View source for Telecine

{{About|the device|information about the method of movie copying|Telecine (copying)|the television network in Brazil|Rede Telecine}}
'''Telecine''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|ɛ|l|ə|s|ɪ|n|i}} or {{IPAc-en|ˌ|t|ɛ|l|ə|ˈ|s|ɪ|n|iː}}) is the process of transferring [[Film|motion picture]] [[filmstrip|film]] into [[video]] and is performed in a [[color suite]]. The term is also used to refer to the equipment used in the [[post-production]] process.<ref>
{{cite book
  | last =
  | first =
  | authorlink =
  | title = NAB Engineering Handbook
  | publisher = Focal Press
  | year = 2007
  | location =
  | pages = 1421-ff
  | url =
  | doi =
  | id =
  | isbn = 978-0-240-80751-5}}
</ref>
Telecine enables a motion picture, captured originally on [[film stock]], to be viewed with standard video equipment, such as [[television set]]s, [[video cassette recorder]]s (VCR), [[DVD]], [[Blu-ray Disc]] or [[computer]]s. Initially, this allowed television broadcasters to produce programmes using film, usually [[16 mm film|16mm stock]], but transmit them in the same format, and quality, as other forms of television production.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=John|first=Ellis|last2=Nick|first2=Hall|date=2018-04-11|title=ADAPT|journal=Figshare|language=en-US|doi=10.17637/rh.c.3925603.v2}}</ref> Furthermore, telecine allows [[film producer]]s, [[television producer]]s and [[film distributor]]s working in the [[film industry]] to release their [[product (business)|products]] on video and allows producers to use [[video production]] equipment to complete their [[filmmaking]] projects. Within the [[film industry]], it is also referred to as a '''TK''', because TC is already used to designate [[timecode]].

[[Image:SDC-2000 Spirit DataCine Telecine.JPG|right|thumb|250px|SDC-2000 [[Spirit DataCine]] Film Deck]]

==History of telecine==
With the advent of popular [[broadcast television]], producers realized they needed more than [[live television]] programming. By turning to film-originated material, they would have access to the wealth of films made for the cinema in addition to recorded [[television program]]ming on film that could be aired at different times. However, the difference in [[Frame rate|frame rates]] between film (generally 24 frames/s) and television (30 or 25 frames/s, [[Interlaced video|interlaced]]) meant that simply playing a film into a television camera would result in flickering.

Originally the [[kinescope]] was used to record the image from a television display to film, synchronized to the TV scan rate. This could then be re-played directly into a video camera for re-display.<ref>Pincus, Edward and Ascher, Steven. (1984). ''The Filmmaker's Handbook''. Plume. p. 368-9 {{ISBN|0-452-25526-0}}</ref> Non-live programming could also be filmed using the same cameras, edited mechanically as normal, and then played back for TV. As the film was run at the same speed as the television, the flickering was eliminated. Various displays, including projectors for these "video rate films", [[slide projector]]s and film cameras were often combined into a "[[film chain]]", allowing the broadcaster to cue up various forms of media and switch between them by moving a mirror or prism. Color was supported by using a multi-tube video camera, prisms, and filters to separate the original color signal and feed the red, green and blue to individual tubes.

However, this still left film shot at cinema [[frame rate]]s as a problem. The obvious solution is to simply speed up the film to match the television frame rates, but this, at least in the case of [[NTSC]], is rather obvious to the eye and ear. This problem is not difficult to fix, however; the solution being to periodically play a selected frame twice. For NTSC, the difference in frame rates can be corrected by showing every fourth frame of film twice, although this does require the sound to be handled separately to avoid "skipping" effects. A more convincing technique is to use "2:3 pulldown", discussed below, which turns every second frame of the film into three ''[[field (video)|field]]s'' of video, which results in a much smoother display. [[PAL]] uses a similar system, "2:2 pulldown". However, during the analogue broadcasting period, the 24 frame per second film was shown at a slighly faster 25 frames per second rate, to match the PAL video signal. This resulted in a fractionally higher audio soundtrack, and resulted in feature films having a slightly shorter duration, by being shown 1 frame per second faster.

In recent decades, telecine has primarily been a film-to-storage process, as opposed to film-to-air. Changes since the 1950s have primarily been in terms of equipment and physical formats; the basic concept remains the same. [[Home movies]] originally on film may be transferred to [[video tape]] using this technique, and it is not uncommon to find telecined DVDs where the source was originally recorded on videotape. The same is not true for modern DVDs of cinematic films, which are generally recorded in their original frame rate—in these cases the DVD player itself applies telecining as required to match the capabilities of the television receiver.

==Frame rate differences==
{{Main|Frame rate}}

The most complex part of telecine is the [[synchronization]] of the mechanical film motion and the electronic video signal. Every time the video (tele) part of the telecine samples the light electronically, the film (cine) part of the telecine must have a [[Frame (film)|frame]] in perfect registration and ready to photograph. This is relatively easy when the film is photographed at the same [[frame rate]] as the video camera will sample, but when this is not true, a sophisticated procedure is required to change frame rate.

To avoid the synchronization issues, higher-end establishments now use a scanning system rather than just a telecine system. This allows them to scan a distinct frame of digital video for each frame of film, providing higher quality than a telecine system would be able to achieve. Normally, best results are then achieved by using a smoothing (interpolating) algorithm rather than a frame duplication algorithm (such as 3:2 pulldown, etc.) to adjust for speed differences between the film and video frame rate.

Similar issues occur when using [[vertical synchronization]] to prevent [[screen tearing]], which is a different problem encountered when frame rates mismatch.

===2:2 pulldown {{anchor|22pulldown}}===

In countries that use the [[PAL]] or [[SECAM]] video standards, film destined for television is photographed at 25 frames per second. The PAL video standard broadcasts at 25 frames per second, so the transfer from film to video is simple; for every film frame, one video frame is captured.

:[[Image:2-2pulldown.svg]]

Theatrical features originally photographed at 24 frame/s are shown at 25 frame/s. While this is usually not noticed in the picture (but may be more noticeable during action speed, especially if footage was filmed undercranked), the 4% increase in playback speed causes a slightly noticeable increase in [[Pitch (music)|audio pitch]] by just over 0.679 [[semitones]]<!-- log(1.04)/log(2**(1/12)), if rounding please choose one of 0.679, 0.68, 0.7 or 1, or cite your rounding algorithm. -->,  which is sometimes corrected using a [[Audio timescale-pitch modification|pitch shifter]], though pitch shifting is a recent innovation{{Dubious|date=September 2017}} and supersedes an alternative method of telecine for 25 frame/s formats.

2:2 pulldown is also used to transfer shows and films, photographed at 30 frames per second, like ''[[Friends]]'' and ''[[Oklahoma! (1955 film)|Oklahoma!]]'' (1955),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_7_4/dvd-benchmark-part-5-progressive-10-2000.html|title=Home Theater and High Fidelity, Progressive Scan DVDs and deinterlacing}}</ref> to [[NTSC]] video, which has 60&nbsp;Hz scanning rate.

Although the 4% speed increase has been standard since the early days of PAL and SECAM television, recently a new technique has gained popularity,{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}} and the resulting speed and pitch of the telecined presentation are identical to that of the original film.

This pulldown method<ref name="filmtopal">{{cite web|url=http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/HTML/en/menc-feat-dvd-mpeg4.html|title=7.1. Making a high quality MPEG-4 ("DivX") rip of a DVD movie|work=mplayerhq.hu}}</ref> is sometimes used in order to convert 24 frame/s material to 25 frame/s. Usually, this involves a film to PAL transfer without the aforementioned 4% speedup. For film at 24 frame/s, there are 24 frames of film for every 25 frames of PAL video. In order to accommodate this mismatch in frame rate, 24 frames of film have to be distributed over 50 PAL fields. This can be accomplished by inserting a pulldown field every 12 frames, thus effectively spreading 12 frames of film over 25 fields (or “12.5 frames”) of PAL video. The method used is 2:2:2:2:2:2:2:2:2:2:2:3 (Euro) pulldown (see below{{Citation needed|date=November 2011}}).

This method was born out of a frustration with the faster, higher pitched soundtracks that traditionally accompanied films transferred for PAL and SECAM audiences. A few motion pictures are beginning to be telecined this way{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}}. It is particularly suited for films where the soundtrack is of special importance.

When a TV station in an NTSC region airs a film or show that uses a PAL printing/version, but is being broadcast in the NTSC format, sometimes they do not perform the proper PAL to NTSC pulldown conversion or it is done improperly. This causes the program to be sped-up slightly and/or sound higher-pitched, due to the faster rate of the PAL 576 lines/50&nbsp;Hz vs the NTSC 480 lines/60&nbsp;Hz format.

===2:3 pulldown {{anchor|23pulldown}} ===
<!-- This section is linked from [[NTSC]] -->
{{main|Three-two pull down}}
In the United States and other countries where television uses the [[NTSC|59.94 Hz vertical scanning]] frequency, video is broadcast at 29.97 frame/s. For the film's motion to be accurately rendered on the video signal, a telecine must use a technique called the '''2:3 pulldown''', also known as '''3:2 pulldown''', to convert from 24 to 29.97 frame/s.

The term “pulldown” comes from the mechanical process of “pulling” (physically moving) the film downward within the film portion of the transport mechanism, to advance it from one frame to the next at a repetitive rate (nominally 24 frames/s). This is accomplished in two steps. The first step is to slow down the film motion by 1/1000 to 23.976 frames/s. The difference in speed is imperceptible to the viewer.  For a two-hour film, play time is extended by 7.2 seconds. If the total playback time must be kept exact, a single frame can be dropped every 1000 frames.

The second step of the 2:3 pulldown is distributing cinema frames into video fields. At 23.976 frame/s, there are four frames of film for every five frames of 29.97&nbsp;frame/s video:

:<math> \frac{23.976}{29.97} = \frac{4}{5}</math>

These four frames are “stretched” into five by exploiting the [[interlaced video|interlace]]d nature of 60&nbsp;Hz video. For every frame, there are actually two incomplete images or ''fields'', one for the odd-numbered lines of the image, and one for the even-numbered lines. There are, therefore, ten fields for every four film frames, which are called ''A'', ''B'', ''C'', and ''D''. The telecine alternately places A frame across two fields, B frame across three fields, C frame across two fields and D frame across three fields. This can be written as A-A-B-B-B-C-C-D-D-D or 2-3-2-3 or simply 2-3. The cycle repeats itself completely after four film frames have been exposed:

:[[Image:32pulldown.svg]]

A 3:2 pattern is identical to the one shown above except that it is shifted by one frame. For instance, a cycle that starts with film frame B yields a 3:2 pattern: B-B-B-C-C-D-D-D-A-A or 3-2-3-2 or simply 3-2. In other words, there is no difference between the 2-3 and 3-2 patterns. In fact, the "3-2" notation is misleading because according to SMPTE standards for every four-frame film sequence the first frame is scanned twice, not three times.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ra1lcAwgvq4C&vq=illumination&dq=poynton&pg=PA430#v=onepage&f=false|title=Charles Poynton, Digital Video and HDTV: Algorithms and Interfaces|isbn=9781558607927|last1=Poynton|first1=Charles|year=2003}}, page 430</ref>

The above method is a "classic" 2:3, which was used before frame buffers allowed for holding more than one frame. The preferred method for doing a 2:3 creates only one dirty frame in every five (i.e. 3:3:2:2 or 2:3:3:2 or 2:2:3:3); while this method has slightly more [[#Telecine judder|judder]], it allows for easier upconversion (the dirty frame can be dropped without losing information) and a better overall compression when encoding. The 2:3:3:2 pattern is supported by the [[Panasonic AG-DVX100|Panasonic DVX-100B]] video camera under the name "Advanced Pulldown". Note that just fields are displayed—no frames hence no dirty frames—in interlaced display such as on a CRT. Dirty frames may appear in other methods of displaying the interlaced video.

===Other pulldown patterns===
Similar techniques must be used for films shot at “silent speeds” of less than 24 frame/s, which includes home movie formats (the standard for [[Standard 8 mm film]] was 16 fps, and 18 fps for [[Super 8 mm film]]) as well as [[silent film]] (which in 35&nbsp;mm format usually was 16 fps, 12 fps, or even lower).
*16 frame/s (actually 15.985) to NTSC 30 frame/s (actually 29.97): pulldown should be 3:4:4:4
*16 frame/s to PAL 25: pulldown should be 3:3:3:3:3:3:3:4 (a better choice would be to run the film at 16.67 frame/s, simplifying pulldown to 3:3)
*18 frame/s (actually 17.982) to NTSC 30: pulldown should be 3:3:4
*20 frame/s (actually 19.980) to NTSC 30: pulldown should be 3:3
*27.5 frame/s to NTSC 30: pulldown should be 3:2:2:2:2
*27.5 frame/s to PAL 25: pulldown should be 1:2:2:2:2

Also, other patterns have been described that refer to the [[progressive scan|progressive]] frame rate conversion required to display 24 frame/s video (e.g., from a DVD player) on a progressive display (e.g., LCD or plasma):<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forums.highdefdigest.com/home-theater-gear/77039-1080-24-48hz-96hz-120hz.html|title=1080/24 at 48Hz, 96Hz, or 120Hz|work=highdefdigest.com}}</ref>

*24 frame/s to 96 frame/s (4x frame repetition): pulldown is 4:4
*24 frame/s to 120 frame/s (5x frame repetition): pulldown is 5:5
*24 frame/s to 120 frame/s (3:2 pulldown followed by 2x deinterlacing): pulldown is 6:4

=== Telecine judder ===<!-- This section is linked from [[PAL]] -->
{{See also|Telecine#Frame rate differences}}
The "2:3 pulldown" telecine process creates a slight error in the video signal compared to the original film frames that can be seen in the above image. This is one reason why films viewed on typical NTSC home equipment may not appear as smooth as when viewed in a cinema and PAL home equipments. The phenomenon is particularly apparent during slow, steady camera movements which appear slightly jerky when telecined. This process is commonly referred to as '''''telecine judder'''''. Reversing the 2:3 pulldown telecine is discussed below.

PAL material in which 2:3 (Euro) pulldown has been applied suffers from a similar lack of smoothness, though this effect is not usually called "telecine judder". Effectively, every 12th film frame is displayed for the duration of three PAL fields (60 milliseconds), whereas the other 11 frames are each displayed for the duration of two PAL fields (40 milliseconds). This causes a slight "hiccup" in the video about twice a second. It is increasingly being referred to as Euro pulldown{{By whom|date=September 2018}} as it largely affects European territories.

===Reverse telecine (a.k.a. inverse telecine (IVTC), reverse pulldown)===
{{anchor|Inverse_telecine}}Some [[DVD player]]s, [[line doubler]]s, and [[personal video recorder]]s are designed to detect and remove 2:3 pulldown from telecined video sources, thereby reconstructing the original 24 frame/s film frames. This technique is known as “reverse” or “inverse” telecine. Benefits of reverse telecine include high-quality non-interlaced display on compatible display devices and the elimination of redundant data for compression purposes.

Reverse telecine is crucial when acquiring film material into a [[Non-linear editing system|digital non-linear editing system]] such as [[Lightworks]], [[Sony Vegas]] Pro, [[Avid Technology|Avid]], or [[Final Cut Pro]], since these machines produce [[negative cut lists]] which refer to specific frames in the original film material. When video from a telecine is ingested into these systems, the operator usually has available a “telecine trace,” in the form of a text file, which gives the correspondence between the video material and film original. Alternatively, the video transfer may include telecine sequence markers “burned in” to the video image along with other identifying information such as time code.

It is also possible, but more difficult, to perform reverse telecine without prior knowledge of where each field of video lies in the 2:3 pulldown pattern. This is the task faced by most consumer equipment such as line doublers and personal video recorders. Ideally, only a single field needs to be identified, the rest following the pattern in lock-step. However, the 2:3 pulldown pattern does not necessarily remain consistent throughout an entire program. Edits performed on film material after it undergoes 2:3 pulldown can introduce “jumps” in the pattern if care is not taken to preserve the original frame sequence (this often happens during the editing of television shows and commercials in NTSC format). Most reverse telecine algorithms attempt to follow the 2:3 pattern using image analysis techniques, e.g. by searching for repeated fields.

Algorithms that perform 2:3 pulldown removal also usually perform the task of [[deinterlacing]]. It is possible to algorithmically determine whether video contains a 2:3 pulldown pattern or not, and selectively do either reverse telecine (in the case of film-sourced video) or deinterlacing (in the case of native video sources).

==Telecine hardware==

===Flying spot scanner===

[[Image:Crt-telecine.svg|thumb|250px|right|The parts of a [[flying spot scanner]]: (A) [[Cathode-ray tube]] (CRT); (B) film plane; (C) & (D) dichroic mirrors; (E), (F) & (G) red-, green- and blue-sensitive photomultipliers.]]

In the [[United Kingdom]], [[Cintel|Rank Precision Industries]] was experimenting with the flying-spot scanner (FSS), which inverted the [[cathode ray tube]] (CRT) concept of scanning using a television screen. The CRT emits a pixel-sized electron beam which is converted to a photon beam through the phosphors coating the envelope. This dot of light is then focused by a lens onto the film's emulsion, and finally collected by a pickup device. In 1950 the first Rank flying spot monochrome telecine was installed at the BBC's [[Lime Grove Studios]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209032539/http://www.cintel.co.uk/about_history.html |title=Some key dates in Cintel's history |date= |accessdate=2019-07-15}}</ref> The advantage of the FSS is that colour analysis is done after scanning, so there can be no registration errors as can be produced by vidicon tubes where scanning is done after colour separation—it also allows simpler dichroics to be used.

In a [[flying spot scanner]] (FSS) or [[cathode-ray tube]] (CRT) telecine, a pixel-sized light beam is projected through exposed and developed motion picture film (either [[Negative (photography)|negative]] or positive) and collected by a special type of photo-electric cell known as a [[photomultiplier]] which converts the light into an electrical signal. The beam of light “scans” across the film image from left to right to record the horizontal frame information. Vertical scanning of the frame is then accomplished by moving the film past the CRT beam. In a colour telecine the light from the CRT passes through the film and is separated by [[dichroism|dichroic]] mirrors and filters into red, green and blue bands. [[Photomultiplier]] tubes or [[avalanche photodiode]]s convert the light into separate red, green and blue electrical signals for further electronic processing. This can be accomplished in “real time”, 24 frames per second (or in some cases faster). Rank Precision-[[Cintel]] introduced the “Mark” series of FSS telecines. During this time advances were also made in CRTs, with increased light output producing a better [[signal-to-noise ratio]] and so allowing negative film to be used.

The problem with flying-spot scanners was the difference in frequencies between television field rates and film frame rates. This was solved first by the Mk. I Polygonal Prism system, which was optically synchronised to the television frame rate by the rotating prism and could be run at any frame rate. This was replaced by the Mk. II Twin Lens, and then around 1975, by the Mk. III Hopping Patch (jump scan). The Mk. III series progressed from the original “jump scan” interlace scan to the Mk. IIIB which used a progressive scan and included a digital scan converter (Digiscan) to output interlaced video. The Mk. IIIC was the most popular of the series and used a next generation Digiscan plus other improvements.

The "Mark" series was then replaced by the Ursa (1989), the first in their line of telecines capable of producing digital data in 4:2:2 color space. The Ursa Gold (1993) stepped this up to 4:4:4 and then the Ursa Diamond (1997), which incorporated many third-party improvements on the Ursa system.<ref name="filmtotape">Holben, Jay (May 1999). “From Film to Tape” ''American Cinematographer Magazine'', pp. 108–122.</ref> Cintel's C-Reality and ITK's Millennium flying-spot scanner are able to do both HD and Data.

===Line array CCD===
[[Image:Ccd-telecine.svg|thumb|250px|right|The parts of a CCD scanner: (A) Xenon bulb; (B) film plane; (C) & (D) prisms and/or dichroic mirrors; (E),(F) & (G) red-, green- and blue-sensitive CCDs.]] The [[Robert Bosch GmbH]], [[Fernseh]] Div., which later became [[Broadcast Television Systems Inc.|BTS inc.]] - [[Philips]] Digital Video Systems, [[Thomson SA|Thomson]]'s [[Grass Valley (company)|Grass Valley]] and now is DFT Digital Film Technology introduced the world's first CCD telecine (1979), the [[FDL60|FDL-60]]. The FDL-60 designed and made in [[Darmstadt]] West [[Germany]], was the first all [[Solid state (electronics)|solid state]] telecine.

Rank [[Cintel]] (ADS telecine 1982) and [[Marconi Company]] (1985) both made CCD Telecines for a short time. The Marconi model B3410 telecine sold 84 units over a three-year period,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://journal.smpte.org/content/91/11/1066.abstract|title=Digital Library|work=smpte.org}}</ref> and a former Marconi technician still maintains them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marconitelecine.com|title=Marconi B3410 Telecine For Sale|work=marconitelecine.com}}</ref>

In a [[charge-coupled device]] Line Array CCD telecine, a “white” light is shone through the exposed film image into a prism, which separates out the image into the three primary colors, red, green and blue. Each beam of colored light is then projected at a different CCD, one for each color. The CCD converts the light into electrical impulses which the telecine electronics [[Modulation|modulate]] into a video signal which can then be recorded onto video tape or broadcast.

[[File:Telecine system (6498625539).jpg|thumb|Telecine Shadow system, Denmark]]

Philips-BTS eventually evolved the FDL 60 into the [[FDL90|FDL 90]] (1989)/ [[FDL90|Quadra]]  (1993). In 1996 Philips, working with [[Kodak]], introduced the [[Spirit DataCine]] (SDC 2000), which was capable of scanning the film image at [[HDTV]] resolutions and approaching 2K (1920 Luminance and 960 Chrominace RGB) × 1556 RGB. With the data option the Spirit DataCine can be used as a [[motion picture film scanner]] outputting [[Display resolution#Television/films|2K]] [[DPX]] [[data file]]s as 2048 × 1556 RGB. In 2000 Philips introduced the [[Spirit DataCine#Shadow|Shadow Telecine(STE)]], a low cost version of the Spirit with no Kodak parts. The Spirit DataCine, [[Cintel]]'s C-Reality and ITK's Millennium opened the door to the technology of [[digital intermediate]]s, wherein telecine tools were not just used for video outputs, but could now be used for high-resolution data that would later be recorded back [[film out|out to film]].<ref name="filmtotape" /> The DFT Digital Film Technology, formerly Grass Valley [[Spirit DataCine#SDC 2K Spirit DataCine|Spirit 4K/2K/HD]] (2004) replaced the Spirit 1 Datacine and uses both 2K and 4K line array CCDs. (Note: the SDC-2000 did not use a color prisms and/or dichroic mirrors.) DFT revealed its new scanner at the 2009 [[National Association of Broadcasters|NAB Show]], [[Scanity]].<ref>[http://www.dft-film.com/scanners/scanity.php DFT Scanity] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618124959/http://www.dft-film.com/scanners/scanity.php |date=June 18, 2009 }}</ref>  The Scanity uses Time Delay Integration (TDI) sensor technology for extremely fast and sensitive film scans.  High speed scanning 15 frame/s @ 4K; 25 frame/s @ 2K; 44 frame/s @ 1K.

===Pulsed LED/triggered three CCD camera system===
With the manufacturing of new high power LEDs, came pulsed LED/triggered three CCD camera systems. Flashing the LED light source for a very short time span gives the full frame CCD camera a stop action of the film, allowing continuous film motion.  With CCD video cameras that have a trigger input, the camera now can be electronically synced up to the film transport framing. There are now a number of retail and home made Pulsed LED/triggered camera systems. 
An array of high-power multiple red, green and blue LEDs is pulsed just as the film frame is positioned in front of the optical lens. The camera sends the single, non-interlaced image of the film frame to a digital frame store, where the electronic picture is clocked out at the selected TV frame rate for PAL or NTSC or other standard. More advanced systems replace the sprocket wheel with laser or camera based perf detection and image stabilization system.

=== Digital intermediate systems and virtual telecines ===
Telecine technology is increasingly merging with that of [[motion picture film scanner]]s; high-resolution telecines, such as those mentioned above, can be regarded as film scanners that operate in real time.

As [[digital intermediate]] post-production becomes more common, the need to combine the traditional telecine functions of input devices, standards converters, and [[colour grading]] systems is becoming less important as the post-production chain changes to tapeless and filmless operation.

However, the parts of the workflow associated with telecines still remain, and are being pushed to the end, rather than the beginning, of the post-production chain, in the form of real-time digital grading systems and digital intermediate mastering systems, increasingly running in software on commodity computer systems. These are sometimes called [[virtual telecine]] systems.

===Video cameras that produce telecined video, and "film look"===
Some video cameras and consumer camcorders are able to record in progressive "24 frames/s" or "23.976 frames/s" . Such a video has cinema-like motion characteristics and is the major component of so-called "[[film look]]" or "movie look".

For most "24 frames/s" cameras, the virtual 2:3 pulldown process is happening inside the camera. Although the camera is capturing a progressive frame at the CCD, just like a film camera, it is then imposing an interlacing on the image to record it to tape so that it can be played back on any standard television. Not every camera handles "24 frames/s" this way, but the majority of them do.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dv.com/columns/columns_item.php?articleId=196603515 |title=Jay Holben, More Detail on 24p |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025030832/http://www.dv.com/columns/columns_item.php?articleId=196603515 |archivedate=October 25, 2007 }}</ref>

Cameras that record 25 frames/s (PAL) or 29.97 frames/s (NTSC) do not need to employ 2:3 pulldown, because every progressive frame occupies exactly two video fields. In the video industry, this type of encoding is called [[Progressive segmented Frame|Progressive Segmented Frame (PsF)]]. PsF is conceptually identical to 2:2 pulldown, only there is no film original to transfer from.

==Digital television and high definition==
[[Digital television]] and [[High definition television|high definition]] standards provide several methods for encoding film material.  Fifty field/s formats such as [[576i50]] and [[1080i50]] can accommodate film content using a 4% speed-up like PAL. 59.94 field/s interlaced formats such as [[480i60]] and [[1080i60]] use the same 2:3 pulldown technique as NTSC. In 59.94 frame/s progressive formats such as [[480p60]] and [[720p60]], entire frames (rather than fields) are repeated in a 2:3 pattern, accomplishing the frame rate conversion without interlacing and its associated artifacts. Other formats such as [[1080p24]] can decode film material at its native rate of 24 or 23.976 frame/s.

All of these coding methods are in use to some extent. In PAL countries, 25 frame/s formats remain the norm. In NTSC countries, most digital broadcasts of 24 frame/s progressive material, both standard and high definition, continue to use interlaced formats with 2:3 pulldown, even though [[ATSC]] allows native 24 and 23.976 frame/s progressive formats which offer the greatest image quality and coding efficiency, and are widely used in motion picture and high definition video production. Nowadays, most HDTV vendors sell LCD televisions in NTSC/ATSC countries capable of 120&nbsp;Hz or 240&nbsp;Hz [[refresh rate]]s and plasma sets capable of 48, 72, or 96&nbsp;Hz refresh.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=997138|title=Displays that support 1080p/24 signal at multiplies of the original frame rate|work=avsforum.com}}</ref> When combined with a 1080p24-capable source (such as most Blu-ray Disc players), some of these sets are able to display film-based content using a pulldown scheme of whole multiples of 24, thereby avoiding the problems associated with 2:3 pulldown or the 4% speed-up used in PAL countries. For example, a 1080p 120&nbsp;Hz set which accepts a 1080p24 input can achieve 5:5 pulldown by simply repeating each frame five times and thus not exhibit picture artifacts associated with telecine judder.

==Gate weave==
Gate weave, known in this context as "telecine weave" or "telecine wobble", caused by the movement of the film in the telecine machine gate, is a characteristic artifact of real-time telecine scanning. Numerous techniques have been tried to minimize gate weave, using both improvements in mechanical film handling and electronic post-processing. Line-scan telecines are less vulnerable to frame-to-frame judder than machines with conventional film gates, and non-real-time machines are also less vulnerable to gate weave than real-time machines. Some gate weave is inherent in film cinematography, as it introduced by the film handling within the original film camera: modern digital [[image stabilization]] techniques can remove both this and telecine/scanner gate weave.

==Soft and hard telecine==

On [[DVD]]s, telecined material may be either hard telecined, or soft telecined. In the hard-telecined case, video is stored on the DVD at the playback framerate (29.97 frame/s for NTSC, 25 frame/s for PAL), using the telecined frames as shown above. In the soft-telecined case, the material is stored on the DVD at the film rate (24 or 23.976 frames/s) in the original progressive format, with special flags inserted into the [[MPEG-2]] video stream that instruct the DVD player to repeat certain fields so as to accomplish the required pulldown during playback.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdfile.com/article/what-the-heck-is-32-pulldown-8800|title=Coming Soon To DVD - Find Out DVD Release Dates!|date=6 October 2015|work=ComingSoon.net|access-date=21 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105165318/http://www.dvdfile.com/article/what-the-heck-is-32-pulldown-8800|archive-date=5 January 2009|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
[[Progressive scan]] DVD players additionally offer output at [[480p]] by using these flags to duplicate frames rather than fields, or if the TV supports it, to play the disc back at the native 24p rate.

NTSC DVDs are often soft telecined, although lower-quality hard-telecined DVDs exist. In the case of PAL DVDs using 2:2 pulldown, the difference between soft and hard telecine vanishes, and the two may be regarded as equal. In the case of PAL DVDs using 2:3 pulldown, either soft or hard telecining may be applied.

Blu-ray offers native 24 frame/s support, allowing 5:5 cadence on most modern televisions.

==Photo gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Fdl60-cap-gate.JPG|Bosch Fernseh FDL 60 Telecine Film Deck and Lens Gate
File:BTS Quadra 444 Telecine.JPG|Quadra Telecine Film Deck
Image:Tk-mk-3-rank.JPG|Rank Cintel Mark 3 Telecine
Image:Tk-ursa-d-rank.JPG|Cintel  URSA Diamond Telecine
Image:Tkc-rel.jpg|Cintel C-Reality Film Deck Telecine
File:Innovation_TK_Ltd_Millennium_Machine.jpg|Innovation TK Ltd Millennium Telecine Machine
Image:Sdc-fcp-control panel.JPG|SDC-2000 Spirit DataCine Functional Control Panel-FCP
Image:Spirit Datacine 4k doors closed.jpg|Spirit Datacine 4k with the doors closed
Image:Spirit Datacine 4k doors open.jpg|Spirit Datacine 4k with the doors open
Image:GCP-Datacine-IMG 8756.jpg|GCP control panel for a Spirit Datacine
File:Telecine room.jpg|A telecine room.
</gallery>

==See also==
{{colbegin}}
* [[Test film]]
* [[3D LUT]]
* [[Cintel]], telecine equipment.
* [[Color motion picture film]]
* [[Color suite]]
* [[Da Vinci Systems]] for [[color grading]] and [[video editing]] systems.
* [[Pandora International]]
* [[Digital intermediate]]
* [[Display resolution]]
* [[Faroudja]], inventors of reverse telecine technologies.
* [[Film recorder]]
* [[Film restoration]]
* [[Progressive segmented frame]], a scheme designed to acquire, store, modify, and distribute progressive-scan video using interlaced equipment and media.
* [[Film-out]]
* [[Gamma correction]]
* [[Hard disk recorder]]
* [[Display motion blur]], factors causing motion blur on displays.
* [[Image scanner]]
* [[Keykode]]
* [[Telecine (piracy)]], an unauthorized copy of a film created with a telecine.
* [[Telerecording]] (UK)
* [[Television]]
* [[Sound follower]]
* [[1080p]]
{{colend}}

==References==
{{reflist|33em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://doi.org/10.17637/rh.5987812.v1 Discussion of Telecine equipment by former BBC engineers]
*[https://doi.org/10.17637/rh.5987683.v1 Demonstration of Telecine process by telecine and archiving expert, Tim Emlem-English]
* [http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_7_4/dvd-benchmark-part-5-progressive-10-2000.html Explanation of telecine methods]
{{Prone to spam|date=October 2014}}
{{Z148}}<!--     {{No more links}}

       Please be cautious adding more external links.

Wikipedia is not a collection of links and should not be used for advertising.

     Excessive or inappropriate links will be removed.

 See [[Wikipedia:External links]] and [[Wikipedia:Spam]] for details.

If there are already suitable links, propose additions or replacements on
the article's talk page, or submit your link to the relevant category at
DMOZ (dmoz.org) and link there using {{Dmoz}}.

-->

{{VideoProcessing}}

[[Category:Film and video technology]]