High Definition 101: An HD Primer
Simply put, HD means high definition, one of the highest quality video playback and output options available today. HD video displays more pixels than SD (standard definition) video. This means that HD videos have more detail, brighter colors, and prettier pictures. If you've upgraded from a standard tube television to HDTV, you know that the picture quality is remarkably different. Similarly, your personal videos will look much better in HD than they do in SD or streaming quality.
How HD Works
On an HD video, there's much more information being stored, so there’s more room for vibrant colors and fine details. The picture from a DVD is up to 6 times smaller than HD, so you just can't see as much complexity.
Most HD videos have frame dimensions of 1920x1080 or 1280x720, with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The second number is the one to focus on, the 1080 and the 720, which refer to the size of the picture in pixels. Video formats with a resolution of 1080i or 720p are considered "true" HD.
HD on Motionbox
Motionbox provides true HD 1280x720 for Premium members
Motionbox displays crisp, sharp widescreen HD video and can also be adjusted to full-screen mode. There is no way to dispute the difference in quality. Your friends and family will be wowed by when they watch your video!
On Motionbox's HD video player, *all* your videos, not just HD-quality videos look better here than pretty much anywhere else on the web. If you shoot in HD, you can watch and share in true HD. However, if you shoot with a regular camera and watch it on the HD player, the quality will still be much better than that of a regular player. So it’s a win-win situation!
Why is this? Technically speaking, it's because we take advantage of the latest version of Adobe Flash Player and convert your videos to the H.264 format before we play them back on the web. H264 is a video codec designed to maintain very high quality while compressing your videos so that they can play back well on the internet.
Furthermore, not only do we convert your videos to H.264, we do so at a higher bitrate than most other video-sharing sites. Bitrate is just a fancy term for data being sent through the internet 'pipes' -- the higher the bitrate, the more data is being sent through them per second.
The upside of a high bitrate -- in terms of your video -- is higher picture quality. The downside is that when the bitrate gets too high, it may not be able to fit through the internet pipes coming into your house (or apartment, or office, or whatever), which can result in stuttery playback with lots of buffering.
At Motionbox, we do our best to give you the highest possible bitrate that will comfortably play back on most high-speed internet connections. And for our Premium members, we actually provide two versions of your video -- one at a high bitrate for optimal video quality, and one at a lower bitrate for slower connections. Both versions, however, are noticeably better than your average viral video site.
When you upload an HD video, Motionbox also reduces the overall size of the video. We do this so that it will play back comfortably on the Web without a lot of hiccups and buffering issues. Be sure to click the "full screen" button in the player to watch your video in all its glory!
If you're a Premium member and want to share HD video with friends and family in its native resolution, you should direct them to the download tab below the video. The "download to computer" button will let them save a copy of your video on their computer at the highest possible resolution, and you won't have to worry about buffering issues on slower connections.
Got specific questions about how to view and share HD video on Motionbox? Ask us!
Want tips on how to shoot the best HD footage on the block? Watch Episode 12 of Ask Eric: The Most Commonly Made Mistakes When Shooting HD.
HD Cameras and Camcorders
Cameras capable of recording in HD may be slightly more expensive, but they have become more reasonable in the past few years. If you're in the market for a new camcorder, it's well worth investing in a good HD camera in order to "future-proof" your memories in great quality!
Choosing an HD camera is not so much about picking the right technical stuff; it's about what works for you. Which camera feels like you can use it most easily in the store? Which camera did you like best when you were looking online? What does your neighbor like? Feeling comfortable using the camera is key, because when it comes to recording that precious family memory, you don't want to be sitting in a corner reading the manual. One good tip is to look for an "easy" button, which is a new feature on a lot of new cameras that puts everything on automatic, so it's hard to mess up the video.
Our video expert Eric gives you a closer look at some of the latest HD cameras in Episode 11 of Ask Eric: HD Camcorders: Hot New Stuff.
