A description of the 16-235 Studio RGB Broadcast safe color space for newbs at DVinfo.net

Tom Brady · June 18th, 2012, 12:03 PM

Why you need to know about 16-235 to work with Sony Vegas.

Problem landscape:
Source footage with its codec and container -> Video preview in your fav editor -> Rendered output's codec and container.

Source of the problem:
Codec's are the cause and solution for the problem. Some codec's require footage to be in the 16-235 (so called broadcast safe) color space. Others work just fine with the 0-255 (so called Computer RGB) color space. Somehow Rec. 709 and Rec. 601 fit in here somewhere but I don't think it's too relevant.

How the problem can appear:
The problem appears whenever your video preview in Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas shows you colors in the 0-255 color space. You make your edits and changes viewing the full color space. Without warning, you choose a codec that only works with 16-235; h.264 for example. You freak out when you see your blacks crushed and highlights clipped when playing on YouTube, Windows Media Player, etc. VLC player looks dull and unsaturated.

Problems that confuse "The" Problem:
Different players, such as VLC, Windows Media Player, and QuickTime can incorrectly process 16-235 footage with a slightly different gamma shift. The fix for VLC 2.0 and newer is to go to "Tools / Preferences / Video" and uncheck "Use hardware YUV-RGB conversions". Now, VLC and Windows Media player will show you the exact same color rendering.

How to fix the Problem:
Verify what type of source footage you have. Is it 0-255 or 16-235? If it is 0-255 then you'll need to convert it to 16-235 color space. Make sure your video preview in your editor will allow you to do this. When you've made your adjustments and have the look you're after, use a 16-235 compatible codec like h.264. Finally when playing back on a computer, verify the player does not have bugs!

Tom Brady · June 18th, 2012, 02:03 PM

See first post.

June 18th, 2012, 12:03 PM	#1
Tom Brady Tourist Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 3	A description of the 16-235 Studio RGB Broadcast safe color space for newbs Why you need to know about 16-235 to work with Sony Vegas. Problem landscape: Source footage with its codec and container -> Video preview in your fav editor -> Rendered output's codec and container. Source of the problem: Codec's are the cause and solution for the problem. Some codec's require footage to be in the 16-235 (so called broadcast safe) color space. Others work just fine with the 0-255 (so called Computer RGB) color space. Somehow Rec. 709 and Rec. 601 fit in here somewhere but I don't think it's too relevant. How the problem can appear: The problem appears whenever your video preview in Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas shows you colors in the 0-255 color space. You make your edits and changes viewing the full color space. Without warning, you choose a codec that only works with 16-235; h.264 for example. You freak out when you see your blacks crushed and highlights clipped when playing on YouTube, Windows Media Player, etc. VLC player looks dull and unsaturated. Problems that confuse "The" Problem: Different players, such as VLC, Windows Media Player, and QuickTime can incorrectly process 16-235 footage with a slightly different gamma shift. The fix for VLC 2.0 and newer is to go to "Tools / Preferences / Video" and uncheck "Use hardware YUV-RGB conversions". Now, VLC and Windows Media player will show you the exact same color rendering. How to fix the Problem: Verify what type of source footage you have. Is it 0-255 or 16-235? If it is 0-255 then you'll need to convert it to 16-235 color space. Make sure your video preview in your editor will allow you to do this. When you've made your adjustments and have the look you're after, use a 16-235 compatible codec like h.264. Finally when playing back on a computer, verify the player does not have bugs! Last edited by Tom Brady; June 18th, 2012 at 02:50 PM.

June 18th, 2012, 02:03 PM	#2
Tom Brady Tourist Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 3	Re: A description of the 16-235 Studio RGB Broadcast safe color space for newbs See first post. Last edited by Tom Brady; June 18th, 2012 at 02:50 PM.