Plasma or LCD?

[genetic]

I didn't know that CSI and 24 used film. I do know that for many of the in car shots they use HD video cameras shooting progressive video, either the HVX200 from Pany or something else. They had the actors handle the cameras themselves.

Californication, for example, is shot with a Sony CineAlta f900 HD 24p video camera. The opening is shot on 16mm film but the majority of the show is video. They could have shot it in 60p even but to get the film look, they stayed at 24p.

However, most series use video. They can also shoot 4K video as well. I know some motion pictures are shot like that - many European productions - and you can't tell that they were recorded on video and not on film. It is possible to correct for that in a high end colour correction app like Color/DaVinci 2K.
You'd have to be a professional to be able to discern the differences.

BD showcase titles like Planet Earth use HD video cameras - they used Pansonic VariCam HD for that series.

The results are anyway that film is 24fps and if you watch it in a cinema the motion won't be smooth. The 100Mhz - 200MHz or 144p look will give you more of a video look than film. Hence it's great for 99% of the TV series out there, sport, docu's and some films but if you're a film buff you'll prefer higher contrast, wider viewing angle, better colour reproduction and SIZE to just MHz. But hey, if you can get everything, and switch the feature off, go for it.

You can indeed spot something that's been shot on video, although as you said only a professional will be able to discern the difference.

I was astounded by the quality of film after we shot a non-profit commercial for the Multichoice Vuka awards in 2005 on Super16 for the first time. We used a fast stock from kodak, and the image was nothing less than spectacular. We needed minimal adjustments in post production to achieve the look we wanted. All we did was add a bit of colour correction.

Although the image was grainy because of the stock, the overall quality really impressed me. The latitude that film can handle far surpasses any professional HD camera at the moment.

Some film makers have begun shooting with the RED camera, which shoots at 4k, but it still posesses the typical ultra-clean video look - but that's where post production tools come in.
I'm impressed by the tools available in post production, such as the Magic Bullet suite which mimics films qualities, and really does a great job of giving you the film look in After Effects.

Most high budget television commercials are shot on Super16. We currently in the pre-production phase of the new Lucozade commercial which will be shot on Super16.

Video has come leaps and bounds in the last 10 years, and I suspect that in 10 years time, video will have reached the point where film will become obsolete, and will only have its place in a niche market used by die-hard fans of the (by then) obsolete medium.

 

[genetic]

Maybe this threads title should be changed to "Video or Film?"