Atomos Samurai Blade looks sharp

Atomos announced its latest field recorder, the Samurai Blade, at NAB, which it promises will answer demand for a recorder that is also a fully fledged on-camera monitor.

It competes with the larger Convergent Design Odyssey7 monitor-cum-recorder on base price ($1,295), but unlike the Odyssey the Blade includes recording capability from the start, and will be the less expensive option if you don’t need the raw and higher-speed recording capabilities and extra screen size of the Odyssey.

“Atomos has now shipped a staggering 10,000 field recorders worldwide, and the Samurai has been a great success. For most professional environments it continues to be the go-to recorder or deck for many of our customers,” said Jeromy Young, CEO and Founder of Atomos.

To build on that success, Blade introduces the SuperAtom IPS screen, which Young claims is “super sharp, super bright, [with] super blacks – right down to the last atom. At 325dpi and a million pixels, this screen is spectacular. With full waveform functionality, the Blade is a monitor that records and a recorder that truly monitors. It's the perfect partner for the new wave of cinematic cameras,” he claimed.

The screen uses capacitive touch sensing, which apparently only reduces screen performance by about 5% compared to about 20-30% drop in quality when using the resistive touch used on the older models. Capacitive screens should also react better to your touch.

It is powered by the latest version of the AtomOS, version 5 (which is only available for the Blade), and has a 1280x720 5-inch touchscreen (up from 800x480) that offers users gamma, brightness and contrast control, as well as vectorscope and RGB/luma parade features.

“Atomos is raising the bar in the affordable field recorder segment,” claimed Young. “We’re the first to combine professional monitor functionality with recording and deck playout, all in a space-saving, camera-mountable portable unit.”

Like its Ninja-2 and Samurai predecessors, Samurai Blade allows the recording of 10-bit 4:2:2 images straight from the camera sensor directly to Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD editing codecs. It uses commodity 2.5-inch computer HDD or SSD drives. The Samurai Blade includes tri-level focus peaking, zebra, false colour and blue-only monitoring in addition to waveform, and has standard full-size BNC connectors for SDI compared to the mini-BNC used on the Samurai.

The Samurai Blade will ship in May with a list price of $1,295. In the meantime, Atomos is reducing the price of the Samurai to $995.

Ninja-2 supports more DSLRs

Atomos has added Ninja-2 support for many new DSLR cameras. “At NAB this year we have over 20 different cameras on our booth working with our field recorders,” said Young. “Of these, over half are DSLRs with 'clean' HDMI video output. This time last year there was only one. This is a great illustration of just how DSLRs and affordable large sensor video cameras are changing the world of professional video.”

It even showed a pre-release version of the Canon 5D MkIII working with the Ninja-2. “With this new firmware update from Canon, we have a clean HDMI feed, and a co-developed start/stop trigger and timecode over HDMI – essential professional tools. This combination is an absolute game-changer.”

It has also reduced the price of the Ninja-2 to $695. The Ninja-2 has been repackaged to appeal to DSLR users. The main recording unit remains unchanged, but the box includes a redesigned docking station, battery, AC mains adaptor, a single battery charger and shims for Canon and Nikon batteries.

Atomos also announced a price reduction for its new Ronin rack-mountable studio or OB recorder, from $2,195 to $1,995, which should now ship in May.

Atomos Connect AC Converters

Atomos also added two new AC-powered Connect converters, Connect AC H2S (HDMI to HD-SDI) and Connect AC S2H (HD-SDI to HDMI), to its converter line.

“These two new converters are the AC-powered, fixed facility counterparts of our recently introduced Connect converters,” said Young (pictured above). “We listened to customer feedback and learned just how much people hate external power adaptors - or ‘wall-warts’ – so we decided to eliminate them. Connect-AC converters are powered by a standard figure-of-8 cable that's more convenient and more reliable.”

Each costs $295 and includes test pattern generation and audio test tone. They can also be rack mounted via a $129 kit that holds up to four Connect-AC converters. 

The existing Connect converter units are also dropping in price to $295.

By David Fox

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera

Blackmagic Design keeps on keeps on disrupting the market with broadcast equipment at lower prices than the competition, and has done it again with two new cameras: The £665/$995 Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and the £2,675/$3,995 4K Production Camera.

Both offer high quality lossless 12-bit CinemaDNG RAW and Apple ProRes recording, and lots of interesting features that should keep prospective buyers salivating until they ship in July.

It has only been a year since the launch of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, its first ever camera, which despite the low price, packed a lot of features into an innovative (if not always ergonomic) design. Blackmagic should be able to build on that with these new cameras, and at the price there won’t be many in the business that don’t want to give them a chance.

The HD Pocket Cinema Camera is being touted as a “true Super-16 digital film camera that's small enough to take anywhere” and promises 13 stops of dynamic range (which is almost as much as an Arri Alexa). There are two dynamic range settings: film Log, which is useful where you will be colour grading the image in post, such as with Blackmagic’s own, free DaVinci Resolve Lite; or video REC709, the normal broadcast video standard.

Is that the rear lens cap? - No, it's the Pocket Cinema Camera...

It will have an active Micro Four Thirds lens mount, so you can use it with almost any lens (via a wide range of adaptors) – it is powered so can provide electronic control of focus and iris.

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera has most of the features of its older brother, including its feature film look, but has been redesigned with a dramatically smaller size that is less than an inch thick and at 355 grams can be held easily in your hand, and looks like a small mirrorless stills camera.

The company says that it’s so small that “it can be used in situations in the field where a larger camera could be dangerous,” such as war zones.

The camera records full HD resolution at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97 and 30 frames per second to small, low-cost SD cards.

There is a built-in 3.5-inch LCD screen (with one-to-one focus assist), a built-in microphone (plus a mini-jack connector for external mic/line level balanced audio connections), built-in speaker, plus headphone port, and micro HDMI output - which includes an overlay of all camera data such as timecode, transport control, shutter angle, colour temperature setting and ASA information. 

It also has LANC remote control and standard DC 12v power connection. It also uses a replaceable, rechargeable lithium ion Nikon EL-EN20 battery (providing about an hour running time) that you can easily get at (something that couldn’t be said of its predecessor).

“Our original Blackmagic Cinema Camera was small, but this new model is so much smaller than the original, we almost cannot believe it features very similar image quality,” said Blackmagic Design’s CEO, Grant Petty. “It’s going to allow shooting in situations that could never have been achieved at this quality level previously. It’s also going to be the camera that thousands of new up and coming cinematographers use as their first camera for their independent films.”

Blackmagic Production Camera 4K

Also newly announced is the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K, which is about a third of the price of any comparable camera (such as Sony’s Super35mm NEX-FS700 or the full-frame 35mm Canon EOS 1D C DSLR). Like them it has a larger sensor than the original Blackmagic Cinema Camera, in this case a Super35mm size sensor, but in a package that is virtually identical to its existing existing Micro Four Thirds model. It also has a professional global shutter (so no rolling shutter effects), and an EF lens mount compatible with many lenses from Canon, Zeiss and others, with full electronic control.

It records high quality compressed CinemaDNG RAW and ProRes 422 (HQ) files in 4K, and, significantly, also supports the new 6G-SDI single-cable video connection out so it can be used on live video production, which could make it useful for broadcast use, where it can plug into an ATEM Production Studio 4K (also by Blackmagic – costing £1,345 so you can put together a low-cost live 4K production package). If you want to output in HD, you can reframe or zoom into shots in post without quality loss. It supports Ultra HD (4K – 3840x2160 pixels) and 1080 HD resolution capture at 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97 and 30fps.

There is a high-resolution 5-inch LCD touchscreen, which shows settings such as shutter speed, colour temperature, aperture and timecode in an easily read status strip.

Menus are accessible with a touch of the finger, making it simple to change settings such as recording format or shutter angle. The touchscreen also allows you to enter metadata that is compatible with popular video editing software, including Final Cut Pro X.

It uses a built-in high-speed solid-state drive recorder. Once the shoot has wrapped, the 2.5-inch SSD can be connected to a computer for editing or colour correction of the shots straight from the disk, which can be formatted in either HFS+ or ExFAT for Mac or Windows compatibility.

Besides the regular CinemaDNG RAW format, Blackmagic Design will also implement a QuickTime wrapper for the open standard CinemaDNG and companion codec, allowing the camera to record in a format that allows RAW editing in popular editing software.

It offers 12 stops of dynamic range, which is about the same as Canon’s C300 HD camcorder, and it includes DaVinci Resolve colour grading software (newly upgraded to version 10 and normally $995) to make the most of it.

It includes a built-in Thunderbolt port and UltraScope software for real time waveform monitoring. For audio there are two 1/4-inch jack mic/line inputs, as well as a 3.5mm headphone socket, 12v to 30v DC input and LANC remote control.

“Customers have been asking us to design a camera with global shutter and a large sensor. With the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K we have delivered that, plus the high resolution needed for the latest Ultra HD production work,” said Petty.

By David Fox

Sony PMW-400 XAVC camcorder

Sony gave its XAVC codec another boost at NAB in Las Vegas with the introduction of a new broadcast camcorder that supports it. It also extended XAVC downwards for prosumer and consumer users. In other news, Sony also introduced a new studio/OB camera.

The new PMW-400 shoulder-mount camcorder (pictured above) is an “affordable” broadcast camera with three 2/3-inch high quality Exmor CMOS sensors – boasting good low-light sensitivity of F12 at 59.94Hz and F13 at 50Hz.

Like the popular PMW-500, it supports all current SD and HD 4:2:2 broadcast workflows based XDCAM EX using the .MP4 and .AVI codecs (including MPEG2 HD422@50Mbps, HD420@35Mbps or 25Mbps, MPEG IMX@50Mbps and DVCAM), recording to SxS memory cards, MemoryStick, SD card or XQD card (FAT32 formatted). It can also record .MXF broadcast files can on SxS and XQD cards (UDF formatted).

The camera, which will be available from August, is also future-proofed by supporting the new XAVC codec to offer 10-bit HD422 recordings, including XAVC Intra frame 10-bit HD422 100Mbps and XAVC Long GOP 10-bit HD422 (low bit rate) – although only up to 25p or 30p in HD (naturally, 4K is not supported).

The PMW-400K comes with a 16x zoom HD lens, while the PMW-400L ships without a lens. Both feature: a high resolution 960x540 colour LCD viewfinder; 3DNR noise reduction processing (to give a typical signal to noise ratio of 60dB); an internal flash band reducer to avoid the disconcerting rolling shutter effect that shows camera flash on part of a frame (which will arrive via a firmware update); gain selection from -3dB up to +42dB maximum gain; dual SD/HD-SDI parallel outputs, HDMI out, Time Code in/out and Gen-lock input.

In a throwback to almost forgotten tech it also has an i.LINK (DV – four-pin FireWire) input and recording.

Power consumption is about 23W with LCD, viewfinder, lens and microphone.

“We’ve designed the PMW-400 to acquire high quality, clean images especially in low-light environments. It’s very ergonomically-balanced, easy to operate and includes features that make it fit seamlessly into various types of productions and workflows. This really opens up new opportunities around cost efficiency and flexible shooting to achieve the desired results,” said Fabien Pisano, Strategic Marketing Head, Sony Europe.

The camcorder can also allow live logging from a tablet or smartphone via WiFi. If you add the new CBK-WA100 wireless adapter, content can be wirelessly uploaded via ftp to a customer’s server or cloud service via the 3G/4G mobile phone network.

An optional CBK-CE01 50-pin interface converts the shoulder camcorder to a system camera (for studio/OB use), offering compatibility with CA-TX70 digital triax and CA-FB70 fibre adapters.

New XAVC S format for prosumers

Sony has announced a prosumer/consumer version of the XAVC codec. It is a Long GoP (Group of Pictures) format, and will deliver 4K at 4:2:0 (ie with less colour information) and HD at 4:2:2 (which is the broadcast standard for colour information – giving enough data for high-quality chroma keying). This high-efficiency version of the codec has been designed for the broader content production market. Besides serving the consumer market, XAVC S, which employs an MP4 (H.264) wrapping format, will also help to expand XAVC, to help encourage the growth of 4K content in the consumer market.

The XAVC S profile will encompass: 4K (3840 x 2160), HD, and Proxy resolutions; MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression; the MP4 wrapping format; and both Linear PCM and AAC audio. Each manufacturer signing up to support XAVC S will be able to decide which profile and operating point of XAVC they will implement in their products.

XAVC is an open format, and was designed to help promote and establish 4K content production. A license program is proposed not only for editing software manufacturers but also for hardware manufacturers. Currently, more than 60 manufacturers have filed a request to become a licensee, and 31 manufacturers’ products plan on their support for the Sony XAVC format and workflow.

The current list includes: Abekas, Adobe, Assimilate, Astrodesign, Avid, Blackmagic Design, Cinegy, Codex Digital, Colorfront, CyberLink, Digital Vision, EVS Broadcast, Fairlight, FilmLight, Final Cut Pro X, Firefly Cinema, Grass Valley, Harris Broadcast, IBEX Technology, Imagination Technologies, Matrox, MTI Film, Pegasys, Quantel, Rohde & Schwarz DVS, Rovi's MainConcept, SAKURA EIKI, Sobey Digital Technology, Sony Vegas Pro 12, YoYotta, and Zaxel Systems.

Digital triax transmission

Also at NAB, Sony unveiled the latest in its HDC-2500 range of studio/OB cameras. The HDC-2570 HD Portable Camera with three 2/3-inch Power HAD CCD sensors, has a digital triax transmission interface that allows the transmission of 1080p or 2xSloMo signals (1080i – at 100 or 120fps) over triax cables.

“From speaking to our customers we know that while the adoption of fibre optic transmission systems is growing, many existing venue infrastructures are still triax based,” said Claus Pfeifer, Strategic Marketing Manager, Sony Europe.

“We believe customers should be able to generate outstanding content, regardless of what setup is in place. Our Digital Triax Camera System uses state-of-the-art technology to deliver broadcast quality content at 1080 50p/60p through traditional triax cables, with extremely low latency. The system is also extremely flexible, a key factor in sports production, making it easy to switch from triax to fibre as required.”

The same technology is being extended to the existing HDC-2400/2500/2550 system cameras via the new HKC-TR27 digital triax adaptor side cover (pictured above).

There is also the HDFX-200 external converter box that interfaces with triax to fibre to enable the digital signals to feed into the HDC-2000/2500 Camera Control Unit (CCU) via conventional triax cable, while the HDTX-200 field converter box (available end of August) allows a quick change from fibre to triax transmission for HDC-1500 Series or HDC-2000 Series system cameras that do not have HKC-TR27 digital triax adaptor technology.

By David Fox

LiveU LU² modular live links

The new LU² from LiveU is the first modular system for bonding cellular networks, for live transmission from the camera. It is being launched at NAB and will allow users to combine two LiveU field units for occasions where additional resiliency is needed. LiveU systems are widely used by broadcasters for news coverage.

LU² users will be able to increase the number of connections, and therefore boost the uplink bandwidth available, by connecting an additional LiveU unit via a standard Ethernet cable. This will work with its current units, so is available immediately.

Its first implementation, the LU40², combines two LU40-S units together in a lightweight backpack (under 4lbs/2kgs, including batteries), providing up to 12 cellular/network connections. The LU40² GUI is controlled remotely by a standard smartphone for greater flexibility and ease of use on-the-move.

This new development complements the Xtender, LiveU’s wireless external antenna, which can be combined with any LiveU product, and offers up to 13 cellular connections.

“The new LU² modular approach allows customers to add connections on the spot, as needed, in challenging scenarios such as crowded areas and remote locations,” said Samuel Wasserman, LiveU’s CEO. “This concept offers a highly flexible and cost-effective solution for HD live video transmission anywhere, anytime.”

By David Fox

Canon shows 4K to handheld at NAB

The annual NAB show in Las Vegas is America’s biggest broadcast expo, and Canon is using the opportunity to demonstrate everything from high-end 4K workflows to a three new handheld cameras that should be useful for professional use.

You can get the full details on the small new XA25, XA20 and Vixia/Legria HF G30 camcorders on our Canon XF Notebook blog, but these palmcorders should appeal because they promise to be an improvement on one of our favourite small camcorders, the XA10. Plus, the XA25 includes HD-SDI output for uncompressed signals for broadcast use.

Other notable features include: full manual controls, XLR audio for both XA models, dual codecs (AVCHD Progressive and MP4 – up to 35Mbps), dual SD card slots for relay or dual recording (including two different formats at once), Canon's first use of an OLED screen, and WiFi support, so you can upload quickly to the web or to your office. List prices range from £2,099, $3,199 or €2,799 for the XA25 down to £1,299, $1,699 or €1,699 HF G30 (pictured above).

Canon’s live 4K Workflow Demonstration at NAB will include live colour grading of 4K footage from Canon's C500 camera (pictured above) and a first look at Canon's prototype 4K reference displays. There will also be a live demonstration of 4K Remote Broadcast, highlighting how spectacular HD broadcast footage can be captured, digitally rendered and cropped for live-action broadcast applications (including sports) using Canon's Cinema EOS equipment. A 90-seat Canon Theatre will show footage of HD, 2K and 4K projects, including behind-the-scenes footage on how each project was captured.

It will also show the new Cinema EOS C100 EF 24-105 Lens Kit, which it claims will come in at an affordable price-point, as well as a prototype version of its latest cinema prime lens for large-format single-sensor digital cameras (from super35mm to full-frame 35mm). The newly announced EF-mount 35mm lens (pictured above)will become the sixth prime lens in the EF Cinema lens line-up, filling the gap between the existing 24mm and 50mm lenses – again, more on that on our Canon XF Notebook blog.

Canon is also hosting a three-hour learning session on the C500 led by Los Angeles-based Director of Photography, Suny Behar, who will explore camera set-up choices from System Priority, Recording Mode and Resolutions to file output options. Behar will also demonstrate a step-by-step configuration of the Cinema EOS C500 4K digital camera with external recorders. “The Cinema EOS C500 4K digital camera Workflow: 2K/4K From Set-Up to Shoot” will take place on Tuesday, April 9th in rooms N239 and N241with two sessions - the first from 9:30am to 12:30pm and the second from 2:00pm to 5:00pm.

The company has also just announced impending firmware updates for the EOS C500, EOS C300, EOS C100 camcorders, as well as improvements for its Cinema Raw Development software – with full details on the Canon XF Notebook blog.

By David Fox

Final Cut Pro updates

Apple has updated Final Cut Pro X (to 10.0.8), Compressor (to 4.0.7), and Motion (to 5.0.7). 

FCP X version 10.0.8 is mainly a maintenance release, but it does add a couple of features.

Users of Arri Alexa cameras can now record Apple ProRes with Log C video levels, then view with standard contrast and colour levels in Final Cut Pro X. This non-destructive display option lets you view footage in the Rec. 709 colour gamut (the standard for broadcast video - pictured above) without having to render or apply an effect, while accessing the full dynamic range of Log C (which has so little contrast it almost looks foggy - as seen below) for colour grading and compositing. When editing is complete, export XML from Final Cut Pro X to send the Log C files for finishing in third-party applications such as DaVinci Resolve or Autodesk Smoke.

As reported earlier, FCP X also now supports Sony's XAVC codec at resolutions up to 4K.

It fixes: performance issues that could occur with certain titles and effects; an issue where some third party effects generated green frames during render; a performance issue which resulted from selecting multiple ranges on a single clip; and an issue where the play Around function did not work properly on certain clips when viewed through external video devices.

Time reversed clips now render in the background, while mono audio files in a surround sound project now export with correct volume levels, and drop zones no longer reset to the first frame of video after application restart.

It adds the ability to: use key commands to adjust Clip Appearance settings in the timeline; and to view reel number metadata located in the timecode track of video files.

Compressor 4.0.7

The new version of Compressor removes the 1GB file size limit for uploads to Vimeo, and fixes stability issues: when playing back certain MPEG-2 files; and in Qmaster when processing multiple jobs.

Motion 5.0.7

The Motion update fixes: an issue where some third-party effects generated green frames during render; a stability issue when splitting layers in the timeline; performance issues with some titles and effects; an issue where launching a plug-in with a check box could require multiple clicks; and a stability issue with CoreMelt plug-ins.

QuickTime 1.0.2

There's also an update to the ProApps Codecs in QuickTime 1.0.2, which is recommended for all users of the current versions of FCP X, Motion and Compressor.

It adds or updates support for various video codecs used by applications which rely on QuickTime, including: Apple Intermediate Codec; Apple ProRes; AVC-Intra; DVCPRO HD; HDV; XDCAM HD /EX / HD422; MPEG IMX; Uncompressed 4:2:2; and XAVC.

By David Fox

FCP X gets XAVC support

The latest version of Apple’s Final Cut Pro X (10.0.8) can now work with Sony’s new XAVC codec (as used on the PMW-F5 and PMW-F55), so that users can import XAVC files directly into FCP X and start editing immediately.

It has support for resolutions up to 4K, and users can work natively or convert to Apple ProRes in the background for better performance.

The XAVC Apple FCP X plugin can be downloaded from the Sony Community website.

The plug-in requires: FCP X 10.0.8 or higher for the XAVC format or FCP X 10.0.6 or higher for the XDCAM format, and supports only SxS Cards, not Professional Disc. XDCAM Professional Disc users can use Content Browser software to ingest material into Final Cut Pro X.

One user (nweaver) who had downloaded the plug-in said: “Very happy to report that 4K XAVC on 27-inch iMac 3.4ghz/680MX is VERY fast in FCPX. Like 1080p fast.

“Moreover, the GPU scales it on the fly to pass to the Blackmagic Mini Monitor to output at 1080p, high quality scaling, no hiccups whatsoever. Like working with 1080p, except there's 4x the pixels that you don't see unless you go blowing up clips.”

Another user (sconnor99) on the fcp.co/forum/ added: “It works very well with 4K XAVC material on our 2008 8-Core MacPro. It's slightly surreal editing 4K like it's just 1080! I get realtime, even with CC and 300% zoom.”

Related post: Sony XAVC codec explained

By David Fox

Convergent Design Odyssey7 + 7Q

A full-featured 7.7-inch OLED monitor that can also be a high-quality recorder (for Avid DNxHD, raw and 4K formats) is the attraction of Convergent Design’s adaptable new Odyssey7 and 7Q products.

As a monitor, it costs from $1,295, with the recording capabilities available as optional upgrades (online licenses for the various formats, such as DNxHD). Given that some users might only need a format like Arrirraw for a few days shooting, the licence for this will also be available for daily rental.

Most of its rivals, if they include a monitor at all, have smaller monitors (such as the Atomos Ninja-2 and Samurai with their 4.3-inch and 5-inch 800x840 pixel screens - although the new Samurai Blade will have improved 1280x720 screen plus recording for $1,295), whereas the Odyssey units have been designed as high-quality monitors from the outset. The 7.7-inch OLED has a 1280x800 RGB pixel array, promising wide colour gamut and 3400:1 contrast, with “virtually no motion blurring and true blacks”.

It also includes an array of professional features: waveform, RGB parade, zebras, 1:1 pixel, focus assist (peaking), vectorscope, histogram, LUT support, false colour and more. Thanks to Bluetooth LE, there is also simple remote control through iPhone and Android apps.

“Odyssey7 and Odyssey7Q simplify on-camera setups, eliminating the need for separate products. Simplicity also drove the overall architectural design, gaining greater reliability, lower power, and less weight,” said Convergent Design President Mike Schell (pictured below).

“The user interface is simple and easy to use, minimizing set-up time and on-set frustration. The Odyssey automatically detects the incoming video format and, when possible, sets up the entire recorder/monitor, based on camera metadata (Arriraw, Canon Raw, 2K Raw, etc.). The 1280x800 OLED allows for an uncluttered video display,” he added.

As a recorder, Odyssey7 and 7Q support Avid DNxHD (up to 120 frames per second), uncompressed HD/2K RGB 444 (up to 60fps), 2K/HD Raw, Arriraw (4:3 and 16:9), and Canon 4K Raw. All the recording formats are extra-cost options, and outright purchase or rental is claimed to be “at competitive rates”. Recording options are rented in 24-hour blocks, with unused blocks available for future use.

Solid state

Convergent Design is now offering new 2.5-inch highly reliable “Server-Grade” solid state drives that support read/write bandwidths in excess of 500MBps per drive, enabling Canon 4K Raw at 60fps on a single recorder. Its dual SSD architecture can be configured in spanning mode (to double record times), RAID 1 mode, for auto-backup or in RAID 0 mode for data-rates in excess of 1GBps.

“A new nanoFlash or an advanced Gemini was due or in development. Gemini RAW was announced at NAB 2012. While in limbo waiting on SSD technology to catch up to our design, it was decided that we could re-engineer the recorder, and simultaneously reinvent the monitor,” explained Amber Cowles, the company’s Marketing and Communications Director (pictured above).

Quad split

While the Odyssey7 is intended for single stream support (up to 4K Raw), the Odyssey7Q adds additional bi-directional HD-SDI 3G ports. It also has extra processing power to enable certain extra cost options to support: four-stream HD/2K monitoring (quad-split - it also includes a four-channel live switcher) and compressed recording, 4K video and high-speed (120fps) support, and simultaneous recording of proxy (DNxHD-36) and Raw video. The price of the Odyssey7Q hasn’t been set yet, “but will be competitively priced” and use the same 2.5-inch media as Odyssey7.

A wide range of battery accessories, mounting options, and sunshade, are planned for both products. The Odyssey7 and Odyssey7Q will be launched at NAB (booth C6713).

Odyssey7 and Odyssey7Q Specifications:

HDMI I/O (Up to 1080p60 422 8-bit)

SDI Video I/O - SD/HD/3G Support: Single/Dual Link, 2-Inputs, 2-Outputs

Odyssey7Q adds 2 Bidirectional HD-SDI 3G ports to allow: 4 HD-SDI 3G Inputs, and 2 HD-SDI 3G Inputs OR 2 HD-SDI 3G Inputs and 4 HD-SDI 3G Outputs

Digital Audio I/O - 2-channel embedded audio (48KHz, 24-bit); Odyssey7Q adds 8-channel support

Analogue Audio I/O - Mono Speaker, 3.5mm headphone output, mono unbalanced consumer input

Remote Control - RS-232 I/O, programmable GPIO

Timecode - LTC I/O (BNC) or Embedded SDI/HDMI TC

User Interface - Capacitive Touchscreen, Two mechanical Function Keys

DC Power Input - 10 to 34 vDC with built-in reverse polarity protection; built-in power switch – Power use: 8 Watts (monitor only), 8-15W (monitor and record mode)

Size - 7.9 x 6.1 x 1.0-inches (200 x 155 x 25mm), measured from end of BNC to SSD tabs

Weight - 540 grams / 1.2 lbs, cast-magnesium case

Recorder Options

- Avid DNxHD up to 1080p30/1080i60

- HD/2K Uncompressed RGB 444 up to 60fps

- HD/2K Raw up to 120 fps

Arriraw (16:9) up to 60fps, (4:3) up to 48fps

- Canon RAW QHD/4K up to 60fps

Odyssey7Q adds:

- Four Stream recording up to 1080p30

- 4K support

- High-Speed (120fps)

- Simultaneous RAW + Proxy (DNxHD-36) mode

www.odyssey7.info

By David Fox