What is 6G-SDI?

What is 6G-SDI? | wolfcrow:
If what you’re shooting is limited to 1080p60 at the highest quality, you don’t need anything better than 3G-SDI. In fact, unless you are designing a live broadcast switching environment, you don’t even have to worry about what standard you’re working with because the camera manufacturer has thought it out for you.
With 4K, you are probably expecting to follow that trend. To this affect, many devices have been announced (some are even available) that support a standard called 6G-SDI.

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Monitoring in the real world (Using the Blackmagic Cinema Camera as an example)

Blackmagic's cameras are bringing a raw workflow to an uprecedented number of people, and also highllighting the difference between raw and "standard" ("Rec 709) video - the stuff we've been used to up to now. If it seems complicated, it will be a little bit less so once you've read Phil Rhodes' article.

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Blackmagic ships first 6G-SDI products to simplify 4K cabling by Allan Tépper

Blackmagic ships first 6G-SDI products to simplify 4K cabling by Allan Tépper:
Up until recently, if you wanted to connect a 4K video signal from one device to another, you required four SDI cables per source. At NAB 2013, Blackmagic showed and began to ship its first 6G-SDI products, which include ATEM Production Studio 4K live production studio, ATEM Studio Converter 2, Blackmagic’s 4K Production Camera, the HyperDeck Studio Pro recorder, and the company’s new Audio Monitor. But is 6G-SDI a SMPTE standard, and should you be concerned?

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What is a Signal Generator, and when would you need one for Video?

What is a Signal Generator, and when would you need one for Video? | wolfcrow:
This article explains what a signal generator is and why it is used. If you’re new to video, you’ll also want to know when it is necessary to use a signal generator for video production.

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Deconstructing RAW - Part I

Deconstructing RAW - Part I | wolfcrow:
What is RAW, how is it used and why should you use it? These are questions I will try to address in this article, beginning with the question: What is a raw file?

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Demystifying Digital Cinema Camera Specifications – A Talk by Panavision’s John Galt and Canon’s Larry Thorpe

Demystifying Digital Cinema Camera Specifications – A Talk by Panavision’s John Galt and Canon’s Larry Thorpe:
Filmed in 2008, this talk is still packed with pertinent information. Referenced on a number of websites but missing from Panavision’s media page, I’ve taken the time to repost it on Youtube. In this talk, Panavision’s John Galt and Canon’s Larry Thorpe discuss the finer points of sensor design and how it relates to sensor resolution and the quality of the final outputted image. Other topics include 3-chip vs. single chip Bayer array cameras, the design of optical low pass filters and the concept of limiting resolution. It’s a natural extension of John Galt’s article on 4K resolution on CreativeCow.net.

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This may be the most important stuff you can know about digital video

This may be the most important stuff you can know about digital video:
This is a topic that nothing else makes much sense without. If you don't understand this stuff, you're likely to make mistakes all the time with video - especiallly now that we're into an era of complex raw workflows and grading. Luckly, you're in safe hands. Phil Rhodes is an expert: he's not just a cinematographer but an engineer as well.

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SDI Over IP

SDI Over IP: As bitrates increase and equipment prices drop, IP-based communication technologies – both fixed and wireless alike – are pushing more and more dedicated communication systems into retirement. The sheer amount of connectors currently found on professional video cameras make some of the advantages obvious that an IP/Ethernet-based solution brings.

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University of Bath unveils vector-based video codec

University of Bath unveils vector-based video codec - main-content | Europe's Broadcast Industry News & Analysis | TVBEurope:
The development of a vector-based video codec by the University of Bath points unerringly at the death of the pixel within the next five years, but the year-old founding group behind this project -- Bath, Root6 Technology, Smoke & Mirrors and Ovation Data Services – know that they cannot achieve that killing target alone.

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Color Correction Basics – Working with the Waveform

Color Correction Basics – Working with the Waveform « Moving Colors: Most color grading workflows include two types of tasks: color correction and look design. Look design is what you do to give your story its individual character: it’s the visual style that communicates mood and place.

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The Basics of Working With Waveforms

The Basics of Working With Waveforms:

Being able to read a waveform monitor is one of the most valuable skills you can posses, both on set and in post. The waveform is the most precise way to check for exposure and, to a certain extent, color accuracy. Eric Philpott over at the Adobe SpeedGrade blog, Moving Colors, has written an easy to digest article about the basics of working with a waveform, including how to balance your blacks and work with luminance settings. While he focuses on utilizing waveforms in SpeedGrade CS6, the information is certainly applicable to all waveform monitors.

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Red claims Dragon is 'single most significant sensor in the history of image capture'

Red claims Dragon is 'single most significant sensor in the history of image capture':

Red Camera's bombastic CEO, Jim Jannard, says that internal testing of the new 6K Dragon sensor proves that it's the new "resolution and dynamic range king." He also claims it will be "the cleanest sensor you have ever seen, ISO 2000 looks better than MX [the current sensor] at ISO 800." The imaging chip was first outed at NAB in April, promising 15+ stops of DR and 120fps at a full 5K of resolution, with $6,000 upgrades for Epic customers by the end of the year. Owners of the $9,700 (brain only) Scarlet-X will also get the Dragon, though no price or date has been given yet for that camera. Needless to say, some independent testing will be needed to substantiate his claims, but Jannard sure does sound confident.

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The Engineering behind CCD cameras

The Engineering behind CCD cameras:
Bill Hammack takes apart a digital camera and explains how its captures images using a CCD (charge coupled device). He also shares how a single CCD is used with a color filter array to create colored images. This video is based on a chapter from the EngineerGuy team’s latest book Eight Amazing Engineering Stories (Learn more at http://www.engineerguy.com/elements)


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CinemaCon Focuses On High Frame Rate Digital Cinema

CinemaCon Focuses On High Frame Rate Digital Cinema:
Image Matters, intoPIX, MikroM and Virident have collaborated on cinema projection at
CinemaCon  in April 2012, preparing for a series of high frame rate tests in June.

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Can I use 8 bit to record S-Log? | XDCAM-USER.COM

Can I use 8 bit to record S-Log? | XDCAM-USER.COM:
My opinion is that while 8 bit, 422 can be used for S-Log, it is not something I would recommend. I’d rather use a cinegamma with 8 bit recording. 10 bit 422 S-log is another matter altogether, this is well worth using and works very well indeed. It’s not so much whether you use 444, 422 or maybe even 420, but the number of bits that you use to record your output.

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ProVideo Coalition.com: Stunning Good Looks by Art Adams

ProVideo Coalition.com: Stunning Good Looks by Art Adams:
What the heck is a matrix, anyway? It’s only one of the most important aspects of what makes your camera look the way it does. Take a look inside if you dare…

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RED Dragon 6K sensor upgrade eyes-on

RED Dragon 6K sensor upgrade eyes-on:

"Obsolescence Obsolete" -- that's RED's tagline for the just-announced Dragon sensor upgrade, which is set to bring 6K resolution to EPIC and Scarlet cameras beginning later this year. The sensor module was on display at the company's NAB booth today, under a backlit case that could only have been designed to make photographing the new chip a near-impossible task. We did manage to snag a few frames of the device, which appears as a mere silhouette to the naked eye. Sensors aren't designed for us to look at, however -- they're supposed to do the looking -- so we won't get any more hung up on the presentation. Existing RED camera owners can look forward to an incredibly impressive 15+ stops of native dynamic range and up to 120 frames-per-second at resolutions up to 5K. And as we discovered earlier today, the upgrade will roll out to EPIC owners sometime in 2012 for $6,000 while Scarlet users will need to hang tight for a release date, and a price tag. That's all we've got as far as details go, so click on through the gallery below for a flashlight-enhanced peek at the Dragon.

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GEEK-OUT: The Matrix, Reloaded

GEEK-OUT: The Matrix, Reloaded:

After years of wondering what exactly the user matrix does I think I’ve figured it out. I’m not sure I can explain it, but I’m going to try. Put on your propellor hat and rub your brain with soothing salves, ‘cause it’s gonna hurt…

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A dynamic range test between Alexa, RED MX and Super 16

A dynamic range test between Alexa, RED MX and Super 16:
Cinematographer John Brawley made a test video of the dynamic range between Alexa, RED MX and Super 16 cameras. All three cameras are used on high-end productions.



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Vidchecker is an automated QC software from the Bristol based...

Vidchecker is an automated QC software from the Bristol based...:
Vidchecker is an automated QC software from the Bristol based company VidCheck that rivals the likes of Baton and Cerify. Not only is it a rock solid QC solution it is a very very very competitively priced bit of kit that doesn’t skimp on features.


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