Updated: 01/07/2004 Digital Compression In More Detail All commonly used digital video formats use some level of compression. Top-of-the-line digital camcorders use a "no compromise" digital 4:2:2 format, which has minimal compression, with the luminance and chrominance recorded separately. This format also has a much higher digital sampling rate. Other camcorders use a 4:1:1 format (such as DV, DVCAM, DVCPRO, etc.), which depend on a greater level of compression, resulting in some minimal compromises in video quality. Although an initial side-by-side comparison of the 4:2:2 and 4:1:1 may reveal little or no difference, the quality advantage of 4:2:2 becomes apparent when editing, copying, and complex special effects are required. The chart below may help in visualizing the different sampling formats. The B&W (black and white) designation shows the luminance samples per given interval; the Color (chroma) designation represents the number of times the chrominance is sampled during that interval.
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