NAB Show 2016 – Day 1!

NAB Show 2016 got off to a bang with several exciting press events from some of the key players in the industry. Here’s what caught our eyes…

Sony

Sony didn’t hold back this year. The headline new products and announcements included:

• PXW-Z450 – a 4K 2/3″ shoulder XDCAM camera (shipping in Q4)
• HDC-4800 – a high frame rate 4K system camera with a super 35mm CMOS sensor with 2/3″ PL mount (shipping in Q3)
• HXC-FB75 – a 2/3″ entry level fibre studio camera which is a successor to the HXC-D70 (shipping in Q3)
• PVM-X550 – a 55″ 4K Trimaster EL OLED HDR monitor (shipping in Q3)
• XVS-6000 / XVS-7000 – multi-format 4K and IP switchers that support HDR signals

The HDC-4800, in combination with the HDC-4300 (which also got some upgrades) will help sew up the 4K system camera market for Sony – particularly in sports, with the high frame capability of the HDC-4800. The HXC-FB75 could be very popular in the ‘entry level’ market (shopping channels, education, Houses of Worship etc.). The new XVS switcher range is exciting and will offer users a smooth migration from SDI to IP and from HD to 4K.

 

Ross Video

Some nice new additions to the Ross family – plus something no one expected! That’s right, Ross Video, now sell cameras…

Here’s our takeaways from Ross Video’s NAB 2016 announcements:

• Carbonite Black Solo – a compact production switcher (vision mixer) featuring 9 inputs and 6 outputs
• Carbonite Black Plus – an upgrade of the existing Carbonite Black vision mixer frames
• 12G SDI openGear upgrade
• IP I/O and upgrades to Acuity production switchers
• ACID H200 / ACID Z50 – HD box cameras (with 2/3″ B4 lens mounts) designed for use with robotic heads, with a focus on virtual environments

The focus on adapting to new 4K workflows – with both 12G SDI and IP I/O is really exciting – particularly when viewed with Ross’s new Ultrix router (released last year). The Carbonite Black Solo could be a quiet trojan horse in Ross’s bid to slowly takeover the live production market. It’s surely a contender to take on the well known Panasonic and For-A comparison vision mixers. Could this spell the end of the CrossOver range though…

And then there’s the cameras… did anyone expect that?! That’s the sort of thing Blackmagic Design does isn’t it? Well it could be a shrewd move. Ross are well respected in the chroma key and ‘virtual environment’ world, so having their own cameras that integrate with (and enhance) their live production suite of products reinforces their ‘one-stop-shop’ approach.

 

AJA

Other than their cameras, AJA haven’t been that ‘showy’ at the last few years worth of trade show announcements – but they’re clearly looking to change that this year with a whole new batch of new products that they’re proudly introducing with the words, “Game changers.” Time will tell if they really are game changers, but here’s our highlights:

• KONA IP – desktop video and audio I/O card for IP-based workflows
• FS4 – upgraded 4K model of the popular range of up/down/cross converters/synchronisers
• HELO – a H.264 recording and streaming unit

It’s great to see new 4K and IP AJA products. The KONA IP card will undoubtably be an attractive purchase for people migrating to IP workflows. The FS range has always been popular and the new FS4 – the ‘The Ultimate 4K Toolbox’ as AJA refers to it – is likely to be just as popular. HELO’s the unexpected announcement – but a welcome one nonetheless. Ki Pro’s have become synonymous with flyaways, multi-camera productions and events, so should we expect to see little HELO’s on every other production? Can’t wait to pick one up and say “Hello Helo” to it…

 

Blackmagic Design

Well it isn’t Blackmagic Design’s finest NAB – there’s some interesting new products and announcements, but nothing compared to previous years. Here’s what caught our eyes:

• Blackmagic Duplicator 4K – Ultra HD SD card recorder
• Blackmagic URSA Studio Viewfinder – high resolution 7” studio viewfinder for the URSA Mini
• Blackmagic 3G-SDI Arduino Shield – allows customers to build their own custom controllers for cameras and other SDI devices (shipping Q3)
• Blackmagic MultiView 4 – Teranex Mini 4-way multiviewer
• Blackmagic Micro Converters – pocket sized SDI to HDMI and HDMI to SDI converters (available now)
• Blackmagic Video Assist 4K – 4K 7″ version of the existing HD 5″ version
• ATEM Switcher 6.8 Update with HyperDeck Control Integration
• Blackmagic selects TICO to move to live video production over IP

As usual, a long list of announcements – but nothing that groundbreaking. The alliance with TICO is probably the most exciting – meaning that we’re likely to see future IP upgrades to most of Blackmagic’s existing ranges. I’d expect IBC 2016 could be a big show for Blackmagic. The Duplicator’s an odd product, but I dare say, it’ll come in handy to some people. The Viewfinder is a beautiful piece of design and engineering – it’s just a shame it only really works with the URSA and doesn’t have other standard IO to work with other cameras and systems. The Arduino Shield is a neat and welcome little device – how many times have we all berated the ATEM camera colour control software and wished we had the time, inclination and skill to build a physical RCP?! Well that’s just got that bit easier. I expect there’ll be lots of ‘Fred in a Shed’ type peeps who’ll love tinkering with these! The Micro Converters are definitely going to fly off the shelves. If you ever see a domestic monitor in a studio facility, you can bet your life there’ll be a Blackmagic SDI to HDMI Mini Converter cable tied to the back of it – and at almost a quarter of the price, the Micro Converter is bound to end up there too. And of course, at that price it will likely beat any other comparison device on the market. The HyperDeck control integration that comes with the ATEM Switcher 6.8 update, could be interesting. It’s likely to be a bit clunky and never live up to your expectations, but if you already own an ATEM switcher and one or more HyperDecks, it could be a nice upgrade to your facility or setup.

By the way, there’s a useful 50 minute – yes, 50 minute (!) – video, on the homepage of the Blackmagic Design website, with Grant Petty taking the viewer through all the details of their new products, amidst lots of arm waving… It looks a bit like he’s kneading dough! To help get you through the 50 minutes, play the ‘drink every-time he waves his arms’ game!

 

So that was day one. There was more of course, but we can’t squeeze it all into this post. Check back soon for the next post…