AJA – Ki Pro Mini
This is a more compact version of its successful Ki Pro, weighs only 300g and costs $1,995. It has HD-SDI and HDMI inputs, and records ProRes to Compact Flash cards. “It has a very flexible mounting system, including a Mini stand for putting on a desk for editing, and a Mini mounting plate, so you can put it on a hot shoe, V-mounts, Anton/Bauer or other battery mounts,” said Bryce Button, AJA product marketing manager (pictured). It also has two XLRs for mic and line with phantom power, and timecode (allowing many Minis to be used together for a multicamera shoot).
www.aja.com
Atomos – Ninja
This ProRes recorder uses hot-swappable hard drives (laptop hard disks or solid-state drives – you supply your own, it supplies the caddies to fit them in). “We were trying to solve three problems: storage capacity, quality of recording and battery life,” said CEO Jeromy Young (pictured), so it has a dual battery system, using Sony DV batteries (it comes with two), that are also hot swappable. It also includes a docking station with FireWire 800, USB 2.0 and 3.0 and eSata connections. It has LANC input/output for control plus a 4.3-inch touch screen. It will cost €795 and should be available December. Future models will include one with HD-SDI input.
www.atomos.com
Convergent Design – nano3D
This 3D recording package consists of two standard nanoFlash solid-state recorders, plus a nano3D kit, which provides for synchronized 3D recording from two cameras with high quality ‘Pixel Synced’ playback. It can also be used with a single camera for redundant recording, or simultaneous High Quality and Proxy Mode recordings. It can also be quickly separated into two independent recorders and records from HD-SDI or HDMI camera outputs at bitrates up to 180Mbps (Long-GOP) or 280Mbps (I-Frame), 4:2:2, in various QuickTime, MXF or MPEG formats, onto Compact Flash cards.
www.convergent-design.com
Production
Arri/Colorfront – On-Set Dailies
This digital dailies tool from Colorfront is optimised for use with Arri’s Alexa and D21 cameras and their workflows, but will work with other cameras and scanners and for 3D. It includes quality control, colour grading, audio and metadata management, and simultaneous faster-than-real time deliverables in all common file formats. “It is the ideal solution for the demands of the digital dailies process and will help filmmakers enormously in terms of productivity and cost-savings,” said Markus Frees, Arri’s director for DI sales.
www.arri.com
www.colorfront.com
Blackmagic Design – UltraStudio Pro
The first broadcast quality SD/HD capture and playback interface for USB 3.0 computers. It can handle uncompressed 10-bit HD video with the maximum possible real time effects. It includes: 3Gbps SDI, HDMI, analogue component, composite, s-video, four-channel analogue audio, two-channel AES/EBU audio, genlock/tri-sync and RS422 deck control connections.
www.blackmagic-design.com
EVS – XT[2]+
Its latest six-channel server can also be configured to do four full 1080p or 3D channels, thanks to its DualPower technology. Both 3D and 1080p record and playout can be managed in single link mode, based on 3Gbps connections, or in dual-link mode as two synchronised 1.5Gbps connections. It also offers live 3D SuperMotion control for 3D replay. One of the first users is OB company, SIS Live, which bought 13 HD XT[2]+ servers for its 3G-capable OB fleet.
www.evs.tv
FilmLight – Truelight 3D Player
It allows users on location to visualise how 3D material will look when it’s projected. “It takes the left and right eye streams and applies colour transformations to enable you to get an accurate colour representation on a preview monitor,” said Mark Barton, head of marketing. As there are often convergence issues, which a colourist wouldn’t want to deal with, it allows these decisions to be made by the DoP or stereographer on set, and the result goes with the metadata into the Baselight system at the post house. “The reason the Moving Picture Company bought three of these is it removes all the hassle from expensive grading suites.”
www.filmlight.ltd.uk
Grass Valley – Edius 6
This is a significant upgrade for its popular Windows-based editing software. “It delivers a lot of value for users who need speed,” said Charlie Dunn, general manager, editing, servers and storage. It boasts streamlined workflow, “the fastest AVCHD editing in the industry,” and supports: up to 4k digital cinema production, including 1080p50/60; After Effects plug-ins; up to 16-camera multicam edits; key and fill on the timeline; and all major codecs natively, with no transcoding. Different compression formats can be mixed on the timeline and users can preview effects in real time.
www.grassvalley.com
Sony – MPE-200
Its 3D processor was “one of the key boxes used to deliver the World Cup” in 3D, said Olivier Bovis, audiovisual media director, Sony Professional. It has since added further features, although “it’s not finished, as it’s an open platform.” It now does 2D to 3D conversion using a unique algorithm (”the best on the market”), 3D content management, 3D picture stitching (”this is amazing” said Bovis), and 2D and 3D graphics insertion.
www.sonybiz.net
Wireworx – Smart Studio
The world’s smallest mobile studio has been built in a Smart two-seater car, with five Convergent Design recorders in the back. It includes mounts, inside and out, for ten HD cameras, can record ten audio channels, and is operated with just a single button. The build was done in four weeks by Wireworx, for about €70,000, and the results are on www.smart-studio.tv.
www.wireworx.de
