Spirit DataCine is a telecine and a motion picture film scanner. This device is able to transfer 16mm and 35mm motion picture film to NTSC or PAL television standards or one of many High-definition television standards. With the data transfer option a Spirit DataCine can output DPX data files. The Spirit DataCine is made by DFT Digital Film Technology GmbH in Darmstadt, Germany.dft-film.de – DFT Digital Film Technology GmbH – Manufacturer of CCD based telecines and data scanners
The operator of the unit is called a Colorist or Colorist Assistant. The Spirit DataCine has become the standard for high-end real-time film transfer and scanning. Over 370 units are used in post-production facilities around the world. Most current film productions are transferred on Spirit DataCines for television, digital television, cable television, satellite television, direct-to-video, DVD, Blu-ray Disc, pay-per-view, in-flight entertainment, stock footage, dailies, film preservation, digital intermediates,Apple.com , Digital Intermediate Workflows Using DPX/Cineon Media and digital cinema.
The Spirit DataCine opened the door to the technology of digital intermediates, 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 out to film. The DFT Digital Film Technology, formerly Grass Valley Spirit 4K/2K/HD (2004) replaced the Spirit 2000 Datacine and uses both 2K and 4k line array CCDs. The SDC 2000 did not use color prisms and/or dichroic mirrors, color separation was done in the CCD. DFT revealed its newest scanner at the 2009 NAB Show, Scanity.
A Spirit DataCine outputting DPX files was used in the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?. The DPX files were color corrected with a VDC-2000 and a Pandora Int. Pogle Color Corrector with MegaDEF.idsa.org, Pandora InternationalPogle picture A Kodak Lightning II film recorder was used to put the data output to back to film. To output the movie the Spirit Datacine's Phantom Transfer Engine software running on an SGI computer is used to record the DPX files from the Spirit DataCine. These files are stored in the virtual telecine or on a SAN hard disk storage array. The Phantom Transfer Engine has been replaced with Bones software running on a Linux-based PC. First generation of DPX interface for data files was the optical fiber HIPPI cables (up to 6 frame/s at 2K), the next generation interface is GSN-Gigabit Ethernet fiber Optic (up to 30 frame/s at 2K). GSN is also called HIPPI-6400 and was later renamed GSN (for Gigabyte System Network). The SAN hard disks are interfaces to by dual FC-Fibre Channel, cables. The newest DPX output interface is infiniband.hawtreecreek.com Spirit operations book
Most Spirit DataCines are controlled by a Da Vinci Systems color corrector, 2K or 2K Plus. Some are controlled by Pandora International Pogle, some with a their MegaDEF or a Pixi color grading system. A Spirit DataCine comes with a full function control panel that can be used for control and color grade.
The DVD release of Ken Burns' series The Civil War included a short documentary on how a Spirit DataCine was used to transfer and remaster the film. Why we decided to re-master The Civil War
Function
Spirit DataCines use a charge-coupled device Line Array – CCD for imaging. In print mode a “white” light is shone through the exposed film image into a lens and then to prism, color glass 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 an electrical signal that produces a modulated video signal which is color corrected and sized so it can then be recorded onto video tape or a storage area network (SAN) hard disk array. Spirit DataCines can output to different TV standards: (NTSC or PAL) or HDTV. The Spatial Processor can change the size of the image: pan and scan, letterbox or make other aspect ratio and rotation changes, also product interlaced video if needed. The Spatial Processor also produces the 2:3 pulldown, if needed for the format. An optional Scream grain reducer can reduce film grain in all three color channels.
The image pick up device is a solid state charge-coupled device. This eliminated the need for glass vacuum tube CRTs used on older telecines. The units can transfer negative film, primetime, intermediate film and print film, stock. One option is a Super 8 gate for the transfer of Super 8 mm film. With a sound pick up option, optical 16mm and 35mm sound can be reproduced, also 16mm magnetic strip sound.thameside.tv Spirit DataCine The unit can operate stand alone or be controlled by a scene by scene color corrector.
All Spirit DataCines use continuous transport motion, using a capstan and constant film tension. An optional optical audio pick up system can be mounted in the capstan. All Spirit DataCines use a xenon lamp for illumination into a diffusion chamber to minimize dust and scratch visibility. With the standard 35mm lens gate: super 35 mm and academy 35 mm are supported. Also 2, 3, 4, perf are supported. VistaVision 8-perf and 6 perf are an option. The unit comes with select-a-speed, this gives the section of a film speeds from 2.00 frames per second to 57.00 fps in SDTV and 2.00 to 31.00 fps in HDTV interlace format. With the optional 16mm lens gate standard 16mm and Super 16 mm are supported. With the 16mm lens gate an optional Super 8 mm film gate can be added. 16mm audio system also support 16mm mag or magnetic strip sound track on the motion picture would be picked up by a head and could be fed to an audio sound mixing console or to the VTR.
Background and history FDL 60
The Robert Bosch GmbH, Fernseh Div., which later became BTS inc. – Philips Digital Video Systems, Thomson's Grass Valley and now is DFT Digital Film Technology introduced the world's first CCD telecine in 1979, the FDL-60.journal.smpte.org New products, FDL60, page 528, July 1979Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, FDL 60 — An Advanced Film Scanning System, by Dieter Poetsch, SMPTE Journal, Mar. 1984, pp. 216–227Google Patents, System for scanning of motion picture films to derive television signals, by Volker Massmann The FDL-60 was designed and made in Darmstadt West Germany, this was the first all solid state Telecine.History of Telecines FDL is short for Film Digital Line. The FDL-60 uses a three CCD single-line array system, whereby three lines, Red Green Blue (RGB) each with 1,024 pixels per line to record a single line of the film image.Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers A Continuous-Motion Color Film Telecine Using CCD Line Sensors, by Dieter Poetsch, December 1, 1978 vol. 87 FDL60A uses three Fairchild Semiconductor CCD 133 CCDs for the image pickup. FDL60A released in 1979 used a 115 Volt lamp to light the film.reocities.com FDL 60 home page The FDL60B released in 1982 added improved video quality features to the FDL60. The FDL60C released in 1987 used a Fairchild CCD 134 and a 24 volt light source. In 1983 an optional Grain Reduce was introduced by Bosch for the FDL-60, model FDGR 60. This was the first all digital noise reducer. The FDL 60 could operate stand alone or with a color grade system. Bosch made a scene by scene color corrector, model FRP 60, as an option for the FDL-60. Da Vinci Systems also made the Wiz color corrector for the FD60. About 568 FDL-60 telecines were manufactured from 1979 to 1989. FDL 60 were ordered in PAL or NTSC or Secam, a few were multi standard by changing a few electronic circuit cards.FDL 60 web siteFDL 60-Progress in Film Scanning Using CCD Sensors and Digital Processing", D. Poetsch et al., `International Broadcast Engineer`, Jan. 1981, pp. 47–49.
FDL 90 and Quadra
Philips-BTS eventually evolved the FDL 60 into the FDL 90 in 1989 and then updated to the Quadra in 1993. These units were able to support super 35mm, super 16mm and super 8. The units were able to zoom and position the picture. The units outputted 4:4:4 digital video to feed a color corrector like the Da Vinci Systems 888. The units also had an optional analog output. The film path was similar to the Spirit Datacine, but this was the only similarity. FDL 90 and Quadra used three Fairchild CCD 181 CCDs. Both had an optional Pal/NTSC switchable option. Both were 3/4 perf switchable. Many FDL-90 were updated to have the Quadra electronic circuit cards improvements. A true Quadra had a new capstan position closer to the film gate and with a blue color deck. A line of stand alone SDTV Noise/Grain Reducers were made for use on the FDL 90, later telecines and tape to tape use, models: DNR7, MNR9, MNR10, MNR11 and the VS4.Google patents , Method of concealing scratch errors in a video signal derived from a film, by Volker Massmann
FLH 1000 In 1994 the FLH-1000 was demonstrated by BTS inc. This unit was never released for sale.colorist.org A review of Philips FLH-1000 and Spirit DataCine by John DowdellDieter Poetsch, "A Digital CCD Telecine for HDTV", presented at the International TV Symposium in Montreux, Switzerland, June. 1989. This was the first HDTV telecine. The FLH-1000 was improved – redesigned and released as the SDC 2000 – Spirit DataCine.digitalcontentproducer.com A Brief History of Film-to-Tape: With DTV and HDTV-What's Next? (Part I), Feb 1, 1998 by D.W. Leitner The Scanning system and CCDs were made by Kodak in New York. FLH-1000 and Spirit DataCine were a joint effort between Philips and Eastman Kodak. Beta sites for the FLH-1000 were: Producers Color in Detroit and Channel 4 in London.
SDC 2000 Spirit DataCine 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) x 1556 RGB. The SDC 2000 Spirit DataCine uses two physical CCD, one for Chrominace and one for Detail/Luminance. The unit used two CCDs for improved Signal to Noise ratio. The chroma CCD gave the unit high signal to noise ratio and the Luminance CCD gave the unit its high bandwidth. Inside the Luminance CCD are 4 electrical CCDs. In side the Chrominace are 3 electrical CCDs: red, green and blue. With the data option the Spirit DataCine can be used as a motion picture film scanner outputting 2K DPX data files as 2048 x 1556 RGB. The normal input data file standard is DPX. The data files are often used in DI – digital intermediate post-production using a film recorder for film-out. The control room for the telecine is called the color suite or sometimes a color bay. In a two years time span the Spirit DataCine took over the number one spot of telecines from Rank Cintel. The 1998 movie Pleasantville was the first digital intermediate film scanned on a Spirit DataCine. This process produced the mix of B&W and color pictures. A movie released in 2000, O Brother, Where Art Thou? was scanned with Spirit Datacine, color corrected with a VDC-2000 using a Pandora Int. Pogle Color Corrector with MegaDEF. A Kodak Lightning II film recorder was used to put the data output back to film. This process changed the greens to a green-yellow color for the complete film.A brief history of scanning and recording by C Glenn Kennel, director of technology for Cinesite's Film Scanning and Recording and Digital Mastering divisions.
Specter – VDC – Virtual DataCine