All digital cameras save images in a special JPG format, which conforms to DCF specifications. DCF stand for "Digital Still Camera Image File Format Standard" (JEIDA-49).
Most (all?) HDTV photo players, such as the excellent Panasonic® Photo Player, and most (all?) LCD picture frames, which accept camera memory cards, and convert the images on the cards for display on HDTV monitors or LCD picture frames, refuse to display images, which have been edited in photo editors, such as Photoshop®, created from RAW camera files, or created by film scanners, because these images are not DCF compliant.
The HDTV Converter changes these edited images back into a DCF compliant format. The HDTV Converter takes any JPG or TIFF image, and converts it into a high quality size-optimized image in one of three formats.
(1) When using the HDTV - scaled to fill screen format, you can select the vertical crop of the image that you want to see in wide-screen format. In this mode, portrait size images, panoramic images with an aspect ration greater than 16:9, and images too small to be converted into the HDTV format without up-scaling, will automatically converted in letterboxed HDTV format.
(2) The HDTV - letter-boxed original-aspect-ratio mode is ideal for portrait format images, panorama images with an aspect ratio greater than 16:9, or for images, which for artistic reasons, you want to display in the original aspect ratio.
(3) The Original Image - DCF compatible mode retains the original image size, but makes the image DCF compatible. The image data in the converted image is an exact copy of the original image data. No decompression and re-compression takes place in the converter. Because most of the EXIF information is stripped from the image, the converted file will be slightly smaller.
(4) The Picture Frame - scaled to xxx by xxx mode is best for images intended to be shown on digital photo frames. You can scale the image to exactly fit the size of picture frame you use. This way, the image will fill the picture frame without any letter-boxing.
The HDTV Converter also creates a new DCF compliant preview thumb, and inserts it into each converted image. You can chose the thumb format to be in the standard 4:3 aspect ratio, or in a letter-boxed 16:9 aspect ratio.
Images created by high-quality digital cameras, such as DSLRs, contain many more pixels than can be displayed on a high-definition TV or digital photo frame. If you copy these camera images onto a memory card for use in a HDTV photo player, the large files will fill up the card rapidly, but contribute nothing to the image quality. And unless your camera has the capability to take images in the 16:9 format, and you have used that format, your images will not even fill the screen. The HDTV Converter will convert these camera images into the more efficient 16:9 aspect ratio, 1820x1080 pixel HDTV format.
The conversion can be done one image at a time, or in batch mode with up to 400 images per batch.
Of course, you can also use the HDTV Converter to convert unedited images from your camera into a 16:9 aspect ratio 1920x1080 pixel letter-boxed or non-letter-boxed HDTV format.
At this time, the HDTV Converter software is available only for Macintosh® computers.
HDTV Converter Q&A
Which HDTV Converter should I download? |
- Version 1.5.0 of the HDTV Converter runs only on Intel-based computers running OS X 10.6.
- Version 1.4.0 of the HDTV Converter runs on PPC or Intel-based computers running OS X 10.5.
- Version 1.1.3 of the HDTV Converter runs on PPC-based models running OS X 10.4.
Can I try out the HDTV Converter? |
Yes, you can use the downloaded HDTV Converter for as long as you like without paying for it. However, until you purchase and install a license, all converted images will have a demo watermark.
Are some features disabled before I buy a license? |
No, the software you download provides all the features of a licensed HDTV Converter, except for the presence of the watermark.
How many pixels must my images have to work in the HDTV Converter? |
There are no size restrictions on the input images. The HDTV Converter will scale and the input images to 1920x1080 pixels. However, to take full advantage of the HDTV quality, your images should be at least 1920 pixels wide. If the TV or photo player, which you use to show the pictures, displays images in VGA quality, your input images should be at least 640 pixels wide.
Can I see a sample of images processed with the HDTV Converter? |
Yes, you can download 5 images shot during a photo vacation in Germany in 2007 by the author of the HDTV Converter. The images were shot in RAW format with a Nikon® D70 and a Nikkor 18-70 lens, edited in Photoshop CS2®, and then converted with the HDTV Converter into HDTV format. To download these images, go to the HDTV Converter Image Samples box in the left column on this web page, and click "Download".
How do I get the HDTV Converter? |
Go to the top of this page, and in left column click "Download" for the HDTV Converter version you need for your computer.
Where can I find more information on the HDTV Converter? |
In the HDTV Converter User Manual.
The User Manual is included in the HDTV Converter download.
However, if you want to read the User Manual without downloading the HDTV Converter, click "Download" in the User Manual box in the left column of this web page to download only the manual.
How do I pay for the HDTV Converter? |
You can purchase a license via mail, e-mail, fax, or on-line through a secure web server.
You can pay by VISA, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Diners Card, PayPal, or money order.
You can purchase directly form this page by clicking on the Kagi icon in the left column of this web page.
A single-user license for the HDTV Converter is US$18.50.