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Mar 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Dan Ochiva
Market growth for highest-resolution cameras.
Dalsa Origin
Ready for more resolution in more places?
Nvidia, a major player in the post graphics-hardware market, recently made a serious foray into the smartphone market by launching its APX 2500 at an international cell-phone convention. Although the company press release waxes on about how the compact chip is a low-power, “high-definition computer” on a chip, what it is delivering is an HD (720p) display interface to Windows Mobile-powered smartphones. (By the way, it offers support for cell-phone camera sensors of up to 12 megapixels.)
That's right; now we'll be getting some 10 hours of HD playback (Nvidia's estimate) on a cell phone. The chip, the company's first basic computer processor for mobile phones, also encodes video to 720p.
Digital still-camera manufacturers want to offer HD too. At the PMA 2008 convention (the former Photo Marketing Association), HD video capture was announced for digital still cameras from Canon (PowerShot TX1), Panasonic (Lumix DMC-TZ5 and DMC-FX35), Samsung (NV24HD), and even a few in Kodak's EasyShare line.
On Feb. 17, 2008, the one-year countdown began for the shift of all U.S. television stations to be “exclusively digital”, as per the FCC. This might be as good a time as any to consider your next purchase of a camera system for content creation at HD res and beyond.
Purchase? That's right. While you still can't buy digital cameras from Panavision and Arri, one trend is for a new generation of manufacturers to leverage lower-cost digital components to offer affordable camera systems. Red Digital Cinema, Silicon Imaging, and GS Vitec are among the innovators pointing toward a future of more affordable high-end cameras.
“Red has enabled people on a much lower budget to do 35mm-level acquisition,” says Torrey Loomis, owner of Folsom, Calif.-based Silverado Systems. The company, an Apple value-added reseller (VAR), owns and rents out two Red One camera systems. “Our systems [cost us around] $65,000 to $70,000 each. We might have to spend $250,000 or more for a competing system.”
Why buy? Silverado isn't a standard camera-rental house, but it designs high-end Apple Final Cut Pro-based edit systems, so sussing out the workflow issues that its clients face is a key concern. “We realized if we had some of the [Red cameras] inhouse, we could become experts in handling 4K workflow,” Loomis says.
From the point that Red One cameras number 20 and number 21 were inhouse, Loomis reports considerable interest, with rentals of complete rigs following at $2,000 per day. “The cameras are already tremendous income generators.” (For an account of life with Red One camera number 17, see p. 53.)
Over the past year, Silicon Imaging, working with P+S Technik, delivered a more modular and upgradeable camera rig that didn't have the homebrew look of its original SI-2K digital cinema camera system, yet still prices at $28,500 for a basic system. At the 2008 NAB Show, expect to see the latest updates — which include stereo 3D and multicamera frame-accurate synchronization and recording, integrated film-camera-style optical viewfinder, a 24-bit color OLED SVGA electronic viewfinder, a MiniRig for improved single-handed or shoulder-mount camera operation, and integrated CineForm RAW QuickTime recording.
Because its camcorders incorporate an Intel CPU and run Windows, Silicon Imaging continues to code software to create innovative apps that no one else has brought to market. One good example is its SiliconDVR interface, a touchscreen control panel that not only can be used to set up and analyze shots, but is turning into an on-set production tool for post. New features include direct CineForm RAW recording to QuickTime and an improved green- and bluescreen keying algorithm. User settings from the SiliconDVR keyer are saved in Iridas' .look format. The Iridas SpeedGrade product line, also integrated into the interface, enables keys to be captured on-set and moved to post.
Being able to own your own digital camera system is even a consideration at higher price points.
