (in the United States) the analog NTSC television system (NTSC is used mostly in North America and Japan). The high definition television standards defined by the ATSC produce wide screen 16:9 images up to 1920×1080 pixels in size — more than six times the display resolution of the earlier standard. However, a host of different image sizes are also supported, so that up to six standard-definition "virtual channels" can be broadcast on a single TV station using the existing 6 MHz channel. ATSC also boasts "theater quality" audio because it uses the Dolby Digital AC-3 format to provide 5.1-channel surround sound. Numerous auxiliary datacasting services can also be provided.

AVCHD
(Advanced Video Codec High Definition) is a high definition recording format introduced by Sony and Panasonic. It can use various storage media, including 8 cm (3") recordable DVD discs, as well as hard disk, and SD and Memory Stick Pro memory cards, and is being positioned to compete with handheld video camera recording formats like HDV and MiniDV. AVCHD uses an MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) video codec. AVC's greater compression efficiency (when compared with the aging MPEG-2 codec used in HDV camcorders) allows AVCHD recorders to capture video using less storage.

bandwidth
Bandwidth (in general usage) refers to the data carrying capacity of a communication medium or system. That can refer to either the data rate or the frequency range. In practice, bandwidth is a term used in a variety of different engineering contexts with different meanings. For practical purposes, most people equate bandwidth to the "speed" (as expressed in data carrying capacity per second in Megabits - Mbps) of a device that sends or receives data, or of a data carrying bus or network.

codec
A codec is a device or program capable of performing encoding and decoding on a digital data stream or signal. The word "codec" may be a combination of any of the following: 'Compressor-Decompressor', 'Coder-Decoder', or 'Compression/Decompression algorithm'. Codecs (in the modern, software sense) encode a stream or signal for transmission, storage or encryption and decode it for viewing or editing. A video camera's ADC converts its analog signals into digital signals, which are then passed through a video compressor for digital transmission or storage. A receiving device then runs the signal through a video decompressor, then a DAC for analog display. Most codecs are lossy. Originally this was in order to achieve a relatively small (compressed) file size such that the resultant files could be readily exchanged (across non-broadband networks) and stored on relatively expensive media (non-volatile memory, hard-disk storage, etc., as opposed to write-once read-many formats such as CD-ROM and DVD). Many codecs are designed to emphasize certain aspects of the media to be encoded. For example, a digital video (using a DV codec) of a sports event, such as baseball or soccer, needs to encode motion well but not necessarily exact colors, while a video of an art exhibit needs to perform well encoding color and surface texture. There are hundreds or even thousands of codecs ranging from those downloadable for free to ones costing hundreds of dollars or more.

DAC
In electronics, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC or D-to-A) is a device for converting a digital (usually binary) code to an analog signal (current, voltage or electric charge). Digital-to-analog converters are interfaces between the abstract digital world and analog real life. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) performs the reverse operation. A DAC usually only deals with pulse-code modulation (PCM)-encoded signals. The job of converting various compressed forms of signals into PCM is left to codecs.

DTV (Digital Television)
Digital television (DTV) is a telecommunication system for broadcasting and receiving moving pictures and sound by means of digital signals, in contrast to analog signals used by analog (traditional) TV. DTV uses digital modulation data, which is digitally compressed and requires decoding by a specially designed television set, or a standard receiver with a set-top box, or a PC fitted with a television card. Digital television has several advantages over traditional analog TV, the most significant being that digital channels take up less bandwidth space. This means that digital broadcasters can provide more digital channels in the same space, provide High-Definition digital service, or provide other non-television services such as pay-multimedia or interactive services. Digital television also permits special services such as multicasting (more than one program on the same channel) and electronic program guides. Digital television often has a superior image, improved audio quality, and better reception than analog.

DV (Digital Video)
Digital Video (DV) is a digital video format launched in 1994, and, in its smaller tape form factor MiniDV, has since become a standard for home and semiprofessional video production; it is sometimes used for professional purposes as well, such as filmmaking and electronic news gathering. Features include intraframe compression for uncomplicated editing, a standard interface for transfer to non-linear editing systems (FireWire, also known as IEEE 1394), and good video quality, especially compared to earlier consumer analog formats such as 8 mm, Hi8 and VHS-C.

DVB
DVB, short for Digital Video Broadcasting, is a suite of internationally accepted open standards for digital television. DVB systems distribute data using a variety approaches, including by satellite (DVB-S, DVB-S2 and DVB-SH; also DVB-SMATV for distribution via SMATV); cable (DVB-C); terrestrial television (DVB-T) and terrestrial television for handhelds (DVB-H); and via microwave using DTT (DVB-MT), the MMDS (DVB-MC), and/or MVDS standards (DVB-MS) DVB-S and DVB-C were ratified in 1994. DVB-T was ratified in early 1997. The first commercial DVB-T broadcasts were performed in the United Kingdom in late 1998. In 2003 Berlin, Germany was the first area to completely stop broadcasting analog TV signals. Many European countries aim to be fully covered with digital television by 2010 and switch off PAL/SECAM services by then. In North America, DVB-S is often used in signal compression and encoding of digital satellite communications alongside Hughes DSS. Unlike Motorola's DigiCipher 2 standard, DVB has a wider adoption in terms of the number of manufacturers of receivers. Cable operators either use DVB-C or OpenCable. Terrestrial HDTV broadcasts use ATSC digital encoding with 8VSB modulation instead of DVB-T's COFDM.

EDL (Edit Decision List)
An Edit Decision List or EDL is a way of representing a film or video edit. It contains an ordered list of reel and timecode data representing where each video clip can be obtained in order to conform the final cut. EDLs are created by offline editing systems, or can be paper documents constructed by hand. Linear editing systems have been superseded by non linear editing systems which can output EDLs electronically to allow autoconform on an online editing system - the recreation of an edited program from the original sources (usually video tapes) and the editing decisions in the EDL. Newer formats exist, but EDLs are still commonly used as some systems do not support other more robust formats such as AAF and XML.

frame
In video, a frame is a single still picture that is indended to be shown in rapid succession with other frames to form the illusion of movement. In interlaced video, a frame is the combination of two fields, one containing the even numbered lines and the other containing the odd numbered lines. In progressive scan video, a frame is a single field containing all of the consequtive lines in order, not interlaced.

FireWire (a registered trademark of Apple)
see IEEE-1394

HD / HDTV (High Definition Television)
High-definition television (HDTV) is a digital television broadcasting system with a significantly higher resolution than traditional formats (NTSC, SECAM, PAL). HDTV is usually broadcast digitally (DTV). HDTV technology was first introduced in the US during the 1990s by a group of electronics companies called the Digital HDTV Grand Alliance. Current HDTV standards are defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-R BT.709) as 1080 active interlace or progressive scan lines, or 720 progressive scan lines, using a 16:9 aspect ratio. HDTV has at least twice the linear resolution of standard-definition television (SDTV), thus allowing much more detail to be shown compared with analog television or regular DVD. In addition, the technical standards for broadcasting HDTV are also able to handle 16:9 aspect ratio pictures without using letterboxing or anamorphic stretching, thus further increasing the effective resolution for such content.

HDV
(High Definition Video) is a video format designed to record compressed HDTV video on standard DV media (DV or MiniDV cassette tape). HDV was designed to offer existing video production environments a cost-conscious upgrade path from standard-definition (SD) to high-definition (HD) video. Since HDV operates at the same recorded datarate (25 Mbit/s bitstream rate) as DV, HDV recorders share the same physical (MiniDV ) tape transport as existing DV equipment. Although 1080i HDV and DV share the same (DV) tape format and the same recorded datarate, they use completely different video compression technology. The DV codec uses strictly an intraframe (spatial) scheme, whereas HDV uses the well-established MPEG 2 video codec. MPEG-2 applies both intraframe (spatial compression) and interframe (temporal compression) to video-compression, allowing HDV to achieve its higher spatial resolution at the target bitrate of 19.7 Mbit/s (720p) and 25 Mbit/s (1080i).

IEEE-1394
IEEE-1394, a.k.a. Apple FireWire, a.k.a. Sony iLink, is a serial bus communication specification commonly used for consumer and low-end professional digital video/audio signal transfer in real-time. There are many variants, but the most common is FireWire-400 (supporting 400 Mbps bandwidth) which comes built-in on many PCs and has been standard on all Macintosh computers since 1994. Firewire-800 (introduced by Apple in 2003) supports 800 Mbps bandwidth.

iLink (registered trademark of Sony)
see IEEE-1394

interlace
Interlace is a technique (invented by RCA engineer Randall C. Ballard in the 1930s) of improving the picture quality of a video signal by splitting each image or 'frame' into two separate 'fields' by scanning every other line and displaying the two fields in rapid succession. Interlace was ubiquitous in television until the 1970s, when the needs of computer monitors resulted in the reintroduction of progressive scan. While interlace can improve the resolution of still images, it can cause flicker and various kinds of distortion. Interlace is still used for most standard definition TVs, and the 1080i HDTV broadcast standard, but not for liquid crystal (LCD), or plasma displays, which are inherently progressive scan. These devices require some form of deinterlacing. With progressive scan, an image is captured, transmitted and displayed in a path similar to text on a page: line by line, from top to bottom. The interlaced scan pattern in a CRT (cathode ray tube) display completes such a scan too, but only for every second line. This is carried out from the top left corner to the bottom right corner of a CRT display. This process is repeated again, only this time starting at the second row, in order to fill in the gaps left behind between the rows. Each completed scan of every other line is called a 'field'. The two fields displayed in rapid sequence complete a frame. The afterglow of the phosphor of CRT tubes, in combination with the 'persistence of vision' results in two fields being perceived as a continuous image which allows the viewing of full horizontal detail with half the bandwidth which would be required for a full progressive scan while maintaining the necessary CRT refresh rate to prevent flicker.

ISDB
Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting (ISDB) is the digital television (DTV) and digital radio format that Japan has created to allow radio and television stations there to convert to digital. The core standards of ISDB are ISDB-S (satellite television), ISDB-T(terrestrial), ISDB-C (cable) and 2.6GHz band mobile broadcasting which are all based on MPEG-2 video and audio coding as well as the transport stream described by the MPEG-2 standard, and are capable of high definition television (HDTV). ISDB-T and ISDB-Tsb are for mobile reception in TV bands. 1seg is the name of an ISDB-T service for reception on cell phones, laptop computers and vehicles. The concept was named for its similarity to ISDN, because both allow multiple channels of data to be transmitted together (a process called multiplexing). This is also much like another digital radio system, Eureka 147, which calls each group of stations on a transmitter an ensemble; this is very much like the multi-channel digital TV standard DVB-T. ISDB-T operates on unused TV channels, an approach taken by other countries for TV but never before for radio.

lossy
Refers to data compression techniques in which some amount of data is lost. Lossy compression technologies attempt to eliminate redundant or unnecessary information. Most video compression technologies, such as MPEG, use a lossy technique.

metadata
Any item of data is a description of something. Metadata is a type of data where the something being described is data. In other words, metadata is data that describes other data. An item of metadata may describe an individual data item or a collection of data items. Metadata is used to facilitate the understanding, use and management of data. The metadata required for this will vary with the type of data and context of use. In the context of a public library, where the data is the content of the books and publications stocked, metadata about a title might typically include a description of the content, the author, the publication date and the physical location. In the context of a camera, where the data is the photographic image, metadata might typically include the date the photograph was taken and details of the camera settings. In the context of an information system, where the data is the content of the computer files, metadata about an individual data item might typically include the name of the field and its length. Metadata about a collection of data items, a computer file, might typically include the name of the file, the type of file and the name of the data administrator. Proxy video is defined as a type of metadata, because it is a low resolution version that contains enough information to identify the images and sound of the original uncompressed video file.

MiniDV
MiniDV is one of three common digital formats used in sound and picture recording. Using digital technology, MiniDV captures video and audio on high-density cassette tapes. This format is very popular, as it delivers sound and video that is decidedly sharp and high quality. The MiniDV format is one of the most commonly used formats for camcorders. Leading manufacturers like Sony, Panasonic, JVC, Sharp, Canon, and many others offer MiniDV camcorders. These camcorders deliver video that is much clearer than analog camcorders. They also offer stronger color reproduction. Furthermore, MiniDV camcorders are lightweight and compact, many featuring extras like MPEG and night recording. MiniDV camcorders make shooting video and importing video content to a PC easy. Once on the PC, video content can be edited, converted for Internet use, or even burned to a DVD. Transferring video to a PC can be accomplished using an IEEE-1394 interface. This interface, commonly known as FireWire or I.Link, is standard on most newer computers. However, the cards are easy to purchase if a computer is lacking one.

MPEG
The Moving Picture Experts Group or MPEG is a working group of ISO/IEC charged with the development of video and audio encoding standards. MPEG has standardized the following compression formats and ancillary standards:

• MPEG-1: Initial video and audio compression standard. Later used as the standard for Video CD, and includes the popular Layer 3 (MP3) audio compression format.
• MPEG-2: Transport, video and audio standards for broadcast-quality television. Used for over-the-air digital television ATSC, DVB and ISDB, digital satellite TV services like Dish Network, digital cable television signals, and (with slight modifications[citation needed]) for DVDs.
• MPEG-3: Originally designed for HDTV, but abandoned when it was discovered that MPEG-2 (with extensions) was sufficient for HDTV. (not to be confused with MP3, which is MPEG-1 Layer 3.)
• MPEG-4: Expands MPEG-1 to support video/audio "objects", 3D content, low bitrate encoding and support for Digital Rights Management. Several new (newer than MPEG-2 Video) higher efficiency video standards are included (an alternative to MPEG-2 Video), notably:
  • MPEG-4 Part 2 (or Advanced Simple Profile) and
  • MPEG-4 Part 10 (or Advanced Video Coding or H.264). MPEG-4 Part 10 may be used on HD DVD and Blu-ray discs, along with VC-1 and MPEG-2.

NLE
see Non-Linear Editing

Non-Linear Editing; Non-Linear Editor; (NLE)
Non-linear editing for film and television postproduction is a modern editing method which involves being able to access any frame in a video clip with the same ease as any other. This method is similar in concept to the "cut and glue" technique used in film editing from the beginning. However, when working with film, it is a destructive process, as the actual film negative must be cut. Non-linear, non-destructive methods began to appear with the introduction of digital video technology. Video and audio data are first digitized to hard disks or other digital storage devices. The data is either recorded directly to the storage device or is imported from another source. Once imported they can be edited on a computer using any of a wide range of software. A computer for non-linear editing of video will usually have a video capture card for capturing analog video or a FireWire connection for capturing digital video from a DV camera, as well as video editing software. Various editing tasks can then be performed on the imported video before it is exported to another medium, or MPEG encoded for transfer to a DVD.

NTSC
NTSC is the analog television system in use in Canada, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, the United States, and some other countries, mostly in the Americas. It is named for the National Television Standards Committee, the U.S. standardization body that adopted it. The National Television Standards Committee was established in 1940 by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in the United States to resolve the conflicts which had arisen between companies over the introduction of a nationwide analog television system. The committee in March 1941 issued a technical standard for black and white television. This built upon a 1936 recommendation made by the Radio Manufacturers Association (RMA) that used 441 lines. With the advancement of the vestigial sideband technique for broadcasting that increased available bandwidth, there was an opportunity to increase the image resolution. The NTSC compromised between RCA's desire to keep a 441-line standard (their NBC TV network was already using it) and Philco's desire to increase it to between 605 and 800, settling on a 525-line transmission. Other technical standards in the final recommendation were a frame rate (image rate) of 30 frames per second consisting of 2 interlaced fields per frame (2:1 interlacing) at 262½ lines per field or 60 fields per second along with an aspect ratio of 4:3, and frequency modulation for the sound signal. In January 1950 the Committee was reconstituted, this time to decide about color television. In March 1953 it unanimously approved the NTSC color television standard, later defined as RS-170a. The updated standard retained full backwards compatibility ('compatible color') with older black and white television sets. Color information was added to the black and white image by adding a color subcarrier of 39375000/11 Hz (approximately 3.58 MHz) to the video signal. For technical reasons the addition of the color subcarrier also required a slight reduction of the frame rate from 30 frames per second to 30/1.001 (very close to 29.97) frames per second, or 227.5 subcarrier cycles per scanline. The system used in North America is NTSC. Western Europe and Australia use PAL. Eastern Europe and France use SECAM. Generally, a device (such as a television, VCR or camcorder) can only read or display video encoded to a standard that the device is designed to support; otherwise, the source must be converted (such as when European programs are broadcast in mainland North America or vice versa.

Persistence of Vision
According to the theory of persistence of vision, the perceptual processes of the retina of the human eye retains an image for a brief moment. Persistence of vision is said to account for the illusion of motion which results when a series of film images are displayed in quick succession, rather than the perception of the individual frames in the series. The frequency at which flicker becomes invisible is called the flicker fusion threshold, and is dependent on the level of illumination. Through experience in the early days of film innovation, it was determined that a frame rate of less than 16 frames per second caused the mind to see flashing images. Audiences still interpret motion at rates as low as ten frames per second or slower (as in a flipbook), but the flicker caused by the shutter of a film projector is distracting below the 16-frame threshold. Modern theatrical film runs at 24 frames a second. This is the case for both physical film and digital film systems.

P2
Panasonic's P2 (Professional Plug-in) is a solid state memory card system designed for video storage. Basically, four SD Memory Cards are packaged together to create a single P2 card. When striped as a RAID 0 array, this gives the P2 four times the transfer speed and four times the capacity of a single SD Memory Card. A slim, large-capacity 8-GB*1 P2 card (AJ-P2C008HG) can hold 32 minutes of DVCPRO/DV codec recording yet weighs only about 45 grams. Compliant with PC Card standards (Type II), the P2 card plugs directly into the card slot of a laptop PC. AV data on the card mounts instantly, with each cut as an MXF file. The data can be used immediately — no digitizing necessary — for nonlinear editing, or it can be transferred over a network. P2 cards can (theoretically) transfer data very fast: up to 640 Mbps*3.

PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is a color encoding system used in broadcast television systems in Western Europe and Australia. Other common analog television systems are SECAM and NTSC. PAL was developed by Walter Bruch at Telefunken in Germany. The format was first unveiled in 1963, with the first broadcasts beginning in the United Kingdom and Germany in 1967. The term "PAL" is often used informally to refer to a 625-line/50 Hz (576i, principally European) television system, and to differentiate from a 525-line/60 Hz (480i, principally North American/Central American/Japanese) "NTSC" system. Accordingly, DVDs are labelled as either "PAL" or "NTSC" (referring informally to the line count and frame rate) even though technically the European disks do not have PAL composite colour. NTSC, by contrast does define the video line and frame format.

progressive scan
Progressive or noninterlaced scanning is any method for displaying, storing or transmitting moving images in which the lines of each frame are drawn in sequence. This is in contrast to the interlacing used in traditional television systems. Progressive scan is used for most CRT computer monitors, as the source signal is progressive by nature. (Other CRT-type displays, such as televisions, typically use interlaced displays.) It is also becoming increasingly common in high-end television equipment, which is often capable of performing deinterlacing so that interlaced source video can still be viewed.

proxy video
A lower resolution, generally compressed version of an original Standard Definition or High Definition video/audio stream or file. The proxy video version is frame-accurate to the original, so it can be used to create basic edits on ordinary computers or across limited bandwidth networks. Normally edits of proxy video result in an Edit Decision List (EDL) file which is applied to the original uncompressed video/audio.

SD (Secure Digital)
Secure Digital (SD) is a flash (non-volatile) memory card format developed by Matsushita, SanDisk and Toshiba for use in portable devices, including digital cameras, handheld computers, PDAs and GPS units. Standard SD memory cards may have up to 2 gigabytes in storage capacity.

SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity)
(see Secure Digital) The second generation of SD memory card devices which are greater than 2 gigabytes (potentially up to 128 gigabytes) in capacity. Newer SDHC cards may not be compatible with older SD devices. Several video camcorders are available that use SDHC cards to store Standard and High Definition video.

SD / SDTV (Standard Definition Television)
SD/SDTV refers to television systems that have a resolution that meets standards but not considered either Enhanced Definition or High Definition. The term is usually used in reference to digital television, in particular when broadcasting at the same (or similar) resolution as analog systems. SDTV can be broadcast in 704 pixels × 480 lines with 16:9 aspect ratio (40:33 rectangular pixel), 704 pixels × 480 lines with 4:3 aspect ratio (10:11 rectangular pixel) or 640 pixels × 480 lines with 4:3 ratio (and square pixels). The refresh rate can be any of 24, 30 or 60 frames per second. Digital SDTV in 4:3 aspect ratio has the same appearance as the regular analog TV (NTSC, PAL, SECAM) minus the ghosting, snowy images and static noises. However, if the reception is poor, one may encounter various other artifacts such as blockiness and stuttering.

SECAM
SECAM, also written SÉCAM (Séquentiel couleur à mémoire) French for "sequential color with memory", is an analog color television system first used in France. A team led by Henri de France working at Compagnie Française de Télévision (later bought by Thomson) invented SECAM. It is, historically, the first European color television standard. Work on SECAM began in 1956. The technology was ready by the end of the fifties, but this was too soon for a wide introduction. Initially, a version of SECAM for the then French 819-line television standard was devised and tested, but not introduced. Following a pan-European agreement to introduce color TV only in 625 lines, France had to start the conversion by switching over to a 625-line television standard, which happened at the beginning of the 1960s with the introduction of a second network. Unlike PAL or NTSC, analog SECAM television cannot easily be edited in its native analog form. Because it uses frequency modulation, SECAM is not linear with respect to the input image (this is also what protects it against signal distortion), so electrically mixing two (synchronized) SECAM signals does not yield a valid SECAM signal, unlike with analog PAL or NTSC. For this reason, to mix two SECAM signals, they must be demodulated, the demodulated signals mixed, and are remodulated again. Hence, post-production is often done in PAL, or in component formats, with the result encoded or transcoded into SECAM at the point of transmission. Reducing the costs of running television stations is one reason for some countries' recent switchovers to PAL.

transcode, transcoding
Transcoding is the process of converting encoded digital information (such as a compressed video/audio data stream) from one compression format into another. Essentially, transcoding generally involves decoding and/or decompressing the data to get it as close to the original as possible, then reencoding and/or recompressing it using a different technique. For example, you may have a video/audio stream stored as a large AVI file, and you may wish to convert it into compressed MPEG-2 so that it can be stored on a standard CD or transferred via email. Transcoding software is required to perform that operation. Transcoding can be as much art as science and mathematics, and the best transcoding software can be worth thousands of dollars. Procoder by Canopus is one example of a highly regarded multi-format transcoding solution.