Innovative programming delivered with accepted industry standards

Knowledge encourages the use of innovative program making techniques, but the techniques and tools used must deliver within accepted industry standards to allow for error free presentation and transmission. This section details technical specifications for standard and high definition program acceptance at Knowledge Network Corporation.

Please direct questions regarding technical specifications to:

Oliver Eichel
Director of Broadcast Operations
Email: olivere@knowledge.ca
Phone: 604.431.3215

Overview

Video program material shall be produced using current industry standards and accepted norms. Digital video signals must comply with standards specified by SMPTE-259 and CCIR Rec.601 and, when encoded to NTSC composite, signals shall comply with RS 170A. Closed captions must comply with EIA 608 standards. For HD delivery compliance with SMPTE 274M-2005 is required.

Program material should be produced using professional broadcast equipment and tape formats. Facilities used for production and post-production processes should have viewing and sound monitoring conditions that comply with industry standards thereby ensuring consistent and accurate assessment of picture and sound quality.
 

Material obtained using “pro-sumer” equipment will be accepted where specific production requirements make this unavoidable, e.g. point of view cameras etc.

Standard Definition

1. Tape Formats and Aspect Ratio

1.1 Notwithstanding Section B (High Definition), Knowledge accepts tape format and aspect ratio NTSC Digital Betacam 16:9 Full Height Anamorphic (FHA).

1.2 Delivery of any standard definition program other than as above will require prior approval.

1.3 Program material acquired from a wide screen master must be converted to ensure that no critical picture information is lost.

1.4 Safe title area limits for 4:3 must be observed at all times.

1.5 All programs shall be free of commercial blacks or publicity breaks.

1.6 For children's programs, the lower left hand corner of the screen must be free of captions, logos, watermarks or any graphic images.

1.7 For all other programs, the lower right hand corner of the screen must be free of captions, logos, watermarks or any graphic images that may conflict with the Knowledge bug.

1.8 Content Lengths: a maximum of 26:30 for half hour program; a maximum of 56:30 for a 1-hour program, with no commercial or publicity breaks. There are no restrictions for programs with run times greater than 60 minutes.

2. Reference Signals

2.1 Reference SMPTE 75% colour bars and 1 KHz audio tone is required at the head of each program tape. Reference audio and video signals must be a true indication of the program’s chroma, video, pedestal, audio phase and audio level. There should be a minimum of 30 seconds of black following the last program picture and audio before any text less elements or added material.

3. Video Slates

3.1 Slates must have a duration of at least 10 seconds, follow reference signals, and include the following:

• Series and episode title/number
• Total program length
• Audio track assignments
• Type of time code
• Presence of closed captioning
• SAP or descriptive video track

4. Time Code

4.1 SMPTE time code must be recorded on the linear track, be drop frame, start with reference signals and continue, unbroken, throughout the entire program and past the end of the program by a minimum of 15 seconds. The following standard must be adhered to:

5. Closed Captions

5.1 The vertical interval must be free and clear except for closed captions, which must comply with EIA 608 industry standards, including the specification that English closed captions be encoded on Line 21 field 1 of the vertical blanking interval.

6. Audio

6.1 Stereo audio must be in phase and fully mono compatible.

6.2 Sound loudness levels should be consistent throughout the program such that it is not necessary for the viewer to adjust the sound during the program or between parts.

6.3 Acceptable audio formats are Dolby C, Dolby Surround Pro Logic, and Dolby Pro Logic II encoded.

6.4 The relative timing of the sound to video synchronization should not exhibit any perceptible error. Sound should not lead or lag the picture content.

6.5 Producers must maintain music and effects levels sufficiently below dialog to ensure that a wide variety of viewers can understand the dialog upon first viewing in home conditions.

7. Labels

7.1 Both the videotape cassette and videotape case shall be labeled clearly and legibly. The tape case label shall contain the following information:

• Version (master, protection, dub, clone, etc)
• Production company
• Program title
• Program length
• Type of audio, channel assignments, Dolby if applicable
• Type of time code
• Closed captioned
• Descriptive video audio track (if relevant)
• Day, month and year of delivery

8. General Video Quality Requirements

• The picture must be sharp and well lit (unless artistic considerations require otherwise).
• The video signal must be free of excessive black crushing and luminance clipping.
• Colour rendition, especially skin tones, must be a realistic representation of the scene portrayed unless artistic considerations require otherwise.
• Video processing (e.g. effects plug ins) must not introduce unintentional changes to luminance and chrominance levels.
• There must be no visible contouring or artifacts caused by multiple D-A and A-D conversions or compression. Quantization noise shall not be apparent.
• Content from consumer type delivery methods such as DVD or VHS should not be incorporated into new programming as these signals have already been significantly compressed or degraded.
• In certain circumstances i.e. shooting actuality material or where a high level of mobility is required, the use of a “DV prosumer” type camera may be considered acceptable. However, written consent is required prior to delivery. Where use of this format is agreed pay particular attention to audio and lighting considerations.
• Material will be assessed at 525/60. If material originating in other formats is incorporated, care must be taken to achieve the overall quality required.
• Many DV and DVCam camcorders offer a menu option labeled "Wide screen" which creates a Wide screen image by discarding horizontal strips of the 4:3 picture (25% of the vertical picture information is lost). Use of this mode should be avoided.

9. General Audio Quality Requirements

• The audio shall be free of extraneous signals such as noise, hum, and cross-talk.
• Sibilance and distortion shall not be apparent.
• The audio shall not show dynamic and frequency response artifacts as a result of the use of noise reduction or low bit rate coding systems.
• Dynamic range shall not be excessive.
• Care shall be taken when incorporating background music and effects with dialogue, or viewers with a hearing impairment and/or poor listening conditions can find the dialogue difficult to hear. Final mix assessment should be made using “TV Set Style” speakers.

High Definition

The following lists of guidelines apply specifically to delivery of content in HD. Many guidelines listed for Standard Definition also apply and contribute to a successful program delivery. It is assumed that the producer will adhere to these guidelines where applicable.

1. Delivery format

1.1 Knowledge accepts programs delivered in High Definition as Sony HDCam (1080i). Delivery of any HD program other than Sony HDCam will require prior approval by

1.2 Knowledge, shall be submitted 2 weeks before the planned delivery date and shall be transferred to HDCam by Knowledge at the producer’s expense.

2. Video Image Quality

2.1 Cameras used for the capture of content must use three CCD chips, each with at least a ½” diagonal and a minimum resolution of 1280 x 720.

3. Image format

3.1 The image format shall be 1920 x 1080 and be compliant with the SMPTE 274 standard.

4. Frame Rate

4.1 The video frame rate shall be 29.97 fps, 2:1 interlaced. Any content original or otherwise captured at another frame rate such as 24p or 23.98p, shall be converted to 29.97 before being delivered to Knowledge.

5. Use of Standard Definition Material

5.1 Use of native Standard Definition content, including PAL, NTSC, SECAM or R.601 digital video is acceptable only in special cases, i.e., archival material. Any use of SD content in an HD program must be justified by the producer and approved beforehand by Knowledge.

5.2 4:3 SD material: when the use of 4:3 SD materials in an HD program is essential and has been approved by Knowledge, two methods of up conversion are acceptable: pillar-box and top-bottom crop. Conversion by horizontal stretching is not acceptable.

5.3 16:9 SD material: when the use of 16:9 SD material in an HD program is essential and has been approved by Knowledge, it is recommended that the 16:9 full height anamorphic content be used over letterbox.

6. HDV and Consumer formats

6.1 Use of material captured in the HDV format within HD programs is usually not accepted unless it is a result of special requirements such as shooting in a confined location. Use of this format must be declared by the producer prior to the signing of the contract and shall be accepted only when there are no other options.

7. Audio

7.1 Normal audio channel/track assignments:

7.2 High Definition programs may be delivered encoded using Dolby E, assigned to tracks 3 and 4, in place of DVI/second language channels using the following track assignments:

DOLBY E 5.1 Surround Configuration:

Channel 3 and 4 Dolby E track assignments:

 
8. Closed Captioning

8.1 Closed captions shall be present and encoded into the digital video signal in the ancillary data space line 9 as per SMPTE 224M-2000. The captions shall be of EIA 608 type encoded as EIA 708 data as required by the EIA 708 standard.

9. File Submissions

9.1 Standards for submitting programs by file, either through File Transfer Sites or by portable hard drives are under development.

10. Producers Technical Evaluation Form

10.1 The purpose of the following form is to provide information to Knowledge staff once the program has been delivered and it also serves as a check by the producer ensuring the program meets technical specifications as outlined in this document.

10.2 It is assumed that the technical check would be completed by a qualified technician using industry standard equipment and measuring devices. A completed copy of this form must be included with the delivery of the program master tape.