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Editing and finishing3 min read

LESSON 122

Delivery: web, broadcast and DCP

The right file for each screen.

IN THIS LESSON

  1. Delivery is part of the film
  2. Web
  3. Broadcast
  4. Cinema: the DCP
  5. Practice: make a master first

Delivery is part of the film

A finished edit still has to be turned into files that each destination accepts. Web platforms, broadcasters and cinemas each have their own requirements for codec, frame rate, resolution, colour space and sound. A file that plays perfectly on your laptop can be rejected by a broadcaster or play wrongly in a cinema. Planning delivery early, ideally before the shoot, avoids having to convert frame rates or squeeze the picture at the last minute. Ask for the specification sheet at the start of the project, not at the end.

Web

For the web, H.264 remains the most widely used format, and streaming services and video sites have used it for years while also moving toward newer codecs such as VP9 and AV1. Uploading a high-quality master lets the platform make its own versions for different devices. Sound on streaming services is usually normalised to the platform's own loudness target: different services use different methods and levels, and some only turn louder material down. Rec.709 colour is the common default for standard-range web video.

Broadcast

Broadcasters set strict rules. Picture is usually Rec.709 HD or Rec.2020 UHD, at the local frame rate, 25 or 50 in most of the world and 29.97 or 59.94 in North America and Japan. Loudness is regulated: in Europe the EBU R 128 recommendation, first issued in 2010, sets a target of minus 23 LUFS measured over the whole programme, with a tolerance of half a loudness unit, and true peaks no higher than minus 1 dBTP. In the United States the CALM Act sets the legal requirements.

Cinema: the DCP

Cinemas play a Digital Cinema Package, or DCP: a set of files with a composition playlist in XML and track files wrapped in MXF. Picture is compressed with JPEG 2000, and audio is uncompressed 24-bit multichannel PCM. Encryption with AES 128-bit can protect the content. SMPTE DCP is the current standard, replacing the older Interop version. At 4K the common frame rates are 24, 25 and 30; a flat 4K frame is 3996 by 2160 for 1.85:1, and scope is 4096 by 1716 for 2.39:1.

Practice: make a master first

This is working practice. Export one high-quality master, for example ProRes 422 HQ with full-quality sound, and make every delivery file from it. Keep separate stems for dialogue, music and effects if a broadcaster or distributor may need them. Name files with title, version, frame rate, resolution and date. Check every delivery file by playing it through on the kind of screen it is meant for. Keep the master and the project files archived with the rushes, so a new version can be made years later.

DestinationPictureSoundNotes
WebH.264 or newer, Rec.709Platform-normalised loudnessUpload a high-quality master
Broadcast (Europe)HD Rec.709 or UHD Rec.2020, 25/50-23 LUFS, max -1 dBTP (EBU R 128)Follow the channel's spec
CinemaDCP, JPEG 2000 in MXF24-bit PCM, multichannelFlat 1.85:1 or scope 2.39:1

Try it today

  1. 01Export a master of a short film in a high-quality codec.
  2. 02Make an H.264 web version from that master.
  3. 03Measure its loudness with a meter and note the LUFS value.
  4. 04Look up one broadcaster's or festival's delivery specification.
  5. 05List what your master would need to change to meet it.