80 Friday 13.09.13 theibcdaily 4K arrives but HD stays
4K is definitely coming but broadcasters, studios and cinematographers will be recording in HD for some time, predicts Jeromy Young, chief executive officer, Atomos
There has been a lot of interest in my comments regarding the expected release of more than 20 affordable 4K cameras by NAB 2014 – and indeed I believe this to be true. Given Atomos’ privileged position in working with the major camera makers, it is obvious 4K is the future. However, it by no means
equates to the death of HD. And here’s why: 4K is a beast and the supporting ecosystem like affordable monitors, recording devices and delivery options aren’t there to support it yet – unless you have a Hollywood budget. Atomos has seen a sharp
increase in interest amongst studios and broadcasters in our full HD recorders (the camera mountable HD-SDI Samurai Blade recorder and monitor, the HD-SDI Ronin studio rack recorder and the
HDMI Ninja-2 recorder all record in Apple ProRes and Avid DNxHD 10-bit 422 1920x1080). According to the feedback we receive, they are being used as offline recorders and monitors on-set and out in the field giving the studios a more productive HD workflow that isn’t available yet with 4K production. Yann Figuet of Free Lens and
SBS Australia commented on his use of our products in an OB van and in the field while covering Tour de France 2013: “We were able to work with only one workflow and increased productivity avoiding long transfer times from P2 or XDCam. It was the first year that SBS was producing the Tour in HD… it won’t be the last…”. Try doing that with 4K! Furthermore, there is a
reason why Red and other 4K camera makers work with
Atomos to make our recorders compatible with their time- code and file naming. Even if you do have Hollywood budgets for Hollywood productions, dual recording in both 4K and full HD provides studios with an option to edit and perform colour correction etc in the more manageable full HD files and then conform the edit files over to the heavier 4K+ files – thus creating a simpler, more efficient and therefore more cost-effective workflow. 4K is arriving. There is no
doubt about that, but for now only a small percentage of studios can access its potential. Just like with the advent of HD, as end-to-end production becomes faster, more affordable and easier to deliver, 4K will explode into the mainstream. In the early-to-mid 2000s,
Opinion
Jeromy Young: ‘It is obvious 4K is the future’
customers loved the quality of HD but SD was the mainstay for many years. 4K will pick up faster. However, my prediction is it will not be mainstream for another one or two years. Rest assured, just as
Atomos was committed to bringing full HD to the masses, it is committed to bringing 4K to the masses. Atomos will be showcasing
its broadcast and 4K workflow solutions with our Samurai
Blade, Ronin, Ninja-2 recorders and Connect series HDMI to HD-SDI and HD-SDI to HDMI mobile and rack-mount converters at our booth. To learn more about Atomos products and meet our newly established European promotions and customer support team and our European distributors, drop by and say hello or visit our UK distributors – Global Distribution at 7.G16. 9.D25
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124