Forums

Not signed in (Sign In)

Tech Talk: Stopping flicker when recording tv screens with dSLR

Bottom of Page

1 to 3 of 3

  1.  
    • CommentAuthordrneolao
    • CommentTimeJul 6th 2011
     Report Post

    Not sure if this is possible, but figure I'd ask anyway.

    I have a small project in which a performer is standing in front of several tv screens playing footage behind them. I just did a quick test with a 550d dSLR and my tv and I get the flicker coming across the image displayed on the tv.

    Setting the recording option to 50 frames gives a very nice clean image when the camera is steady directly in front, but if it is angled, I get a green scan line across about 1/3 of the tv screen.

    As the tv's won't all be at the same level, I'm trying to work out a way to record without that distracting scan line or flicker.

    Would it be better with lcd's instead of crt's? Or would I need high-end sync capable systems?

    Edit: Just tried it recording the lcd screen on my laptop and it gives a very stable flicker-free image at 50, 25 and 24 frames (the screen is set at 60hz). Now the hard part: how do I put the same footage on 10 odd lcd screens without blowing the entire budget on one part of set design...

    • CommentAuthorMuzmon
    • CommentTimeJul 6th 2011
     Report Post

    Shutter speed matters too, don't forget.
    Sometimes the scanlines show up worse on the camera lcd than on the footage itself, so don't forget to test that if you haven't.

    Getting the footage onto a bunch of LCDs is easy enough (provided you have them all) if you get a HDMI splitter. 8-way ones go for about $250. So with a PC with dual HDMI you could go to sixteen screens with two of them. You can probably borrow them (and all the damn cables) from some event place for not too much.

    Alternatively, the real easy way to have a nice crisp image on the screens is just feed them blue or green and add it all in post. Which is the usual way it's done these days.

    • CommentAuthordrneolao
    • CommentTimeJul 7th 2011
     Report Post

    Thanks for that, good advice.

1 to 3 of 3

  1.