• Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015
Autodesk Memento HD 3D reality computing available as public beta
SAN FRANCISCO -- 

Autodesk Memento, previously available as an Autodesk Labs technology preview, is now available as a free public beta. Memento is an end-to-end solution for converting any reality capture input (such as photos or scans) into 3D in the form of high quality models. This 3D mesh can be cleaned up, fixed, compared over time and optimized for further digital use, for physical fabrication methods like 3D printing and for 3D interactive experiences on the Web--it is an all-in-one single app made from scratch specifically for new reality computing workflows.

Memento is powerful (it can handle 2+billion polygon meshes) with unprecedented ease of use. No CAD (computer-aided design) expertise is required, thus making Reality Computing accessible to a wide audience of new users who can leverage these new technological capabilities. The ability to effortlessly create high definition 3D from reality opens the door to exciting possibilities across a variety of industries:

-- Visual effects artists and game designers in the Media & Entertainment field can use Memento to easily turn physical objects into digital assets that can be used in films and games.
-- Artists & sculptors can reimagine their existing works by making a digital copy of the work to showcase it online or to physically fabricate a new version in a different material or at a different scale.
-- Museums can create digital archives of their collections and offer visitors online interactive experiences via the web. This approach has allowed the Smithsonian to create a highly engaging online experience called the Smithsonian X 3d .
-- Scientists can extend their research, educate in novel ways and can make the fruits of their research accessible to and educate the public. Louise Leakey, for example, digitizes the fossils they’ve excavated and makes them available at AfricanFossils.org. Similarly, the non-profit organization The Hydrous makes 3D models of coral reefs from around the world to document the health of the corals and track how they are changing over time.
-- Art & Antique dealers can create realistic 3D representations of their wares and present them online, helping them reach a wider audience.
-- Makers & producers of handmade objects -- everything from jewelry and clothing, to hand made furniture, toys and custom accessories -- can better represent their goods on online marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy, giving them a competitive advantage.
-- Designers of any kind can use captured reality as inspiration or to start a new design or to create customized products such UNYQ who makes custom prosthetic covers.

The beta release of Memento includes a new website with links to learning material and use cases, and soon will open a 3D Online Gallery that allows 3D digitized models to be viewed and shared interactively online, FBX export with cameras (that allows digital artists to better control the texture of the digitized models), view of the photo camera positions in 3D space, more robust photo processing capabilities and more.

Beta users will experience Memento first as a cloud-connected desktop app that will initially be available on the Windows platform, followed by a Mac version later in the quarter, followed by interactive 3D publishing on the Web soon after. The Beta app can be accessed here along with a video demo.

  • Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015
Codex recruits Brian Gaffney as VP of Business Development
Brian Gaffney
LONDON -- 

Industry veteran Brian Gaffney has joined Codex as VP Business Development. Gaffney has many years of digital production experience, and is well-known in production and postproduction circles around the motion picture and broadcast industries. He will be based at Codex’s LA office and will head up Codex’s business development efforts across the U.S., the Americas and Australia/New Zealand.

Gaffney come over to Codex from Technicolor, where he was product manager for Technicolor’s Advanced Production Technology Group in development of cloud-based workflows. He joined Technicolor in 2006 when his company, Creative Bridge, a provider of on-set digital lab services, was acquired, with Gaffney becoming the VP of Technicolor’s On Location Services. With Technicolor/Creative Bridge, he worked on over 100 projects using the DP Lights on-set color correction system, including Iron Man 3, where he worked alongside cinematographer John Toll ASC. Earlier in his career Gaffney worked at Turbo Squid, MTI Film and Autodesk, where he was responsible for sales for the Americas of the Discreet product line.

Marc Dando, managing director of Codex, said, “Brian has deep roots in both VFX and on-location services. This combination, along with his recent experience in cloud-based services, makes him ideal for this new position at Codex, which we’ve created to support the continued expansion of our product line.”

“I think we are at a pivotal point for the production and postproduction industries,” added Gaffney, “I’ve watched Codex develop into an industry leader and have even been a customer of theirs. There are so many places where they add value and I’m excited to be a part of the team and expanding business.”

Codex recording and workflow technology has been used on hundreds of motion picture productions worldwide. Forthcoming and recent releases to rely on Codex include: In The Heart Of The Sea, The Fantastic Four, Pan, Jupiter Ascending, Fifty Shades Of Grey, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Point Break.

  • Monday, Feb. 23, 2015
Codex delivers recording and workflow for ARRI ALEXA Mini
Four ALEXA Minis on Codex Mini Recorder
LONDON -- 

Codex, known for providing high-end digital recording and workflow equipment for motion picture and TV production, has once again collaborated with ARRI to develop the recording and workflow system for a new addition to the ALEXA family--the ALEXA Mini.

“Once again, ARRI has listened to what their customers want and worked with Codex to come up with a great solution--not just a great new camera but an entire workflow,” said Marc Dando, managing director of Codex.

The ALEXA Mini is a versatile additional tool in the ARRI ALEXA camera range that combines a compact and lightweight form factor with the same image quality that has made the ALEXA system a gold standard for the industry. It has a 4:3 sensor and can shoot ARRIRAW or ProRes at frame rates of up to 120fps to a new Codex multi-camera recorder or 30fps to in-camera CFast 2.0 cards. Codex production-proven workflows support both of these options.

Codex’s latest recorder features 8 channels of HD-SDI input plus metadata and embedded audio, which means it can record ARRIRAW from 4 ARRI ALEXA Minis simultaneously. This makes it perfect solution for TV, commercials, music videos and stunts. It has a unique design incorporating a versatile cheeseplate system for the mounting of accessories.

“The ALEXA Mini is a valuable addition to the ALEXA family, and we are pleased that Codex is again able to push the technology envelope with this new recorder,” says Stephan Schenk, managing director of ARRI, “And of course, like every camera in the ALEXA family, Codex will provide the rock-solid workflow that our mutual customers have come to rely upon.”

  • Monday, Feb. 23, 2015
Coach House Studios invests in Pablo Rio for 4K color and finishing
Pablo Rio
NEWBURY, UK -- 

Coach House Studios, based at London’s Twickenham Studios, has purchased a turnkey Pablo Rio 4KO high quality color and finishing system to complete 4K post production on features, long-form dramas and documentaries. Coach House Studios offers HD to 4K picture post editing, online, VFX and grading services in house, as well as specializing in location editing, DIT vehicles and carts, providing support from shoot to delivery. The Pablo Rio system was sold via Quantel’s UK reseller partner, XTFX.

Coach House Studios’ CEO John Walbeoffe said, “Pablo Rio ticked all the boxes when looking for an efficient 4K finishing system that had an integrated editing, color and finishing toolset. We have already completed two projects on the Pablo Rio and have been thoroughly impressed with its speed, efficiency and incredible power.”

Pablo Rio runs on high performance PC hardware and exploits NVIDIA Maximus multi-GPU technology to deliver true interactivity and maximum productivity, with realtime performance at 4K 60p and beyond. Pablo Rio is available as software only and as a range of Quantel-backed turnkey systems.

Victor Riva, artist in residence at Coach House Studios, said, “Coach House Studios offering me ‘Artist in residence’ status at their brand new facility is quite an honor as they have a 23-year track record providing high-end editing and DIT support for some of the most iconic dramas shot in the UK’s history. We were able to build and design a 4K suite from the ground up.

“We looked hard at what was on offer by all of the major manufacturers but it always came back to who could provide the 4K capabilities we required and we wanted all of them! The suite should be able to handle all of the HFR 4K frame rates as well as real-time play out of 4K. We constantly arrived at the conclusion that Quantel had the only kit that could give us the power, speed and toolset we required; the Pablo Rio was a purchase decision that came quite naturally.”

  • Monday, Feb. 23, 2015
ARRI rolls out compact ALEXA Mini
ARRI ALEXA Mini
MUNICH -- 

ARRI announces the new ALEXA Mini, a versatile additional tool in the ARRI ALEXA camera range that combines a compact and lightweight form factor with the same image quality that has made the ALEXA system a gold standard for the industry. Designed for specialized shot-making, the ALEXA Mini perfectly complements a full ALEXA shooting kit and allows crews to eliminate the complications of working with third-party cameras by keeping everything within a single system that is established worldwide.

To maintain ARRI’s rugged build quality in a small and lightweight camera, a number of unique design solutions have been incorporated. These include highly integrated and environmentally sealed electronics, a lightweight carbon housing and a solid titanium PL mount that connects directly with the new internal sensor mount to ensure a super-stable flange focal distance, even when using large lenses. Nimble in use and hardy on set, the ALEXA Mini is a go-anywhere tool, easy to transport in backpacks or as carry-on luggage.

The ALEXA Mini can be operated in a number of ways: by wireless remote control, as a normal camera with the ARRI MVF-1 multi viewfinder attached, or with an on-board monitor and controlled via the user button interface on the camera body. Light enough to be comfortably held at arm’s length in a hand rig, its compact size and extremely quiet operation also make it ideal for tight shooting conditions. The symmetrical design permits filming in any orientation, including upside-down and in portrait mode, while multiple accessory points enable highly creative mounting solutions. In addition, the ALEXA Mini’s interchangeable lens mount can be replaced with any of those designed for the ARRI AMIRA, allowing the use of B4 video and EF mount stills lenses.

Equipped with a 4:3 sensor, automatic de-squeeze mode for anamorphic productions and frame rates of 0.75-200 fps, the ALEXA Mini records ProRes or uncompressed ARRIRAW either in-camera to CFast 2.0 cards or to a specially-designed external Codex recorder that can record image streams from up to four ALEXA Minis simultaneously – a compelling option for multi-camera setups such as 360° plate shots.

ALEXA Mini 1
Images from the ALEXA Mini will perfectly match those from all other ALEXA cameras, making the final grade easier and quicker.

Integrated functionality is at the heart of the ALEXA Mini’s efficient and self-contained design. A built-in lens motor controller allows new active lens motors to be connected directly to the titanium PL mount, while ARRI Lens Data System (LDS) technology provides frame-accurate metadata that can save time and money both on-set and in post. Wi-Fi connectivity means that iOS or Android devices can be used to remotely control camera functions such as the motorized internal ND filters, which permit rapid responses to changing light conditions without adding bulk to the camera configuration.

The body design is optimized for use with new-generation brushless gimbals, multicopters and other specialized rigs. It is compact enough in the lens direction to allow the use of standard PL mount lenses even on lightweight and space-constrained rigs, such as gyro-stabilized aerial systems. The camera’s superb low-light performance makes it perfect for underwater work; dedicated underwater housings are currently being developed by leading manufacturers.

Like the ARRI AMIRA, the ALEXA Mini can record 4K UHD ProRes images, facilitating real-time 4K UHD output and simple pipelines for high-resolution deliverables. More importantly, the Mini and all other ARRI cameras with the ALEV III sensor offer unrivalled overall image quality by focusing not just on spatial resolution, but also on other parameters such as colorimetry, skin tones and High Dynamic Range (HDR). This is equally true whether the chosen output is HD, 2K, 4K UHD or one of the native resolution outputs like uncompressed ARRIRAW 2.8K or ProRes 3.2K, ensuring that images captured with the ALEXA Mini are future-proof, whatever new industry standards emerge.

The ARRI ALEXA Mini is scheduled to begin shipping in May 2015, with orders being taken from March. A prototype of the ALEXA Mini will be on show at the British Video Expo (BVE) from February 24-26, 2015, in Booth J30.

  • Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015
ARRI to release software updates for AMIRA cameras
ARRI AMIRA camera
MUNICH -- 

ARRI announces the upcoming release of Software Update Packet (SUP) 2.0 for AMIRA cameras, and the subsequent release of SUP 3.0. The former unlocks 4K UHD recording for high-resolution pipelines, while the latter enables MPEG-2 MXF recording for streamlined, broadcast-friendly workflows. Together they stretch the already wide spectrum of AMIRA’s deliverable options at both ends of the scale, making the camera an even more versatile production tool.

Underlining the positioning of AMIRA as an ideal camera for productions ranging from documentaries, reportage and corporate films to TV and low-budget movies, these two major software updates in the first half of 2015 will enhance the feature-set in ways that respond specifically to customer requests and industry trends. With its flexible, re-programmable system architecture, AMIRA will continue to expand in functionality over the coming years in the same way that ALEXA has done since 2010, allowing it to keep pace with a rapidly evolving market and deliver a strong return on investment.

AMIRA SUP 3.0
The key new feature of AMIRA SUP 3.0, scheduled for a mid-2015 release, is the ability to record MPEG-2 422P@HL at 50 Mbit/s in an MXF wrapper. This XDCAM-compatible MPEG-2 recording format allows television productions to take advantage of AMIRA’s superior image quality and ergonomics, while utilizing a low-bandwidth codec that can easily be integrated into typical broadcast environments and workflows.

Recording MPEG-2 MXF with AMIRA ensures 100% compatibility with the format already used by many low budget or time-pressured television productions, for which a streamlined workflow through ingest, editing and post is vital. This cost-efficient format minimizes the number of memory cards needed on set, but also reduces postproduction and archiving costs through reduced data rates and seamless integration with standard tools.

In order to further ease the integration of AMIRA into fast-paced television production environments, a new audio accessory will be released. Taking the form of an extension to the back of the camera body, it will equip AMIRA with a slot for a portable audio tuner/receiver. This will allow signals to be received wirelessly from either the sound recordist’s mixer or straight from radio microphones, accommodating the needs of ENG-style productions that capture audio directly in-camera, but value the most cable-free configuration possible.

Other features of SUP 3.0 will include a versatile camera remote control interface for multi-camera live or scripted productions; Super 16 mm lens support; an intervalometer function for time-lapse applications; and a host of general usability enhancements.

AMIRA SUP 2.0
4K UHD recording is the major new feature of AMIRA SUP 2.0, scheduled for release in March 2015. Enabled by the software update, it is activated through the purchase of a 4K UHD license at the ARRI License Shop (and a camera sensor calibration at an ARRI service center for cameras purchased in 2014).

The new 4K UHD recording format has been developed for productions that need to generate high-resolution deliverables. It allows ProRes codecs up to ProRes 4444 to be recorded in Ultra High Definition 3840 x 2160 resolution directly onto the in-camera CFast 2.0 cards, at up to 60 fps. Optional in-camera de-noising, sharpening and detailing tools permit the image to be optimized for specific applications or matched to different cameras and lenses.

Further enhancements provided by AMIRA SUP 2.0 include ProRes 3.2K recording (allowing cross-compatibility with ALEXA cameras running ALEXA SUP 11.0); WiFi remote support; the ability to monitor audio channels individually; additional lock functions to prevent the accidental pressing of buttons or switches; frame rate adjustments while in pre-record mode; and frame grabs from the live camera image.

  • Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015
Quantel rolls out LiveTouch
Quantel's LiveTouch
NEWBURY, UK -- 

Quantel today released LiveTouch, a brand new range of studio sports highlighting systems that feature a robust, ergonomic live control panel and unique bi-directional editor integration. LiveTouch encompasses a complete range of studio highlighting applications from single operator standalone set-ups to complete, integrated production systems.

LiveTouch has been developed following close consultation with sports broadcasters and their on-air operators, and features a purpose-designed control panel to make highlights selection fast, sure and simple, meeting the rigorous needs of live production. At the system’s heart is the new, compact 3U power-efficient LiveTouch server. Inter-server streaming allows multiple LiveTouch servers to be used as one large, virtual server, giving operators instant access to any clip irrespective of where it is being recorded.

LiveTouch also integrates Quantel editing. The workflow is two-way - editors can access the highlights with no media movement and any panel can play back any completed sequence. Thanks to Quantel’s unique FrameMagic technology, the system delivers the fastest highlights-to-edit-to-air workflow on the market--no media ever needs to be copied or moved and there is no need to duplicate storage for editing.

There are three models in the LiveTouch product range:

LiveTouch Highlights
LiveTouch Highlights is the entry level, standalone system, comprising a single LiveTouch server and one or two LiveTouch control panels and integrated editing LiveTouch Highlights offers a low entry cost and is easily deployed in any studio environment.

LiveTouch Production
LiveTouch Production is a complete highlighting system for sophisticated studio applications. LiveTouch Production is powerful enough to support multiple studios and demanding productions, yet is simple to use and configure. LiveTouch Production includes integrated editing as standard, allowing fast editing of highlights and playout of finished pieces.

LiveTouch Enterprise
LiveTouch Enterprise adds sports highlighting to Quantel Enterprise sQ fast turnaround production systems. The result is unified system covering every aspect of sports highlighting and program production that delivers a complete, efficient workflow that eliminates much of the complexity and duplication that often exist today.

“We have tested LiveTouch with a number of major sports broadcasters around the world since we first showed it in prototype form at IBC 2014,” said Steve Owen, Quantel marketing director. “It has been very enthusiastically received, particularly the up-to-the-minute look and functionality of the control panel, the inter-server streaming and the integrated editing. And this is just the start; LiveTouch will grow rapidly in capabilities and applications over the coming months as our development team continues to drive forward what’s possible in sports highlighting.”

  • Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015
Ikegami sets product lineup for CABSAT 2015
Ikegami's HC-HD 300 3_CMOS camera
NEUSS, Germany -- 

Ikegami has chosen CABSAT 2015 as the launch venue for a new development in its Unicam HD range of broadcast camera systems with the introduction of the Super Resolution Technology (SRT) HD to 4K upconverter. Also on display will be the HC-HD300 3-CMOS studio camera, first announced in Q3 2014 and now deliverable.

Representatives on the Ikegami stand, Hall 4, Stand 402, will include Yasunori Kanno and Michael Lätzsch from Ikegami Electronics (Europe) GmbH. CABSAT 2015 is set for March 10-12 at the Dubai World Trade Center

Ikegami 4K Hybrid Base Station
A plug-in board for the BS-98 Base Station, the new Ikegami HD to 4K upconverter performs intelligent upconversion from 1920 x 1080i and 1920 x 1080p (2K) high-definition source standards to 3840 x 2160p (4K) ultra-high-definition. The upconverter is compatible with Ikegami HDK-790GX/79GX, HDK-970A/97A and HDK-97ARRI cameras, enabling these to be used in a 4K hybrid production environment.

With its Super Resolution Engine, the Ikegami upconverter can detect edge artefacts caused by DTL correction in 2K source signals. Intelligent processing ensures that these edges are not exaggerated during the upconversion. Upconversion processing be performed automatically or manually customised. A Re-mastering mode can enhance the sense of resolution of a 2K signal using a Super Resolution Engine operated via the base station control menu. Source signal formats accepted include 1080i50 as well as 1080p23.98, 1080p25, 1080p29.97 and 1080p50.

The processor occupies a 20 x 120 x 124 mm card which slots directly into the rear of the BS-98 base station. Power consumption is 11 watts and operating temperature range is 0 to 40 Celsius.

Ikegami HC-HD300 3-CMOS Camera
Also on show at CABSAT 2015 will be Ikegami’s HC-HD300 3-CMOS studio camera system which makes its MEA market debut. The HC-HD300 is a compact docking-style camera for studio or field operation. An aggressively-priced addition to Ikegami’s broadcast-ready Unicam HD product line, it meets the same high standard of imagery and has the same rugged construction.

The Ikegami HC-HD300 is equipped with a 1/3 inch bayonet lens mount and employs three 1/3-inch CMOS progressive-scan 1920 x 1080 native sensors in RGB prism formation. The camera delivers high quality pictures in all commonly used video formats: 1920 x 1080/50i, 1920 x 1080/59.94i, 1280 x 720/50p, 1280 x 720/59.94p, 720 x 576/50i (PAL) and 720 x 480/59.94i (NTSC).

Typical performance characteristics of the HC-HD300 in 1080/59.94i output mode are 1,000 television lines horizontal resolution, 58 dB signal-to-noise ratio and 2,000 lux sensitivity (89.9 per cent white reflection) at F10 aperture. Equivalent aperture in 1080/50i mode for this light level is F11.

Camera gain can be attenuated from mid level to -3 or -6 dB, or increased by +3, +6, +9, +12 or + 18 dB. Integral neutral density filters (100 per cent, 25 per cent, 6.2 per cent and 1.6 per cent) can be switched in as required, plus operator-selectable 3,200, 4,300, 6,300 and 8,000 kelvin electronic colour conversion. An electric shutter can be set to 1/100, 1/120, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1,000 or 1/2,000 second speed.

Supporting features include the focus assist and lens aberration correction functions employed in Ikegami’s established UnicamHD range of cameras.

The HC-HD300 can be operated under local control or in conjunction with a newly developed control system. This consists of an FA-300 fibre adapter and BSF-300 base station. Light in weight and compact in size (1.5RU), the BSF-300 base station is easily integrated into any studio, mobile truck, or portable flypack. When using a hybrid fibre camera cable, the base station provides power to the fibre adapter and the camera itself.

OpticalCON Duo connectors allow use of SMPTE hybrid camera cables at up to 350 metres with a 2 inch viewfinder or 250 metres with a 7 inch viewfinder. For longer links of up to 10 kilometres between camera and based station, duplex single-mode fibre with common optical LC connectors for can be deployed.

The HC-HD300 weighs 4.5 kg including FA-300 fibre adapter and measures 139 x 270 x 337 mm (width x depth x height). Operating voltage range is 11 to 16 volts and power consumption (excluding FA-300) is 19 watts. The camera is designed for use within an ambient temperature range of -20 to +45 Celsius and 30 per cent to 90 per cent non-condensing operating humidity.

  • Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015
Autodesk, Shotgun Software Make Mark At Oscars
Autodesk's Robert Bridson at the Academy's Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards.
SAN FRANCISCO -- 

Autodesk Inc. media and entertainment software played a supporting role in the creation of many of this year’s most acclaimed movies, including all five Best VFX Oscar nominees. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also recognized Autodesk technology with a Scientific and Technical Achievement Award (Sci-Tech Award).

“It’s an honor to contribute to such a creative community in which the Best VFX Oscar-winning movie for 20 consecutive years has used Autodesk software,” said Chris Bradshaw, Autodesk sr. VP. “We’re also so pleased the Academy recognized Robert Bridson on our R&D team for his voxel data structures technology.”

In the Best Visual Effects category, all five film nominees --“Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Interstellar” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past”--used sophisticated technology to help bring these films to audiences worldwide. The phenomenal work contained in these five movies was created by thousands of talented artists working at 25 visual effects studios on four continents with work spanning the production process from previsualization through virtual cinematography, post-production and color grading.

This year’s nominees for Best Animated Feature show off a broad range of animation styles from hand-drawn, to stop-motion to CG. Autodesk software played a role in four of the five Best Animated Feature nominees: “Big Hero 6,” “The Boxtrolls,” “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” and “The Tale of The Princess Kaguya;” two Best Animated Short contenders: “Feast” and “The Dam Keeper;” and seven of the eight movies nominated for Best Picture: “American Sniper,” “Birdman,” “Boyhood,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The Imitation Game,” “Selma” and “The Theory of Everything.”

The following studios used Autodesk and/or Shotgun software to contribute movie magic to this year’s Academy Award-nominated films: Alchemy 24, Animal Logic, The Artery, BlueBolt, Cantina Creative, Cinesite, CoSA Visual Effects, Digital Domain, Double Negative, DreamWorks Animation, EFILM, Encore, Finland Finish, Framestore, Fuel VFX, Hydraulx, Industrial Light & Magic, LAIKA, Lola Visual Effects, LOOK! Effects, Luma Pictures, Luxx Studios, Method Studios, Modern VideoFilm, Mokko Studio, Moving Picture Company, Prime Focus, Proof, Rhythm & Hues, RISE VFX Studio, Rising Sun Pictures, Rodeo FX, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Studio Ghibli, Technicolor, The Third Floor, Tonko House, Union, Vision Globale, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Weta Digital and Whiskytree.

Sci-Tech Award
The Academy hosts a special awards ceremony annually to recognize individuals whose achievements “demonstrate a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures.”

This year the Academy awarded a Technical Achievement Award to Robert Bridson, a senior principal research scientist at Autodesk, for his “pioneering work on voxel data structures and its subsequent validation in fluid simulation tools [that] have had a significant impact on the design of volumetric tools throughout the visual effects industry. This voxel technology (aka 3D pixel) has been used throughout the industry with Weta Digital in New Zealand as one of the earliest adopters for “Avatar.” Autodesk scientists, designers and technologies have been similarly recognized seven times in past Sci-Tech Award ceremonies.

  • Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015
FOR-A announces NAB lineup
HVS-2000 video switcher
CYPRESS, Calif. -- 

During the 2015 NAB Show, FOR-A will showcase the latest version of its 4K high-speed camera, multi-viewing and signal processing technology, and a variety of video switchers, including the new HVS-2000. The company’s product display will focus on 4K technologies for every stage of the video production process. FOR-A will exhibit in Booth C5117 during the show, which takes place April 13-16 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

A highlight at FOR-A’s NAB booth will be the versatile, cost-efficient HVS-2000 video switcher, which is being shown for the first time in the U.S. The HVS-2000 is a flexible SD, HD, 3G and 4K video switcher that allows up to 48 inputs/18 outputs or 40 inputs/22 outputs. The unit features exclusive features unique to other switchers in its class, including the introduction of MELite, which allows a traditional AUX bus to transform into a functional M/E with cut, mix, wipe and key control; ONStage, a newly developed technology designed specifically for staging events where multiple image magnification displays are used; and FLEXaKEY™, which allows operators to tailor their production needs by adding and moving key and DVE layers to traditional M/E resources or to MELite resources.

Other video switchers that will be displayed include the popular HVS-390HS unit, which includes 16 HD/SD-SDI inputs and eight outputs (expandable to 24 inputs and 13 outputs), with frame synchronizers for all inputs. Offering powerful tools to create a richer audience experience, current HVS-390HS customers include houses of worship, universities, public access television stations, major newsgathering organizations, government agencies and network news stations. FOR-A will also show the HVS-110 HD/SD portable video switcher, which features a compact design that makes it an ideal choice for use in small broadcasting vans and flypacks.

On the camera front, FOR-A will introduce the newest version of its 4K variable frame rate camera, the FT-ONE-S. The new 4K camera allows operators to separate the camera head from the body for exceptional mobility. Capable of shooting up to 360 frames per second (fps), the FT-ONE-S enables assorted shooting positions and camera angling for live sports and events.

FOR-A will display a number of its 4K compatible multi-viewers in its NAB booth, including the MV-1620HSA, MV-42HSA and MV-4200 units. The MV-1620HSA is a 1RU unit that accepts up to 16 channels of signals for monitoring on up to two screens, and can be cascaded with other units to display up to 64 sources simultaneously. FOR-A’s MV-4200 is a 2 RU unit multi viewer that supports 3G-SDI, HD-SDI, SD-SDI, analog composite, HDMI, DVI and RGBHV sources. The unit accepts 4K signals and is capable of handling up to 68 inputs and 8 channels of output, while the MV-42HSA is a down-converter ideal for monitoring 4K footage. First introduced last year, all of the units are now deliverable.

Another highlight of FOR-A’s NAB booth will be the FA-505 multi-channel signal processor. Offering extreme connectivity, the five-input, five-output signal processor features up/down/cross/aspect ratio conversion capability on each input. Ideal for 4K applications, features of the unit include: a powerful synchronizer that includes frame/line/AVDL modes, video delay line of up to eight frames, full RGB color correction, and 16 channels of embedded audio per channel - with the ability to remap channels from any input to any output.

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