By D.W. Leitner

What's new in HDV? To paraphrase a former president, it depends on what the meaning of “HDV” is. Whether JVC's 720p ProHD is a new HDV format or flavor, it drew overflowing crowds to JVC's booth at NAB. That 24p is not supported by HDV, nor 16-bit, 48 kHz PCM audio, only served to whip up intense interest in JVC's hack of the original standard.

Certainly the star attraction was the $6,295 GY-HD100U, a shoulder-mounted ProHD/DV camcorder with a removable, bayonet-mounted Fujinon 16X HD zoom. (If it comes with an HD camera, it's an HD zoom, right?) No pixel-shift tricks here: The HD100's 1/3in. CCDs possess true 1280×720 square pixels.

The HD100 is professional in every way, with the deep menus typical of a broadcast camera. It is as ergonomic and balanced as a compact camcorder can possibly be, given the many length-weight combinations of interchangeable lenses. Consensus at the show was that for a 1/3in. camera, the HD100's images were superb, at least directly from the camera. (Playback upon HDV compression was another story, some thought.)

Also shown with the HD100 was JVC's implementation of Focus Enhancements' FireStore FS-4 for ProHDV. To its credit, JVC has consistently offered a Focus Enhancement hard disk capture solution for its camcorders each of the past several NABs.

Sony's NAB announcement that more than 37,000 Sony HDV camcorders and decks had already been sold highlighted the pent-up demand for low-cost HD acquisition, and Sony clearly tapped a vein. As I've pointed out elsewhere, the popular pro HVR-Z1U camcorder pretty much owns the first year of HDV production, since JVC's HD100 won't be available in numbers until well after mid-year, and editing choices for 24p HDV will be sparse at first.

At its introduction, the HVR-Z1U brought a host of good technologies together, including 16:9 native Super HAD CCDs, Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar zoom, and a new 14-bit A/D processor. So what were the odds of an entirely new, pro-quality 1080i HDV Handycam coming fresh on the heels of that groundbreaking camcorder? Who would have imagined a single-chip CMOS design?

Sony's HVR-A1U, announced a month following NAB, exceeds expectations in its breakthroughs. “This is a radical departure from what we have grown accustomed to,” says Juan Martinez, product manager for Sony Broadcast and Professional.

Sony’s MSW-970 adds 24fps and low-light capability to the MPEG IMX format camcorder.

It's CMOS technology that makes the HVR-A1U a remarkable introduction. Unlike CCD pixels, CMOS pixels can be addressed individually. Each CMOS pixel can, in theory, have its own built-in noise reduction or A/D circuitry, which is why CMOS is sometimes called “system-on-a-chip.”

All this should come as no surprise from Sony, the source of the massive 12.4-megapixel CMOS sensor in Nikon's new top-of-the-line D2X digital SLR. Sony, long dominant in CCD design and manufacture, has been shipping large quantities of CMOS sensors for mobile phone cameras since 2003 and intends to claim industry leadership of broadcast CMOS products. The A1 is its first shot over the professional bow, as it were, joining the consumer version of the A1, the $2,000 HDR-HC1, and the standard-definition consumer DCR-PC1000, a tiny $1,300 “matchbook” MiniDV camcorder with three 1/6in. CMOS chips.

Good portents are that 2GB P2 cards have dropped in price, $900 as of press time, and 4GB cards, $1,750 at Panasonic's website. Media that costs almost $2K and fits in the fob pocket of my jeans still unnerves me: it's so easy to lose or filch. Of course, that's equally true of a credit card.

Panasonic has put its considerable prestige behind the successful introduction of this mind-blowing product and expects HVX200s to retail in considerable numbers by the year's end. Venerable Hollywood rental house Birns & Sawyer, we're told, has already placed an order for 25. If the impact of the DVX100 is any indication, Panasonic has once again tilted our world on its axis.

By Dan Ochiva

Furthering its XDCAM rollout, Sony delivered twin high-end camcorders: the MPEG IMX format MSW-970 and the DigiBeta DVW-970. What's interesting here is that the camcorders, addressed to the broadcast and EFP markets, add a decidedly filmic 24p capability, albeit in Sony's 24PsF (segmented frame) version. Incidentally, they also handle 25PsF (PAL version) and 30PsF.

Both camcorders use 2/3in. Power HAD EX CCD imaging sensors, and they get a boost in image quality with the newly developed 14-bit A/D converter technology. Both camcorders also feature a slow shutter feature — up to 16 frames — enabling some pretty unique effects even while bolstering extreme low-light shooting. There are time-lapse capture and picture-cache recording capabilities as well.

Technology demos at the booth included the near-final version of an HD XDCAM system that uses a newly developed HD MPEG-2 long-GOP codec. It will stay compatible with the current PFD-23 Professional Disc media, with a recording time of up to two hours.

Other new XDCAM gear helped fill out the product line, including the PDW-D1 drive unit, the PDJ-C1080 XDCAM cart system for automated ingest and storage, and the PDW-R1 field recorder.

Panasonic claims solid sales growth for its DVCPRO P2 equipment, with worldwide sales to broadcasters and production houses, including some 55 U.S. TV stations that have adopted the solid-state camcorder and editing technology.

A lower cost, low-power SD camcorder, the AJ-SPC700, sports three 2/3in. 520,000-pixel IT CCDs, which can switch instantly between recording 25Mbps DVCPRO/DV and 50Mbps 4:2:2 DVCPRO50 onto a P2 card. The SPC700 can switch its aspect ratio layout between 4:3 and 16:9, a claimed low-smear, 750-line resolution, and a high sensitivity of F11 at 2,000 lux.

Pair that with the AJ-PCS060, a ruggedized portable hard disk unit with a P2 card slot. Take it with you in the field to quickly transfer the content of P2 cards to its internal hard disk drive — it can hold about 15 cards worth of video data. Then, use the high-speed USB 2.0 link to go to an NLE of your choice at 6.7X normal speed for 25Mbps DVCPRO video.

Blackmagic Design stands as a prime example of the small, innovative paradigm-shifters you could find at the show. For three consecutive NABs, this has been the company that sets the price-performance bar for I/O hardware. This year Blackmagic introduced the Multibridge family, a bidirectional converter available in two feature-packed versions that provide instant switching between HD and SD with 4:2:2 and dual-link 4:4:4 video for format conversion or editing. Connections galore, too, including a built-in dual link DVI-D (connect any compatible computer monitor), 12 channels of AES/EBU audio, six unbalance audio outputs for 5.1 surround sound monitoring, and four extra composite NTSC/PAL outputs.

We learned, too, that Panasonic's P2 Alliance grew to 15 companies: Avid, Apple, Canopus, Dalet, Dayang, EVS, Focus Enhancements, Leitch, Microsoft, Omneon, Pinnacle Systems, SGI, Telestream, Thomson/Grass Valley, and Quantel.

Ikegami's long collaboration with Avid has finally paid dividends. The latest version of Editcam is CMOS, HD, 24p capable, and it features Avid's new DN×HD codec for lossless 2:1 compression. Imagine more than an hour of 1920×1080 HD per 120GB FieldPak2 at 24p, with no need to digitize for editing. Although targeted at newsgathering, indie filmmakers should take a long look at this potent combination of the best of Ikegami and Avid.

By D.W. Leitner

After years of tapelessness in editing, camcorders are finally catching up. That, and the arrival of CMOS to challenge the hegemony of CCDs, made this year's NAB noteworthy.

DV's low 25Mbps bit rate is ideal for FireWire-type hard disk drive recording, and the question remains, What's taking so long? Why not consign tape dropouts and jams to history, like vacuum tubes? The same can be asked of HDV, with similar 19Mbps and 25Mbps bit rates. The stock answer, that HDV is a tape-only format, is semantics.

Focus Enhancements has been blazing this path for some time, and its new FireStore 40GB FS-4, the size of a thick PDA, with an internal lithium ion battery, three-hour recording capacity, and exceptionally well-designed user interface, is a boon to any MiniDV camcorder. True time-lapse! Focus Enhancements also announced a pending HDV upgrade.

Similarly, Shining Technology's new 10oz. CitiDisk HDV is a FireWire hard disk drive, 80GB or 100GB, capturing more than six or seven hours of DV or MPEG-2 HDV. CitiDisk HDV rides in a small caddy at the rear of a camcorder or in the case of the Sony Z1, attached to the shoe above the handle. Wallet-sized, it also easily slips into the operator's pocket or belt pouch. An internal lithium ion battery supplies 80 minutes of operation. CitiDisk HDV is also designed to tap the camcorder's battery for longer operation.

By D.W. Leitner

CMOS imaging and LED illumination are breaching the scanner and recorder realm as well.

Imagica introduced a new Imager HSX high-speed scanner, which relies on a CMOS area array sensor (camera) and LED illumination to scan 35mm film to 4K 10 bit/color DPX files at two seconds/frame, and to 2K at a brisk 3fps.

Imagica also introduced a new Imager HSR high-speed recorder that combines LED illumination with JVC's D-ILA LCoS imager to record 2K images to Kodak 5242 Intermediate Film at 3fps, 6X faster than the most popular laser recorder.

Arri, in a smart counter move, introduced ArriLaser HD, designed to expose fast camera negative (instead of slow, fine-grained intermediate negative) with reduced-power lasers, which drops ArriLaser HD's price into the realm of CRT recorders. Otherwise it's identical to the high-power laser version, offering the same recording speeds.

By D.W. Leitner

A trend toward smaller, cheaper HD lenses for 2/3in. portable cameras was seen at Canon, which introduced a new 17X zoom, the HJ17ex7.6B, both 1/2lb. lighter and less expensive than Canon's 17X HD workhorse, the HJ17ex7.7B.

Hedging its bets further, Canon also introduced a zoom for 1/2in. HD cameras expected to occupy the lower end of HD newsgathering and production. Introduced as a remote-control lens, Canon's KH 19×6.7 KTS represents the latest in optical design, emphasizing superior contrast and light weight (2.8lbs.).

Fujinon introduced a similar, somewhat wider, 18×5.5 zoom for 1/2in. HD cameras, particularly Sony's HDC-X300. Two versions exist — remote-control for videoconferencing and ENG-style for newsgathering.

Band Pro Film and Digital announced the newest, widest Zeiss Distagon for 2/3in. prism cameras, the DigiPrime 3.9mm Superwide T 1.9. Its extraordinary horizontal angle of view — 103.6 degrees in the 16:9 format — is remarkable in light of its rectilinear image geometry and near absence of chromatic aberration.

By D.W. Leitner

Twenty-five years ago Zeiss's 35mm and 16mm Superspeeds demonstrated that wide apertures and high performance aren't mutually exclusive, and Zeiss continues to make the case with cine partner Arri, who announced a new set of T 1.3 Ultra 16 primes for Super 16mm — 6mm, 8mm, 9.5mm, 12mm, and 14mm — with barrels that match the Zeiss/Arri Super 35 Ultra Primes. For Super 16mm production requiring focal lengths beyond 14mm, the Super 35 Ultra Primes offer an additional 12 lenses, up to 180mm.

At the other end of its Super 35 Ultra Primes series, Arri added a super-wide Ultra Prime 8R, T 2.6. The “R” is for rectilinear, meaning an 8mm lens with virtually no geometric distortion.

Zeiss and Arri also introduced a new set of state-of-the-art Super 35 Arri Master Primes, 12 matched T 1.3 lenses that claim new benchmarks in full-aperture, low-light performance, including increased corner-to-corner resolution, flawless contrast, negligible chromatic aberration, close focus with little breathing, and minimal geometric distortion. The series includes 16mm, 18mm, 21mm, 25mm, 27mm, 32mm, 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 65mm, 75mm, and 100mm. To extend their optimal performance, Arri introduced a Master Diopter set (+0.5, +1, +2) of corrected achromatic lenses with multiple elements instead of the usual simple meniscus lens. Arri's advanced Lens Data System is built into all of the new Master Primes.

Optex also announced new Super-16 “Super Cine” T 2.0 wide-angle lenses: 4mm, 5.5mm, and 8mm.

By Michael Goldman

The slow but steady sea change brought by the ubiquitous term “digital cinema” to the world of content creation and distribution was in great evidence on day two of the Digital Cinema Summit at NAB 2005. Among the panels that day was one titled “Studios in Transition: How the DCI Spec will Change Content.”

The six studio executives in attendance (Sony VP Al Barton, Warner Bros. VP Rob Hummel, Paramount VP Robert Kisor, Disney senior VP Robert Lambert, Fox executive VP Julian Levin, and Universal VP Jerry Pierce) all agreed that the recently completed Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) will need time, money, maturity, and a cultural evolution to take place at the studio level before the specifications can be fully implemented for content creation and distribution.

The studio officials could not shed any particular light at the conference on what fundamental changes will take place inside their infrastructures, or how soon those changes might take place. In fact, they all declined to discuss specific business plans or strategies regarding Internet distribution of feature films, for example. The reason: It is simply too soon for those plans to be set in motion, let alone be made public.

That said, the six men indicated it was nothing short of remarkable that there is a DCI specification to begin with. After all, the initiative's success means, as Lambert put it, “all seven studios agreed on something.”

Levin added that DCI is highly significant because “exhibitors are now our partners — they are on board in the process, so the industry can now move forward” and begin implementing digital cinema standards.

But, Barton added, “We still need to test it all.” Kisor elaborated, “We have to build a model and show the integrated solution actually working, and once that is done, the industry has to produce software and other tools that are inter-operable, compatible with each other.”

Panel members felt the process could take at least five years. Kisor explained that they were confident that they have provided for the technology changes that are likely to happen within that timeframe.

By D.W. Leitner and Dan Ochiva

Now here's true resolution independence: Quantum demonstrated its SDLT 600A tape drive, a provocative technology that eschews format-dependent SD and HD videotape in favor of file-based 36MBps digital linear tape used in data storage, incorporating all the advantages of Gigabit Ethernet, FTP, and MXF for program and metadata exchange. Quantum's DLT, at 300GB per cartridge, captures and plays faster than realtime and is also archival, rated 30 years. Why buy another VTR ever? Why hasn't someone done this sooner?

Holographic disc pioneer InPhase, which traces lineage and patents back to Bell Labs and later Lucent, demonstrated a working prototype of its “two-chemistry” write-once photopolymer holographic disc. The 130mm disc, slightly wider than a 120mm DVD, achieves enormous data densities and a fast 27MBps transfer rate by co-locating and layering data in the same place. At NAB, InPhase and disc media manufacturer Maxell pledged to bring to market a 300GB disc by Fall 2006, projected to increase in capacity to 1.6TB by 2009.

Avid’s Xpress Studio HD suite pulls together Avid Xpress Pro HD, as well as audio editing, 3D, effects, DVD creation, and an audio mix board. Two codecs are supported: DVCPRO HD and Avid’s own DNxHD.

Eastman's Vision2 HD “hybrid” system features a novel new low-contrast, daylight/tungsten, “scan-only” negative, 7299 (Super-16 only), rated as desired at 320 or 500 E.I. Used together with the Vision2 HD digital processor at a post facility, the chameleon-like 7299 emulates any other current or past Kodak color negative film. Using 7299, it's possible that DPs, crews, and producers would no longer have to keep track of different types of negative and short ends. So which is it — more creative control or fewer artistic choices? This is surely a controversial — if not radical — initiative, and it's nice to see Kodak stirring things up once more.

Exanet’s ExaStore 2.0 is a very fast, software-based, hardware-independent clustered NAS system.

The update allows FrameCycler to read and write all industry standard file formats as well as IHSS, Iridas' own high-throughput format. New features include advanced timing controls, enhanced A/B channel functionality, and support for files of 4K and beyond, according to the company. The software, which runs under Mac, Windows, and Linux, comes in five versions: SD, 1K, HD, 2K, and “Infinite,” as the company describes it.

FilmLight moved to a more traditional interface with its launch of the Baselight Blackboard, an optional dedicated control surface for its Baselight color grading and finishing system. Such hardware control surfaces make sense for the busy, full-time colorist over the pen and tablet or a keyboard and mouse that a standard software solution offers.

The new control integrates well with Baselight v2.2 grading and finishing system. New features include Six Vector, which enables more control in defining and manipulating specific areas of an image; Multi-level Trim, which generates “historical markers” to help track changes of a grade to facilitate client approval; and support for OpenFX via a new plug-in architecture.

Holographic storage from InPhase and media manufacturer partner Maxell delivers in 2006, with initial capacities of 300GB per disc, and up to 1.6TB by 2009.

Assimilate introduced Scratch Zone-1, a network collaboration technology that extends the realtime review and playback capabilities of Scratch. There's also increased support for third-party color control panels, color management systems, and additional plug-ins.

Assimilate also announced broader support for Scratch, including a range of image processing plug-ins and color management technology from Imagica (Galette color management software), Kodak (Display Manager System), The Foundry (Keylight, Tinder, and Furnace plug-ins), Photron (Primatte chromakey), and SpeedSix (Monsters effects suite).

Cintel introduced Ditto, a “cost effective” 2K/4K scanning system spec'd for everything from DI and special effects through to archiving and restoration. There were upgrades to DSX, one of the first 4K “datacines,” with improvements to Oliver, its optical dirt and scratch removal solution and the Grace internal 4K-grain reduction. While the DSX is primarily a 2/4K data scanner, it now quickly switches to telecine output.

Cintel's DataMill high-speed scanner now self calibrates 2K and 4K “at the touch of a button,” with data transfer speeds up to 15fps. It can be configured to provide realtime SD or HD 10-bit log outputs — that's essentially SD and HD data in a video wrapper — claimed as ideal for high-speed DI processing.

By S.D. Katz

Small companies developing a new generation of compositing and animation apps challenged the established manufacturers making more traditional tool sets. RealViz, out of southern France, introduced Smart, a new tracking engine for its Match Mover product. What made it particularly interesting was Matchmover Pro MoCap, a new module that allows tracking the types of markers used for facial and full-body motion capture. Once the idea is shown, it seems like a very obvious application of the technology — except that only RealViz has come up with a product.

RealViz also demo'd its previz tool StoryViz, now just one of several products available in this new category of 3D software. StoryViz has what appears to be the most highly evolved set of previz tools, which is a simplified set of standard 3D animation tools but without modeling capabilities. StoryViz lets the user place multiple cameras and then cut between them on an NLE-style timeline that includes an audio track. Walk cycles and motion paths make simple character staging more effective, and these basic actions can be modified with custom keyframing.

Microsoft’s Connected Services Framework is an integrated, server-based software package. Designed to help a facility, studio, or effects house to build and manage a host of business and creative services, the system uses a service-oriented architecture (SOA) along with industry standard protocols such as Extensible Markup Language (XML) with the aim to improve workflow management and reduce costs.

Silhouette FX recently began shipping Silhouette Roto, the first rotoscoping-only tool; it works as a plug-in (After Effects, Final Cut Pro) or as a standalone app. Available for OS X, Windows, and Linux, the product offers 8- and 16-bit support, while you can thank OpenGL hardware acceleration for its very fast response. Silhouette Roto, which employs powerful Rational B-spline, NURB, or Bezier shapes, allows edges to have variable softness and motion blur, but also rotate, sheer, and corner pin for global shape transformation.

By Dan Ochiva

Atto Technology debuted Xtend SAN, a Mac iSCSI initiator software product. A standalone app, Xtend SAN enables Mac users to build Ethernet-based storage networks. When coupled with Atto's iPBridge product, Macs can access both native Fibre Channel and direct-attached SCSI storage.

Ciprico's Media Vault 4105 and 4210 might be the first entry-level 4Gbps Fibre Channel storage systems for HD post. Actually, the arrays come out of Huge Systems, the Agoura Hills, Calif.-based company Ciprico acquired earlier in 2005. Huge Systems made a name for itself by delivering fast, easy-to-deploy storage gear with entry-level pricing to boot.

One of Ciprico's demos wowed the booth crowd by lashing multiple MediaVault 4210s together to deliver realtime 4K desktop editing. The 10-drive, dual-channel MediaVault 4210 supports 10-bit 1080i HD and up to seven uncompressed SD video streams.

Last year, Studio Network Solutions (SNS) became one of the first manufacturers to deliver complete iSCSI networked arrays. (iSCSI marries the SCSI command set to TCP/IP, which means you can use Cat5 cable and standard gigabit Ethernet cards to hook up storage and workstations.) The company debuted GlobalSAN X-24, the new top of the line in its GlobalSAN X series of iSCSI products that support mixed Mac and Windows networks.

Before the show, Avid announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to buy Pinnacle Systems, giving the Tewksbury, Mass., company a broadcast play beyond its iNews newsroom system. Pinnacle's extensive line of server products adds playout-to-air capabilities to the newsroom offering, further enabled by the popular Deko on-air graphics product. Meanwhile, the popularity of Pinnacle's line of consumer video software will seed Avid's long-term growth. Avid CEO David Krall has said that his company needs to reach a broader, younger audience in order to make sure it has a steady stream of new customers in the future.