Teradeck Cube

Everyone has been talking about the Cube for a while as a cost-effective and expandable HD monitoring solution.  Seeing the Cube in person was critical because of all the criticism it gets because of the lag.  So here's what it is and how it works.

The cube is a WiFi transmitter that creates a hotspot.  Devices like a laptop or iPad can join that network to view the stream.  With the iPad, because the software needs to decode the video stream, there is a 3-frame delay to the picture, and a video I have will show what that delay is like.  With a laptop, because of the much more powerful decoding, the delay is closer to 1-1.5 frames.  There is also a separate decoder that will output HDMI to go directly to a monitor, with the same delay as the laptop's stream.

The cube can be adjusted by a laptop, and if I remember correctly, there is either a streaming option (viewable through VLC) or a web-viewing option.  Because the broadcast is digital, the Cube can transmit to 2-3 devices before it degrades or drops the signal.  It comes in either an SDI or HDMI option only; not both.  The Cube is also one of very few products to run off of the RED's rear AUX ports, highly simplifying the camera setup.  There's also an option to power it off DV batteries.  In its newest form, it can also live stream through a Sprint 4G antenna, directly broadcasting the signal to the web where anyone with an internet connection can watch.

So what's this all mean?  If your a director, get this now if you can manage the lag.  Walking around with an iPad for a monitor is so shiek; talk about impressing clients and watching an HD signal instead of SD from that 4K camera of yours.  If your an AC,  forget about it, just pull focus by distance.  At $1000, the Cube really seems like a great value, and now you can get a little Angry Birds in-between setups without anyone suspecting a thing.

Cars + NAB?

So what happens when a gearhead goes to NAB?  He recognizes the Ford GT40 and Indy F1 cars in QNet and GoPro's booth and takes tons of pictures.  The footage from the GoPro mounted at the top of the F1 car by the way is incredible.

Promise Technology's Thunderbolt

Promise has introduced two concepts in the Thunderbolt line; a medium-sized hardware RAID option and a very unique interface to fiber networks.  Promise has always designed products leaning toward permanent installation, so its no surprise their concepts were 4 and 8-drive RAIDs that produced incredible speeds to a laptop.  They have a reputation for providing very powerful drive solutions, and these look to be no different.

While the fiber interface doesn't apply to me, or many with small-to-medium sized facilities, it is a great example of how versatile and powerful Thundebolt really is.  A small box converts the connector into a typical fiber cable, designed to give full-speed access to high-speed SANs.  There's no proprietary software to install; the box plugs in and the network drives simply appear as a drive.  Promise had a huge multi-drive multi-terabyte SAN setup as an example, and the data speeds clocked on a laptop were ridiculous; the fastest on any Thunderbolt setup I've seen yet.

Blackmagic Design's Thunderbolt and Rugged Mini Converters

Blackmagic Designs wouldn't be BD if they weren't pushing the edge of new possibilities.  They introduced the UltraStudio 3D, a Thunderbolt device that gives a laptop access to what a Decklink Extreme card does to a Mac Pro.  On their preview system, a laptop had a Promise Thunderbolt prototype 4-drive RAID and UltraStudio connected, and played back a 1080p uncompressed stream to a professional broadcast monitor.  All in a very simple setup.

BD also introduced a tougher version of their Mini Converters.  Not that the original designs had very many problems, these are just more accomodating for all the velcro and bashing that converters get while on-set.  Very handy.

G-Technology Thunderbolt proof-of-concept

G-Technology didn't really have a working prototype that is a possible shipping option; there has been a lot of feedback for a Thunderbolt solution, they just aren't sure which product will be the first with the new port.  In their display, they had actually rigged adapter cards and existing chipsets to convert a G-Speed eS Pro into a Thunderbolt cable.  The result?  Ridiculous speeds on a laptop.

The eS Pro shown is a 4-drive RAID 0 system, with a mini-SAS connector that's very popular on high-speed RAIDs.  Their proof of concept has definitely proven Thunderbolt has the capability of pushing data at incredible speeds, defeating connections that typically require an entire desktop tower.

Those speeds are real; it's nearly 1.5x faster than a certain 8-drive Mac Pro system I know...

Lacie's "Little Big Disk" Thunderbolt Drive

Lacie has the most applicable solution so far for fast, portable DIT drives.  These little guys are the Little Big Disk with dual Thunderbolt ports, each housing two 500GB 2.5" drives for a total of 1TB each.  In their demonstration, the first two drives and last two drives are setup in a software RAID 0 (striped).  Final Cut Pro is playing back full 1080p Uncompressed 10-bit footage, one resized and overlayed over the other, and is playing back at FULL speed.  The laptop?  Just the 13" Macbook Pro.  Scary how good the performance on these little drives are.

This drive is also available retail with FireWire 800, eSata, and USB if you want it now.  The prototype, however, only had dual Thunderbolt ports, limiting its connectivity.  There is no word on the final shipping product.

Behind the scenes on Thunderbolt

Before I get in to showing all the products with Thunderbolt in the works, I need to mention that there is a feud going on.  Every Thunderbolt cable on the floor was a very recognizable white, manufactured specifically by Apple.  Why?  They're fighting with Intel for exclusivity on the damn port.  (Don't forget that Intel is actually the owner of the technology)  Apple I get it, you want world domination, but stop being the whiney kid in the corner of the sandbox.  Making the port exclusive will reduce adoption of the protocol and raise prices across the board of hardware.  What about exclusivity makes this a good idea!?

All these third-party companies clearly have Thunderbolt working in various forms, but as explained to me by the folks at Lacie, the only holdup is manufacturing and shipping rights.  When I asked about pricing from G-Tech, they mentioned that a Thunderbolt-equipped drive system will likely be more expensive, because of the port.  Because of these fusses, no one has a manufacturing and shipping date, or a price point.  Right now, all they have to offer us is a dream in the form of a prototype.

Nebtek's new 5.6" DLSR savior

Nebtek has been specializing in tools that make AC's and camera operator's jobs easier.  So their new 5.6" monitor is a hero for one specific reason: a built-in HDMI to SDI crossconverter.  Anyone who has dealt with long cable runs or multiple monitoring with DSLR's know the pain of having to split and amplify HDMI.  Doing the same with an HD-SDI is significantly simpler in that regard.  It's also built like a tank, with a metal housing and 1/4"-20 on all sides.  It is still well in prototyping so forgive the hand-written stickers.

In the back, connections include HD-SDI in/out, component (the RCA connectors) and composite in/out.  Power options also have interchangable battery plates for all the popular DV-type options.  They are discussing an option to use Canon's DSLR E6 batteries, but it'll have to use two simultaneously.  On the right, there's also options for a 2.5 AC plug, or a 2-pin LEMO (or Fisher, I can't remember).  Price points will be somewhere in the $1500-2000 range, right where a professional monitor with a built-in crossconverter should be.

HDMI - HDSDI crossconverter

Not pictured is a separate HDMI to SDI crossconverter.  Essentially it's a rehoused Blackmagic mini converter, with a permanently attached Nebtek DV battery plate and hotshoe.  The advantage is the unit is more compact and solidly built, and the battery plate's wire is now internal.  The AC connector is still on the box for a wall option.  Nebtek is offering a rehousing if you already own the converter.

Director's Monitor

Lastly is their director's monitor, based off of oldschool UHF wireless video systems.  The handle bracket is unique, and the monitor pictured is powered off of DV batteries in the back.  Runtime on a full Sony L battery is somewhere between 2.5 to 4 hours.  It isn't as cheap as a consumer monitor off the street, but they are becoming extremely rare following the FCC shutdown of analog TV broadcasts.  The signal on the monitor is being broadcasted by a very small transmitter at Nebtek, but is not available for sale, only rent.  If your signal broadcaster dies, it might just be time to go HD.

Lilliput

A surprise to see was Lilliput.  Not that I wasn't expecting them, I just wasn't looking for them, and happened to walk past.  They're just so odd to me; their most popular 7" monitor has a terrible battery system, weird menu, a battery gauge that won't go away, two power switches, and a cheap-feeling plastic housing; and yet we have three of them.  There's just something about it that everyone loves: it's cheap as hell.

They are releasing a new 5" monitor that's perfect for DSLR shooters, featuring a significantly improved battery system and sun shade.  Batteries it accepts are the Canon LP-E6 from DSLR's, keeping weight and profile down.  There may be adapters for other batteries like Sony L or Panasonics.  HDMI in, no loop out.  There's also composite and component BNC inputs.  There is no price point yet, but I highly doubt it'll be higher than the 7" price.  Shipping in the past has also been very quick; turns out they have been shipping from California, not China as we had thought.

Flanders Scientific (FSI)

I visited FSI specifically as a favor to a friend, hearing that their monitors have been designed by someone who basically said "screw it I'll build it myself."  Speaking with their engineer and looking at the panels, that's exactly what I saw: field and suite monitors that made complete sense.  There's only three panels in their lineup: the flagship 17" in either fluorescent or LED backlighting, and a 7" onboard monitor.  Their 17" monitors have been factory-calibrated to have the most true color reproduction from any signal; and by any, I mean composite, component, SD/HD-SDI, and DVI with support for HDMI.  Hey Panasonic, let's see your 1700 do that.

The menu system is just as impressive as the rest of the monitor.  There are TONS of software scopes on this; somewhere over 12 individual scopes and meters that can be assigned to a large set of shortcut buttons to be quickly toggled on and off.  Up to five color profiles can be saved in the monitor, with a permanent default setting with the factory calibration.  The 7" has all the same features, though they say the 7" won't be as color accurate as the 17".

All of my photos are an example of the 17" mounted on a branded VF Gadgets mount and housed in a Petrol screen bag, doubling as a weather cover and screen shade.  It's far simpler and more versatile than current setups with a separate screen shade that has to be done and undone on every location move.  It all just makes sense.

EDIT: I forgot to mention their 24" monitor.  I hadn't had time to look specifically into it, though from a quick glance all the scopes are there and I doubt any functionality has been reduced.

GoPro Hero 3D...it works.

GoPro blew everyone away with how simple yet incredible the Hero HD was, and we all have war stories about it.  They've been working on a side-by-side 3D system for a while now, and, if I overheard the story correctly, they looked to Cineform for a post workflow to match their hardware; well it didn't go the way they wanted it to, so they bought them.  So it seems GoPro is serious about 3D.

This is the rig; it's as simple as the original is, just two Heros next to each other, with the lenses as close together as possible.  I was skeptical about how well its effect will be, considering the wide angle of the lens and the closeness of the lens centers.  I should have known; of course it does.  Both booths in the production and post pit had the 3D system playing, showing a surfer going through a barrel, kids leaping in a skatepark, and a girl in a bikini snorkeling (all of which looked like Oahu's north shore).  A connector in the back links the two cameras so they stay synced at all times; unfortunately it means there's no Backpack screen.  As with the Hero, the shot is only really effective when the subject is close to the lens; and the case is the same for the 3D effect.  If you try to use 3D on a wide shot, your eyes will nearly bleed.  But that's not what 3D is made for!

Sachtler Artemis Handheld

I've never been a fan of Steadicam's Merlin stabilizer from the start; and when I used it, it turned into a hate.  It's damn near impossible to balance, and the inertial stability is very low.  If you let the gimbal (or lack thereof), it will move on its own.  Well the geniuses (and I've met him) has recognized the demand for a simple stabilizer for the huge DSLR market, and have designed a baby Artemis with the operator in mind.

There were a few things that immediately stuck with me: to control the Merlin, the operating hand needs to grab the plastic gimbal just above the handle.  Its minuscule on the Merlin; on the Artemis it's huge.  It's both taller and thicker, made of metal, and has a knurling for easy grip.  Curvature and a rubber material on the grip also means your hand isn't struggling just to hold up the rig.  Second thing was how balanced the rig is; after letting it go, the unit just sat there.  No spin, no rocking, nothing.  Even when spinning the rig from left to right, it stayed level.  It was completely predictable, unlike the impossible-to-balance Merlin.

They were also smart enough to add a monitor as a counterweight; it's the thing I miss the most.  The optional monitor is powered by a Canon LP-E6 battery keeping overall weight low and compatible with the camera.  The example on the floor looked like it had a Manfrotto 557 QR plate system, though the brochure says its compatible with their heads.  If it can be changed over to my 357, it's even better.

Becuase it's a Sachtler, it's going to be expensive; well count me surprised.  Quoted from the floor, the rig without monitor will be $650, and the monitor shown with the E6 battery mount is $350.  It should be available very soon.

Redrock Micro MicroRemote, EVF, 4/3" Live Lens mount!

Oh Redrock Micro, you heartbreak you.  But then again, at least you have a hard shipping date and pricing.  On display is their LONG-awaited wireless follow focus system, which I have been dying for for years.  The reason for the delay?  Software recoding for a better set of digital motors.  In the display, the unit was shown with a Heden motor, which will be compatible immediately.  Redrock is still making their own motors, though there will be a short delay before those will be available, and at a significantly lower price point.


The wired finger remote was also much better explained; the rotary switch has hard stops that's matched edge-to-edge of the lens travel.  The resistance of the knob can be adjusted for ultra sensitivity, and it was a dream to focus by simply rolling my trigger finger.  When the wireless control is powered on, the knob is automatically defeated and control defaults to the remote.  The base station does require 14V power, which is fine when running an AB or V-mount battery, but there was no mention of an adapter to power it off of a DV-type battery for smaller setups.  There is an auto calibration for lenses with hard stops like Zeiss; otherwise there is a manual mode to setup lenses like Canon that don't have hard stops.  Very cool.


It's no longer being offered as a kit, rather as individual components with their own pricing.  The system in the picture is a fully-built system.  The wireless remote is $895: receiver station is $595: finger control is $95.  iOS app for the remote will be $50.  All three products will ship June 15.  If you have a Heden motor than great, otherwise they are $2500 and are sold separately.  Otherwise, Redrock will introduce their version for under $1000 about 30 days after the main products are released.  Forgot to ask about the MicroTape.

4/3" to EF Live Lens adapter

So the 4/3" to Canon EF Live Lens mount is a prototype that's getting a lot of questions of when.  So far it's not a product, though I have confidence it will move into production within a few weeks.  With the latest firmware, the Live Lens control not only powers the aperture blades, but powers the Image Stabilizer in IS-enabled Canon glass.  Power options include an AC cable, a D-Tap option, or a 9-volt battery pigtail.  Also very cool.

microEVF

Before I left I had asked about why the EVF wasn't on the show floor.  Well, turns out what is considered version 1 has been scrapped.  There is a version 2 under development that will be about half the price of the current price market, and will be much more feature-intensive and versatile instead of being specifically an EVF.

Zacuto EVF/Loupe/Mini Monitor

Zacuto has done one hell of a job.  It's not just an electronic viewfinder, it's a 3" very hi-res monitor, that natively fits a DSLR viewfinder, that passes through HDMI, that works on tons of stuff.  It's so good, it could replace all the monitors on a Sony F3 rig (it's better than the flip-out LCD!).  It fits on AF100's, F3's, FS100s, and every DSLR.

I was even surprised there was a feature set built-in; a set of buttons along the left side quickly navigates through a menu that sets up shortcuts to peaking, false color, zebras, digital zoom (pixel-pixel), everything my 7" does.  Power comes from Canon LP-E6 batteries, and Zacuto claims it gets five hours PER BATTERY of constant operation.  Its a lightweight, compact, rugged, adaptable EVF/mini monitor.

Atamos Ninja

I've been trying to follow the development of the Ninja throughout last year, and finally got to see it first-hand.  The Ninja must have been the fifth external recorder available, but it's by far the cheapest and most complete.  For less than $1000, the Ninja ships with the Ninja unit, two drive cases, drive dock, two batteries, charger, and a tough padded case.  HDMI is the only way in to the Ninja, which is becoming more readily available.  They weren't able to tell me if it will be able to properly record an over/undercranked signal; that may only be available in the onboard recording mechanism of the camera.

The basic interface is touch-screen; a big record button, and a big play button.  Simple.  There is a live-view button that displays a live feed, though its only good enough to be a confidence monitor.  The device records native ProRes LT or standard 422.

The drives are the simplest part of the Ninja.  Included are two plastic drive carriers,  that can be filled with whatever off-the-shelf laptop hard drive you want.  There is a known compatibility list that is continually growing, but is otherwise very inexpensive.  The included dock is similar to the RED dock; a metal housing with dual firewire 800 and what I think is USB 3; don't quote me on that.  All these components are available apart from the kit.

The Ninja has been shipping for a month now, with new firmwares available regularly.  Atamos has also announced the Samurai, which is a slightly larger touch-screen and HD-SDI loop-through.  No date on shipping.

Zacuto 2011 Shootout

I was lucky enough to steal a preview seat of the Single Chip Camera Evaluation.  If your familiar with the 2010 shootout, the 2011 isn't much different: it's a precise look at exactly what the differences are with each camera and what it means.  And the list is huge: Arri Alexa, Sony F35, RED One MX, Phantom Flex, Weisscam, Sony F3, Panasonic AF100, Canon 5D MkII / 7D / 1D MkIV, and Nikon D7000.  The review is vast too: dynamic range, color, compression, sharpness, rolling shutter, shadow detail, every question you ever had.  So what does it all mean?

There was so much information in 20 minutes that it tends to all bleed together, but there were a few distinct verdicts that stuck out.  DSLRs suck when you really, really stress the footage, but everyone knows that already, and its almost exclusively because of the line skipping and compression.  The Alexa is bad-ass, even without all the fancy RAW stuff from RED; at times I thought it looked better!  Most impressive was the mid-range of cameras; the F3 and even cheaper AF100.  The Sony F3 must have been the greatest surprise, which held up impressively well against the larger, more formal cameras.  The AF100 was also very close in quality in the tests, although I couldn't help but notice a slight yellow tinge to some of the footage.  Those two cameras are incredible in their versatility and image quality.

What also amazed me was specifically in the DSLR's.  The Canon 1D MkIV is known as the best for low-light shooting; but in the highlights test, both the 5D and 7D saved highlights detail and the 1D lost it all.  It looked like video.

So look for the shootout hopefully on a web release in the next few months.  It's the most comprehensive set of comparisons everyone wants to know, but no one has ever wanted to do.

K-Tek Norbert initial impression

The greatest use of my 7D isn't actually production, its weddings.  Being as lightweight and small is highly advantageous, so as much as I look for production-based DSLR accessories, I don't own much of it.  I have been searching for a specific type of bracket, however.  The bracket must be rigid, quick and easy to use, hold all my accessories (Zoom, two wireless receivers, a shotgun mic, and monitor in the worst-case scenario).  And the biggest problem is it must be compatible with my quick-release system so I can ditch the cage in an instant.

I saw the Norbert online months ago and loved the design, but appalled by the price tag.  But it's things like this that make a trade show invaluable.  The Norbert can be sold as a bracket only for significantly less, without their quick-release plate built-in.  It can be retrofitted for my 357 QR plate system, both inside the bracket to fit the camera, and below to lock it to a tripod.  With matching plates on both sides, the bracket itself can be instantly removed, along with all the accessories.  It doesn't feel as tall as most photos (including mine) make it look, and adding a QR system and battery grip on the camera will close up the gap.  Looks like Norbert might have been the right accessory all along.

Movie Engineering's focus ring

My biggest gripe about Canon still glass (well, the biggest anyway) is that the focus ring is continuous; when combined with almost any follow focus, a repeatable focus pull is damn near impossible.  Well Movie Engineering has found a solution.  Their gears are lightweight delrin with an infinite outer gearing (unlike zip gears).  A separate ring sits on a stable section of the lens, and limits the travel of the focus gear, thereby giving it a permanent focus range.  The downside to all this is that the focus gears and limiting rings have specific internal diameters and travel ranges, so they are built specifically for one type of lens.  But with all the cinema work and versatility coming to all this still glass, why not give it an upgrade that were dying for!?

ECC Tools DSLR bracket

Now here's a DSLR rig that makes sense!  I spotted this in the O'connor booth as a prototype.  I am already a fan of the concept of the ViewFactor cage, and this takes it to the next level.  Much better ergonomics, carrying handle, space for accessories, and distribution for everything.  It also has a built-in HDMI to SDI converter so there's a real, direct output from the rig itself.  The working prototype also had a V-mount battery mounted at the back end of the handle that powered the entire rig and added balance.  It does get heavy when fully dressed, but its an understandable compromise for the sake of functionality, simplicity and ergonomics.

Micro 4/3" Canon Live Lens?

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There has been a lot of hype that a few companies would be producing a 4/3" to Canon EF mount with lens communication (specifically Birger Engineering).  While I haven't found them yet, I did spot this adapter sitting on an AF100 at the Panasonic section.  It looks like a Live Lens controller from Red Rock Micro, which powers and controls the aperture on any EF lens, originally designed for their M2e/M3 adapters.  I don't know if it powers the IS in those lenses or passes through lens data to the camera, but it's another option to the current line of dumb mounts and external aperture bladed adapters.