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MillimeterAJA Ki Pro Review
Oct 27, 2009 12:00 PM, By Barry Braverman
A versatile diamond in the rough.
This single tiny engagement claw is insufficient to properly secure the recording module to the Ki Pro's chassis.
The culprit appears to be the poorly designed clutch mechanism that secures the hard drive module. A tiny engagement claw at the left of the receptacle is not nearly robust enough for professional use. A redesigned, beefier claw should be implemented post haste, with a second claw added to the right of the slot to ensure a positive fit. Panasonic faced the same dilemma several years ago when designing its solid-state recording system. It opted for a serious military-grade design to secure the P2 card in its slot; AJA should consider the same for the next version Ki Pro.
The audio gain knobs feel uncharacteristically cheap for an AJA product. Perhaps this issue can be addressed in future incarnations of the Ki Pro.
Another point of dissension is the module's consumer-grade plastic connector. This connector is undersized and not nearly rugged enough for panicky hands in a high-stress production environment. An industrial-grade receptacle should be employed to provide a surer, more reassuring fit.
Speaking of which, when inserting the recording module into the Ki Pro chassis, the slot protrusions along the drive side should be redesigned to prevent insertion of the module upside down. The ability to insert a module in this way and push it forward against the weak plastic connector is a recipe for disaster, or at the least cause for serious consternation. For this reason, I recommend that the module slot be redesigned to preclude any chance of improperly inserting the HDD unit.
I liked the need to push and hold down the power button to guard against inadvertently powering off the unit. A 2-second hold is required to initiate shutdown of the Ki Pro.
In the meantime, AJA is considering orientation labels for users to place over the module to help forestall confusion. In any event, most Ki Pro recordists will want to create their own labels with the production name, date, and module number; we did this on film magazines for years.
Remains to be seen
The Ki Pro is AJA's first serious mobile recording device, so there were bound to be some birthing pains. As Focus Enhancements, Sony, Maxell, and others have discovered, the design and manufacture of HDD and solid-state recorders is an arena fraught with unseen perils. AJA has prevailed in introducing the best product of its type on the market. Now it's on to making the Ki Pro more durable and rugged to complement its remarkable versatility and spirit.
bottomline
Company: AJA
www.aja.com
Product: Ki Pro
Assets: Easy to use; simplifies tapeless workflows; uses Apple Final Cut Pro-ready QuickTime files; impressive signal conversion/scaling capabilities.
Caveats: Unit could use some changes to HDD retention system to stand up to rigors of production; no FireWire recording capability; some parts (audio knobs, HDD module connector) are not rugged enough.
Price: $3,995 (MSRP)
Continue the discussion on “Crosstalk” the Millimeter Forum.