Face it. From high-end broadcast shows to lower-end industrial videos, there's more and more pressure to produce 16:9 aspect ratio video. Yet few clients have the ability to view 16:9 video, which means you'll need to convert your lovely wide aspect ratio for their 4:3 monitoring systems. This hit home for me recently. I was working on a documentary, and I needed to send VHS copies of the show to a client with only a standard 4:3 playback system.
Normally, for short motion graphics I'd just re-render the sequence as a letterboxed 4:3 image. However, for long-format shows this just isn't practical. Without incurring a ton of additional (unbudgeted) post costs, how was I going to convert the show so my client could see it in the proper aspect ratio?
Enter Miranda Technologies' ARC-372p, a handy S-Video aspect ratio converter that automatically converts NTSC or PAL 16:9 to 4:3 video, or vice versa. Though not suited for broadcast, this low-cost converter, which adds a letterbox to wide aspect ratio material, is an excellent tool for viewing or recording 16:9 programs on 4:3 equipment.
The ARC-372p is one of Miranda's PicoLink converters, a miniature device in a purple metal chassis. About the size and shape of a candy bar, the ARC-372p has an input cable on one end and an output cable on the other. A wall-wart power supply connects to the unit on the side via a specialized power cable.
Setting up the ARC-372p is a snap. Just adjust three different sliders, plug in the S-Video source input, and plug the ARC-372p output into your record deck. When you run either a PAL or NTSC S-Video signal into the ARC-372p, the unit converts the video from analog to digital, does the aspect ratio conversion, and then converts the digital signal back to analog — all in real-time. It's that simple.
The controls for the unit are located in a series of three slots along the side. The first slider lets you select between 7.5IRE and 0 IRE and chose a color bar test pattern. The color bars are 75% bars with 100% white — a handy addition, although I'd prefer a standard bar pattern with luminance gradients. The second switch sets the aspect conversion, either from 4:3 to 16:9 or vice versa. There is even a “none” setting that disables the aspect conversion, useful for format conversion.
This is where the final switch comes in: chroma modulation within the signal. In Normal mode, the ARC-372p will convert NTSC to NTSC and PAL to PAL. But flick switch 3 over to Alt.Out, and now NTSC is converted to PAL-M and PAL is converted to PAL-N (or PAL-N to PAL or PAL-M to NTSC). According to Miranda, this feature is very popular with broadcasters in South America, where they often work with both PAL and PAL-M sources. Unfortunately, there's no conversion from NTSC to PAL, but such a feature would no doubt double or even triple the cost of the ARC-372p.
So what's not to like about the ARC-372p? Ultimately nothing, yet there are two issues that you should know about before working with the unit: heat and cables.
In testing, I found the ARC-372p gets mighty hot. To cool things off, the engineers at Miranda used the outside metal casing to dissipate the heat inside the unit. So the burning question: Does it get hot enough to cause damage to equipment? Probably not, although I'd think twice about handling it after it's been on for a while. For those who find this a concern, Miranda also makes a rackmounted power unit that coolly houses multiple PicoLinks.
My only other complaint about the unit is its built-in cables. S-Video cables are notorious for shorting out. It's unclear whether replacing one or both of the built-in cables would be covered under the ARC-372p's warranty; after all, the cause of most cable fatalities is just standard wear and tear.
And the S-Video output cable is only 4in. long, so the ARC-372p would have to dangle from the S-Video input on your monitor or record deck. Given its small size, this isn't really a problem; however, walking around to the back of a deck or monitor to make adjustments isn't terribly convenient. It would have been better for Miranda to include S-Video input jacks for the unit's input and output. That way you could connect a longer S-Video cable to the PicoLink, allowing you to access the ARC-372p without adding noise by using an S-Video extension cord.
Despite these concerns, the ARC-372p is a great utility tool for anyone involved in widescreen production. Add one to your production gear and not only will it make 4:3 dubs of material for new clients, but the ARC-372p will breathe new life into those older 4:3 video monitors that previously couldn't properly display 16:9 images.
According to Miranda, the ARC-372p was designed mainly for monitoring purposes and not for broadcast. However, I found the image quality excellent, and you could use the ARC-372p for making client comps without hesitation. At $595, the price is right. After just one project, the cost of converting 16:9 footage to 4:3 video approval comps at a post house would easily pay for the cost of a single ARC-372p. Add to this the ability to convert from NTSC to PAL-M and PAL-N to PAL, and you have a winner.
