Recently, we have seen a wide variety of recorders being released that write video directly to Solid State Hard Drives (SSDs). These recorders include the Sound Devices PIX240, CineDeck, Atomos Samurai, the BlackMagic Hyperdeck Shuttle, and the Convergent Design Gemini 4:4:4. SSDs can be very fast and have become very price competitive compared to other memory cards. The high-speed Sandisk Extreme Pro Compact Flash cards that are required for ProRes recording cost around $7 per gigabyte, versus a comparable SSD that can be purchased for less than $2 per gigabyte. However, these drives were built to be used in computers, and it can be a bit confusing to choose the right drive for a video recorder.

In order to find a drive that works, you should first calculate the data rate requirements for the compression format you are recording. SSDs are usually rated in terms of maximum read speeds in megabytes per second (MB/s), however most compression is described in megabits per second (Mb/s). To converts bits to bytes, just divide by 8. For instance, ProRes HQ is a 220 Mb/s compression; divided by 8, it is 27.5 MB/s. Most drives, however, only list their maximum data rate for reading or writing; for video, we need a drive that can maintain a consistent data rate. That’s why determining the average sustained read/write speed is so important.

…continue reading Choosing a Solid State Drive for Video Recording

Our NAB booth included the PMW-F3 with the new S-Log firmware from Sony installed. I was very impressed with what the new mode added to the camera and was delighted to show it off to guests in our booth. Some of our friends at Next Level Pictures stopped by, and I gave them a short demo. They were so impressed with the effect that they asked to take the camera out for a quick test, which I agreed to. Twenty-four hours later they came back with a plan to take Vegas by storm, and the result was an amazing test of the F3 and S-Log. Cinematographers Khalid Mohtaseb, Jonathan Bregel, Timur Civan and Vincent Laforet joined forces with a fantastic production team lead by Brad Burke to shoot the piece.

For this shoot, the F3 was combined with the new Angenieux 45-120 lens, Cooke Panchro/i lenses, Zeiss Ultra and Master Primes, Miller Tripods, a Kessler Crane Slider, OConnor and Element Technica accessories and the CineDeck Extreme. Watch the video above to see the test results.

Go to Next Level Pictures to learn more about how the project came together, and all the folks that helped make it possible.

Note: The camera was set to output 1080p 23.98 RGB 4:4:4 video in S-Log to the CineDeck, and record to the SxS cards with the Rec709(800%) LUT applied.

Cinedeck has released Version 2.0 for the Cinedeck Extreme. The Cinedeck records the output of a camera via HD-SDI or HDMI allowing the user to optimize the quality of the footage that is typically compressed by an in-camera codec. Version 2.0 now records in DNxHD for Avid, ProRes for Final Cut users, and CineForm Digital Intermediate. The optional Full Stream Uncompressed option allows the Cinedeck to record uncompressed 4:2:2 or uncompressed 4:4:4 in a QuickTime wrapper. Version 2.0 also provides full support for the EXsync timecode module, which allows the Cinedeck to be in sync with external devices and to sync multiple Cinedecks together.

…continue reading Cinedeck Extreme’s New V2.0 Upgrade

A camera can only be as good as the recording made from it. In the past year or so we’ve seen some interesting new portable recording devices such as the AJA Ki Pro and the Convergent Design nanoFlash. Now comes the Cinedeck Extreme, which is not only an excellent recorder but also doubles as a full-featured on-camera monitor. The Cinedeck Extreme can input HD-SDI in 4:2:2 or 4:4:4, as well as HDMI, and record it to the wavelet-based Cineform codec. Coming soon (with a firmware upgrade) will be Avid DNxHD, as well as Uncompressed HD. That’s right — an Uncompressed 12-bit RGB HD recorder for under $12K that sits right on top of your camera. Recording media are consumer 2.5″ SSD drives designed for laptops.

The Cinedeck’s monitor offers functions such as waveform, vectorscope, false-color exposure meter, audio meters, pixel-to-pixel zoom for focus, grid and frameline overlays, etc. All this in a package about the same size of a standard on-board LCD.

Watch the video for more on the Cinedeck Extreme and to see it mounted to the new ARRI ALEXA Digital Cinema camera.

At this year’s NAB Show there were countless 3D rigs, monitors, and image processors. 3D capture technology is evolving at an extraordinary pace, and in many different directions. Mitch and I got to check out some of the smaller, more affordable 3D devices that could make a big splash in 3D production.

First up is the Panasonic 3D camera, the AG-3DA1. This little guy was first revealed at NAB 2009, and is now only a few months away from being released. Watch the video to see the camera up close in the Panasonic booth:

Keep reading to learn about some new 3D recording options.

…continue reading 3D in the Palm of Your Hand