FEATURE


Broadcast TECH


to have made applications compat- ible. More importantly, its workflow centres on the SRMaster file format, which uses the same compres- sion scheme as the widely adopted HDCam SR digital tape format. “However, if you want a RAW


image from the camera, they have gone uncompressed, which means a massive amount of data,” says Milner-Smyth. “A 512Gb 5.5 speed solid-state disc will store 30 minutes at 24p, and cost £3,700. Red’s media is not at that capacity or cost yet, but it doesn’t need to be as the very good compression means you don’t need that amount of data.” For Krsljanin, it’s a simple choice:


Meduza’s dual lens system: engineered to swap in new 4K sensors when available


to integrate emerging technologies within six months of their release.” If producers want to take full


advantage of the benefits of 4K acquisition, they need to record the uncompressed or RAW monochro- matic data with knock-on bottle- necks, while development of systems for processing and storing the mas- sive files lags behind. “The bigger the files, the more


storage is required and the more processing time and power is needed,” says 24-7 Drama manag- ing director Graham Hawkins. “Render and transcode times extend and storage systems inherently get more costly.” “Who looks after material is a grey


area at the moment,” adds Brennan. “We’re happy to help where we can with the data-management aspect, but there is a bit of resistance from post houses when we talk about how material is delivered. Data manage- ment is a growing area of the busi- ness and it is only going to get more important as these cameras roll out to more genres of TV.”


‘Recording at 4K is similar to when


Part of the Alexa’s popularity is that users can record the highest resolution Arri RAW (to a codex recorder) at the same time as captur- ing compressed 1080p rushes in Apple’s native ProRes 444 format to SxS cards, which can be instantly ingested and edited in Final Cut without transcoding. The edit can be conformed to the Arri RAW files at a later stage. The same could be achieved with an Epic by attaching an AJA Ki Pro Mini. You would then have that speed of access and still be able to go back to the RAW files later.


broadcasters captured at HD, when the only deliverable


was SD’ Olivier Bovis, Sony


Fit for purpose There’s also the possibility of using the F65 to shoot purely HD 1080p, but as James Milner-Smyth of Red-based facility The Post Factory observes: “That is like buying a man- sion and only living in the basement.” Sony’s suite of compatible tools for the F65 includes an SR-PC4 transfer unit to assist ingest into a dailies system or post house for finishing. AJA, Apple, Avid, Filmlight, Assimi- late and Pixel Farm are among those


16 | Broadcast TECH | November/December 2011


“You can have your processing done in-camera with dedicated hardware and in real-time, or in post using software running on general-purpose computers at the speed determined by the hardware available.” Ironically, it is much easier to


perform a 4K finish on a romantic comedy, for example, than on a VFX- heavy project because the rendering of VFX images at 4K requires more disc space, time and expense. The answer lies in building out


support for recording, monitor- ing storage and post-production tools to permit a 4K workflow from acquisition to master. 4K capture and playback cards from Blackmagic Design (DeckLink 4K) and AJA (a 4K option for its Kona 3G card) are on the market. Other manufacturers are likely to add similar capability. Adoption of 4K is about CPU


performance, bandwidth and stor- age. As these costs decrease and performance improves, the format will become much more prevalent, although the likelihood of a 4K broadcast format remains distant. Thomas sees a near future of such


high-end imagery in TV on-demand. “More programming will be deliv- ered to home media centres as downloads, where it is not restricted by transmission and data rates. This is why we will see 4K being effec- tively the new HD, and why requests for higher image quality will grow.”


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