NAB 2013 Displays

I'm back in effect for a little NAB round-up. I attended this year and I'm going to give a run-down of the products that attracted my attention. First up: displays.

My first stop was the Penta Studiotechnik booth. Markus Unfried gave me an overview of their very extensive line of LCD color-critical displays. Their HD2line Pro series are Class 1 and range from 17" to 55". Uniformity and consistency were great and their larger screens seemed like a proper alternate for the usual Panny Plasmas. The 55" runs about $12,000 USD with the 42" coming in a thousand or so less. Not a bad price point for these larger screens.

Small HD was showing off their new line of OLED displays. Their high-end DP7-Pro OLED looked simply amazing. Coming in at $2700 this new offering includes loads of software like waveform and vectorscopes, focus assist, false color, anamorphic de-squeeze, cross-conversion, scaling, etc. This was probably the best looking small display I saw.

Convergent Design showcased their new monitor/recorder the Odyssey 7 and Odyssey 7Q. The O7 starts at $1300 and features a 9" OLED screen with full-screen waveform and vectorscope functions as well as a really great focus assist mode. The picture was good and contrasty, much better than the Gemini, but not quite "natural" enough as a good reference.  The O7 can be upgraded as a recorder or you can choose to go with the O7Q which starts at $2400 and gives you DNxHD recording capability. The O7Q can support 4 HD inputs, has a quad view, and will be able to record raw formats like ARRIRAW with paid full or rental upgrades. Both products record to CD's 2.5 SSD's and are available up to 960GBs. Other codecs / options will be announced soon and the rumor mill suggests that both of these will have ProRes support shortly.

Flanders Scientific showed off 5 new models at this year's NAB. They've split their line-up into the "Cinema" and "Broadcast" Series with the CM line becoming their top-end color-critical reference displays. All of their CM Series include the usual smorgasbord of FSI features like scopes, audio display, timecode display, markers, etc, etc. In addition the CM line offers built-in 1D and 3D LUT support for calibration/transforms (like SLog or Log-C) as well as the ability to load in user created 3D LUTs as "looks". These FSI displays all include 12-bit processing with 10-bit panels as well as rec709, DCI, and XYZ support with internal integration/calibration with LightSpace CMS. The new line also allows for dual independent inputs with the ability to view both simultaneously on a split screen. Very handy. The CM line includes a 17", 24", and a 32" LCD. The 32" CM320TD was extremely impressive. This is FSI's largest screen size to date and the White LED display has a glossy sheen to it that really improves discernable contrast. At $5500 for this 32" Class 1 display this is definitely a "Best Buy". Shipping this June.

Last year's NAB was all about 4K. This year we actually got some useable products. JVC was showing off their new professional-grade 84" 4K LCD display. Capable of 60P and with a 120Hz refresh the tech details were spot on but their demo footage was a bit underwhelming. For those that need it, this is one of the first large-scale 4K Pro displays. $14,000 and shipping in June.

Panasonic showed off their new 31" 4K LCD monitor. Designed for the pro market the image was impressive and has a Q3 release date. No word on pricing. Panny also had a bunch of their 4K 20" Windows 8 tablets on display. Like a giant iPad these things were really cool but I have no idea where I'd put it down. Off to the side and behind a black curtain was a small 21" OLED prototype. Just HD resolution this little guy was nevertheless  amazing. Panasonic had demo footage of a sushi chef cutting through fresh fish.  The image produced was hyper real. I could practically taste it. No word on a delivery schedule for this little bit of tasty tech.

Not to be outdone Sony was showing off it's currently available 30" 4K LCD. It's a very impressive display but not quite mind-blowing. And with a $30K+ price tag it's only going to appeal to a very small slice of the market. The new and improved line of HD-rez OLEDs were on display (PVM, F and E grade in 17" and 25" sizes). Sony is using a new panel which gets rid of the teal/magenta skew when viewing the older OLEDs slightly off-axis.

What really impressed was the prototype 4K OLEDs that Sony was showing off in a darkened corner of their booths. If memory serves there was a 42" and 32" display. Both were striking in their clarity, resolution, color reproduction, and contrast. A smaller screen-sized 4K display seems a bit counter-intuitive (as their current PVM 4K LCD is great but not incredible because of it's limited size) but this 32" 4K OLED was killer. I think I watched their demo footage 3 times before moving on. The Sony Reps on hand did confirm that these were in development but we probably won't see them for about a year and they are slated for Class 1 so expect a $25K+ price point.

The last thing that grabbed my attention at the Sony booth was their consumer-grade 4K TVs. They are currently shipping an 84" 4K television but with a $25,000 buy in you won't be seeing that many of these in living rooms. But the new 55" and 65" Ultra HD TVs are wicked! Priced at $5000 and $7000 respectively both of these will be shipping in a little over a month. And the picture it delivers is awesome. Granted Sony was running their own 4K demo reel to these displays but color, contrast, resolution, and especially subtlety in skin tones were very, very impressive for an "affordable" 4K TV. I do want one...

Last, but not least, Astro Designs were showcasing 8K acquired footage running through their 8K to 4K downconverter and then routed to their own 56" 4K display. The conversion was happening real-time and the Astro Reps had the ability to zoom into the 8K footage ala pixel-to-pixel on the 4K display and scan around through it. Pretty cool.

And, yeah, I know it's been about a year since I've last posted. Life happens...

NOOOO !!! ACK !!! USUCK !!!

As I'm sure you all know by now Apple gave us a pretty cool brand new 15" retina display MacBook Pro yesterday. They also decided to stab me repeatedly in the heart by (un)announcing the demise of the 17" MBP. And, for good measure, they kicked dirt in my eye as I lay bleeding there on the ground by quickly dismissing the Mac Pro line of desktops.

Here's what we professionals got: A slim, fast, 15" MBP with a killer resolution screen (2880x1800  hello native ARRIRAW !), and excellent I/O (USB 3.0, Thunderbolt, HDMI). Here's what we lost: a 17" screen, 2 potential HDD bays, and the expresscard 34 slot! Ack! I love that expresscard 34 slot! And what's the point of packing all those crazy pixels into a 15" screen? I'm sure it's pretty but I want a 17" retina display! Imagine running Resolve 9 on that. It would kick ass! 15" is great. Small and portable. But for real, portable, professional imaging use... the 17" MBP was the bomb.  Now it's gone.

Whatever...

A N D

I waited TWO YEARS for this !?!

WTF?

You can't even stick a #%I$$@%#!&* Thunderbolt port in there? Or upgrade the video card to something current? Or actually put in some faster processors?

Come on!

The Mac Pro is awesome! It's sleek and all aluminum-looking. Big and almost intimidating. With speed and graceful power under its hood. Now it just sucks... What the ^@%^@*$@)*%! am I supposed to do? Network 3 new 15" MacBook Pros together and go buy a bunch of $50 Thunderbolt cables!?! Double Ack! Thanks for the free beat-down. I would have preferred just reading new Mac Pro rumors every week for the rest of my life...

Selections from the Floor: NAB 2012 Take 1

I did make it to NAB this year and it was a lot of fun (and a lot of walking). I'll be posting about a few things that made an impression.

First up is a cool little camera made by Ikonoskop: the a-cam dII. Think of this thing as a Super 16mm Digital Cinema Camera. It sports a 2/3" CMOS sensor rated at 250 ISO. Whoa! Wait! Stop the whining! Yes, it's got a smaller sensor and yes it's a bit slow. But not every camera you shoot with needs to be rated from 800-36,000 ISO and include a VistaVision 17K chip. OK. So why do I dig this camera? Because it's got a feel and look all it's own. The camera is machined perfectly to sit in the palm of your hand and it is so well balanced with an appropriate lens (think Ultra 16mm Prime or DigiPrime NOT Master Prime) that it almost makes a hand held shoot comfortable. The a-cam shoots RAW CinemaDNG frames up to 30fps to internal SSD's for an HD or 2K finish. It's got a Global Shutter (a very good thing). And delivers a very specific, filmic image. The camera is not super clean like a RED or a Sony. It's got guts and texture. The images I demoed were very pleasing and film-like with nicely blown highlights.

The a-cam dII is shipping right now and will run you about $10,000 USD. With a bunch of SSD's and some interchangeable lens mounts (PL, B4, Canon, Nikon) expect to pay about 15K.

The last (but not least) super-awesome-cool thing about the a-cam is that there is a Black & White version. No. For real. You don't just take the saturation to zero in post. Ikonoskop actually built a camera without a Bayer filter and the results are way sweet. There's just a bit of test footage to look at (snowmobiles) but I can't wait to see more from the a-cam dII Panchromatic. By ditching the filter this camera gets better dynamic range and sensitivity (I think I was quoted 320 ISO).

More to come...

LUTs R US

One of my favorite aspects of the job is getting involved with "look creation". Working with the DP and Director, the D.I.T. (if equipped with the proper tools) has the ability to previsualize the final look of a project right from the set, in real-time. All one needs to accomplish this is the ability to build what I like to refer to as "creative LUTs". Again, a LUT (Look Up Table) is simply an image transform saved as a simple text file. And it looks just like this:


OK. So this might just look like a bunch of numbers on a page. Well, in fact, that's all it really is. A LUT simply changes a unique point of an image into something else. Like, for instance, a grey pixel with a value of 500 (say right in the middle of a 10-bit coded value scale of 1024 values) into a white pixel with a value of 900. A LUT will change luminance (gamma) and chroma (color). And from both of these we get the ability to apply color correction.

The trick here is not to just do simple shot-to-shot color correction (like slightly adjusting exposure and color to match between cuts) but to actually build the look of the scene through manipulating gamma and RGB levels. Sometimes this can be as simple as timing the picture a bit "cooler" or "warmer". Perhaps "crushing the blacks" and "pulling out the saturation" as well.

There are a number of software apps available on today's market that have the ability to generate interactive, real-time color correction with the added benefit of exporting a saved LUT file. Some of the most popular include Truelight, Link Color, 3CP, LightSpace CMS, LiveGrade, and my personal favorite SpeedGrade OnSet (though it has been left to die and just recently resurrected).

These days my preferred workflow is to build a LUT onset via SpeedGrade while monitoring a live feed from the camera. After the look is approved by my Director and DP I export the LUT (usually I build a LUT per each specific scene) into DaVinci Resolve and apply it to the camera original material. Once I've got the look into Resolve I can tweak it a bit further and then match it across different takes and shots to build a cohesive look for the project.

One of the more interesting projects I've worked on recently was a new campaign for feminine products from Kotex. (.......) The spots were constructed in such a way that each 30-second piece included numerous vignettes with their own individual creative look. These spots were directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and lensed by Jo Willems. We shot with an ALEXA and a variety of prime lenses including Zeiss Superspeeds, old Cooke Speed Panchros, and a set of Super Baltars. Each look was built from the ground up with a combination of set and costume design, lighting, lens choice, filters, and a creative LUT. Below are stills from the actual LUTs we built and employed on the set (and that were burnt into the dailies for editorial to cut with).

The first LUT we built was meant for a natural look of our comedians on stage. It is a basic Alexa Log C to rec709 transform with a bit of added contrast.


This cheerleader scene was augmented with multiple color grad filters in front of the lens (chocolate soft edge I think). Jo and I pushed the image toward a burnt yellow while simultaneously jacking up the saturation on just the green astro-turf of the field.


The 70's retro look was created with a combination of Super Baltar lens, diffusion filters, and a tweaked out LUT. We lifted the blacks of the image and added a ton of red to them. This has the effect of skewing the rest of the colors and gives the image a sense of old, decaying film stock.


More grad filters were employed for the yoga scene. I think we ended up stacking a chocolate, tobacco, and blue soft edge grad for this shot with an added white promist diffusion filter! Our LUT was fairly reserved as we had built the image up mostly in front of the lens instead of after the sensor.


This final sequence of the stuffy board meeting was tweaked to be a bit drab. Our LUT shifted the color balance towards a cool look while desaturating the image overall.


So after all of this work you've got to wonder if our "look" on the set made it to the "look" of the final aired spot. Go ahead and see for yourself:



So here's a link that will allow you to download some crazy "retro" LUTs (including the one I used for the doctor scene) for your own use (click "File" at the top left of the screen and scroll down to "Download"). Now please remember that these were custom built files that fit a very specific set of circumstances (Alexa, Super Baltars, Diffusion, etc) so these may or may not work for your other material. But once you've got them applied you should be able to tweak your gamma and saturation a bit to get them to look about right.

Have fun!

It's Alive!

I am currently beta-testing Convergent Design's new ARRIRAW capable Gemini 4:4:4 recorder. And... the results are flawless. This is definitely the way to go for a world of reasons. The Gemini is less expensive, smaller, easier to use, and simply more powerful than other existing ARRIRAW-capable recorders.

I have used the Gemini numerous times recording uncompressed 4:4:4 DPX frames from an ALEXA but the option to record true ARRIRAW just can't be beat. The .ari files are recorded as unprocessed raw sensor data frames. They are strung together by a metadata header when accessed by software capable of reading ARRIRAW clips.


The free ARC (Arri Raw Converter) is an easy way to view ARRIRAW clips but playback can be a pain. Other popular color-grading software like Scratch or DaVinci Resolve will give you access to the files as well. For the past few days I have been recording ARRIRAW material with the Gemini 4:4:4 and color grading the material with DaVinci Resolve. The results are excellent. Uncompressed is the way to go and recording RAW is even better.

4K RAW

Here's a quick Pre-NAB news flash: get ready for more from the boys and girls at Convergent Design.

CD has just announced a new product: The Gemini RAW. This is a super high end 4K/2K/HD recorder capable of 4096x2160 recordings up to 60fps, 2048x1080 up to 120fps, and simultaneous 4K RAW / DNxHD 36 dual recording for your master and dailies. AS they say, it just keeps getting better...

Here's the full press release:

Convergent Design Unveils New Innovative 4K RAW Recorder

Convergent Design announced the newest member of their recorder series: Gemini RAW. This fifth generation design supports 4K RAW recording with live-preview and playback to a 4K monitor. Gemini RAW includes many industry leading, one-of-a-kind features, such as four camera recording / quad-split playback (in HD), AVID DNxHD™ CODEC (RGB and YCC), uncompressed RGB 444, stereo 3D, simultaneous recording of RAW/Dailies, and 120fps support (in 2K/HD).
Gemini RAW is a solutions-based recorder for digital cinema and multi-camera productions. It offers all the features of its’ award-winning 4:4:4 counterpart, with significantly greater processing power, while retaining the same size, power, and weight. A key feature of Gemini RAW is the six programmable 3G-SDI ports which can be configured as 4-In/2-Out or 2-In/4-Out. This innovative capability enables many unique configurations such as quad-input record /quad-split display or single-stream 4K RAW recording /4K monitoring. Furthermore, multiple stereo 3D output options include luma differencing, side-by-side, and anaglyph, among others.
Gemini RAW offers a future-proof solution that allows recording in high-quality HD (in DNxHD-220) and simultaneously in RAW / uncompressed. You can use the DNxHD footage for fast turnaround projects while archiving the RAW for future, higher-resolution / higher-quality productions. Alternatively, if your project requires RAW today, simply record RAW and DNxHD-36 proxy (for your dailies/offline work). Either workflow simplifies post-production while protecting your digital assets for future revenue streams.

Unlike most competitive products, Gemini RAW includes a built-in 5.0” 800x480 LCD touch-screen for live-preview and playback. Gemini RAW uniquely employs dual 1.8” SSD drives, greatly reducing size, weight and cost. Currently these drives support quad-stream recording up to 1080p30/2K RAW, single stream 4K RAW up to 30p, single stream 1080p/2K RAW up to 120fps (over dual 3G-SDI) or in some formats, the creation of two identical masters (auto backup). The Gemini RAW production kit includes (at no extra cost) a simple SSD transfer station compatible with widely available, low-cost USB 3.0, FW-800, and Thunderbolt adapters. In particular, the Thunderbolt adapter supports data-transfer rates in excess of 375Mbytes/sec from the Gemini SSDs to a fast RAID hard-drive.
Pending certification by ARRI®, Gemini RAW will support both ARRIRAW 16:9 (Alexa) up to 60fps and ARRIRAW 4:3 (Alexa Studio) up to 48fps. Full support for Weisscam/P+S Technik HD/2K RAW is also planned; including cameras from IO Industries, Lux Media Plan, and Indiecam. Our leading-edge design anticipates future support for yet to be announced 2K and 4K RAW cameras as well as even higher frame rates.

Gemini RAW is expected to begin shipping in late Fall 2012. Price is yet to be determined.

See the entire Convergent Design family of recorders in action on today’s leading cinema production cameras at NAB booth C9918. You can also visit our website: www.convergent-design.com or call: ++720-221-3861.

Editorial Contacts:
Dan Keaton: dan@convergent-design.com (++719-930-1376),
Amber Cowles: amber@convergent-design.com (++719-337-2776)

Do you think the Gemini RAW is capable of recording the new Sony F65's RAW output? Hmm. Only time will tell...

TV is Awesome ?

I got some sweet ARRIRAW news on the horizon but for now here's a couple of quick links to some Toyota spots that I worked on recently. These were shot by Jo Willems on an ALEXA with Master Primes. 90% was recorded to uncompresssed DPX frames via the new Gemini 4:4:4 recorder with a few shots getting the full ARRIRAW treatment via a Codex On-Board recorder.

Unique or Eerily Familiar?

So I found myself with an extra hour to burn at a camera prep last week. What to do? How about check out a set of new PL-Mount prime lenses! Yeah, super excitement.

35mm PL lenses don't come cheap. The best of the best (Master Primes, Leica Summilux-C, or Cooke 5i) can easily run $20,000 to $30,000 each per lens. Putting together a decent set of 8 - 14 primes can set you back in excess of 200K. Luckily there are a number of lower-cost options that have come to the market over the past few years. Some recent examples include the Schneider Cine-Xenar II set at about 30K total (25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, 95mm, T2), the Optica Elite S35 Digital set coming in a bit under 35K (18mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, T1.3), and the Luma Tech S35 Illumina set at around 35K (18mm, 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, T1.3).

I had the chance to play around with another set: the Kenji Suematsu Signature Series from Unique Optics. The set includes an 18mm, 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, and 100mm all at T2. Total price: around $35,000. These lenses look very similar to Cooke S4's but are noticeably heavier and feel more robust. Iris and focus mechanisms are smooth with some nice tension. I didn't have that much time to actually shoot much with the lenses but I did try out all of the primes and put them through their paces. Overall they felt very much like the Cooke S4's and 5i's. I found the Unique Optics to be a bit sharper than the S4's but still had that nice "roundness" to their look. The flares were striking and reminded me very much of the Cooke 5i's. They may not have the same name recognition but these lenses perform on par with the Cooke S4's at a fraction of the cost. I was pleasantly surprised.

Here's a quick flare test I shot (the living furniture is indeed me) and you can check it out via Vimeo right here: Unique Optics Lens Flare Test.

A big "Thank You" to the boys at West Coast Camera Rentals for the demo.

(Affordable) ARRIRAW is Here

PLUS


I've known about these developments unofficially for months now but today Convergent Design has indeed confirmed that their new Gemini 4:4:4 recorder is ARRIRAW capable. According to CD's Press Release:

The Best, Even Better: Gemini 4:4:4 and ARRIRAW

After months of development, Convergent Design plans to ship next week (to ARRI) a test Gemini with ARRIRAW firmware. While ARRI has already certified a single Raw frame captured from our Alexa and Gemini 4:4:4, full ARRIRAW Certification is expected before the end of February.

The Gemini ARRIRAW combination represents a 75% cost savings over existing solutions, at identical quality! Additionally, the Gemini solution offers full-raster (1920 x 1080) debayered output, a built-in LCD screen for viewing video and substantially lower power, weight and size.

This will be available through your local dealer as a paid firmware upgrade.

Hmmm. So we can now shoot ARRIRAW with a 10K USD 5" on-board monitor that records to non-proprietary SSD's, is capable of complete, on-the-fly ARRIRAW debayering, a LUTed output, proper metadata, and eventually 60fps?

OK. Sign me up.


Full disclosure here: I've been a proud owner of two Gemini 4:4:4 recorders since Convergent Design began shipping last Nov/Dec. I also own two ALEXA's. Suffice it to say that personally I have a keen interest and investment in the Gemini 4:4:4's ability to record ARRIRAW. And I'm not about to take any personal credit here but I was involved in gently bugging CD's Dan Keaton for eventual ARRIRAW support last May. Now at the time, the Gemini was still in full Beta-Mode. Hardware and software was being designed and redesigned and shipping a stable, functional Gemini 4:4:4 recorder by year's end was the utmost priority. Throughout last summer and into the fall and winter Mr. Keaton took my request seriously and made great strides beginning the process of actually implementing it. Now here we are in mid-Febuary 2012 and CD has officially announced ARRIRAW support within weeks. Let's do the math. Since Convergent Design brought the Gemini into the marketplace it has taken them an additional 3 months to provide ARRIRAW support. Now that's what I call Customer Service! No wonder they have one of the best reputations in the industry.

HNY

Hey, I just woke up and realized it's 2012.

Let's take a moment to enjoy this awesome GIF and then let's get some work done.

Ready, Set, Grade!

Who doesn't love a gift in July? Blackmagic Design sure does which is why their free version of Resolve is now immediately available for download:

DaVinci Resolve Lite

OK, so all I need now is a new 16-Core Mac Pro with 3 Thunderbolt Ports. C'mon Apple we're waiting!

Lite Reading

Ever had an idea for something that would revolutionize an industry? Ever wonder how you'd need to write it all down? If so, why don't you take the time to review the US Patents for the ARRI ALEXA and ALEXA ALEV III SENSOR.

A big "Thank You" to my buddy David Garden for tracking these down.

RIP Cine-tal Systems?

Though I don't really know the circumstances it seems that Indianapolis-based Cine-tal, a color display processing hardware and software design company, has quietly sold off all of its products. I've been a big fan of the company's Cinemage 24" HD Displays for years now and have used them exclusively for most of my color-critical jobs. Extremely accurate and overtly complicated (for better or worse), I've always likened the Cinemage to a Ferrari: incredible performance with a price tag to match.

It's difficult to anticipate where the Cinemage product line will go from here. Will Ikan really expand the line or simply use the technology to upgrade their existing lower-class monitor lines? What about Dolby? I've been told that a few of Cine-tal's lead technicians are now a part of Dolby's display team. Will we see some 17" and 24" Class-1 Dolby Displays in the near future that include a bit of the Cinemage lineage?

I was recently able to demo both the Dolby 42" and the new Sony OLED 24" Class-1 monitors. The Dolby is by far the most amazing panel I have seen yet. The picture it produces is brilliant by technical standards and overly gorgeous by eye. This monitor really makes the argument concrete that ITU-R BT.709-5 is an outdated standard. With most professional cameras and displays and an increasing number of (pro)consumer cameras and displays already capturing and displaying colors and tones outside of the rec709 space it seems continually silly to insist on conforming everything into this little box. I would argue that color gamut and fidelity is much more important to our images than any need for increased resolution.

The Sony BVM-E250 was very impressive as well. Fantastic blacks. I never really liked the previous BVM-L230 and always found that any of the Cine-tals consistently provided much better performance. Interestingly enough, the Cinemage 2000 (older 8-bit panel) performed extremely well when compared to the new 24" OLED. The Sony definitely smokes everything else out there in black level and end-to-end contrast ratio but the Cine-tal seemed to continually provide better luminance range in the lowest blacks. Supposedly the soon-to-be-released PVM-2541 will be made with the same panel found in the E250 for a quarter of the price. The E250 seemed spot on in terms of calibration so it remains to be seen how close the 2541 will get... though I do have high hopes.

Below is a copy of Cine-tal's "Dear John" letter. Will the lights really go out for good or is the company streamlining itself for its next venture? As the saying goes, only time will tell...

April 15, 2011

Dear Customers, Resellers and Marketing Partners,

First and foremost we at Cine-tal would like to thank you for your friendship and support over the past 7 years. When we started Cine-tal in 2004 we set out to mobilize our industry for the changes in display technology that were on the horizon. We did this by introducing new concepts and workflows in color management and display calibration with much success. Much like a relay race we are now handing the baton over to others to continue the race. Our partners are strong runners who will build on our technology and success creating stronger and bolder solutions to today’s display technology challenges.

The core technology in our DAVIO product line has been acquired by Dolby Laboratories. Cine-tal continues to manufacture and sell the DAVIO product under license from Dolby and is seeking a partner to continue that effort. Our cineSpace product has been acquired by THX. Last month iKan acquired the Cinemage Monitor product line. iKan will continue to develop new monitor solutions under the Cinemage brand name. Each of these companies have the resources available to run the next leg of this race, empowering you with the solutions you will need for tomorrow's challenges.

Cine-tal customers with products under warranty will get the support they need as follows:


Cinemage:Service and support by iKan

cineSpace: Support and Software Maintenance by THX

DAVIO: Warranty repair by Cine-tal

Color Processor for Dolby 3D: Warranty repair by Cine-tal

We thank you once again for your loyalty and support.

Sincerely,
Robert Carroll
President

Bob Caldwell
V.P. Sales

AMPAS IIF ACES

Do you have any idea what the above refers to? It's a brand spanking new digital cinema workflow standard that is being developed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Called the Image Interchange Framework (IIF) this is a complete specified architecture for placing any and all capture mediums into a standardized gamma and color space that far exceeds anything available today.

Here's the problem: you shoot film, RED, ALEXA, and 5D (dammit!) on your next 300-million dollar blockbuster (tentatively entitled "BANG!, silence, CASH!"). How do you handle viewing, conforming, grading, and outputting to different masters (ie: film print, digital master, blu-ray, HD broadcast, DVD, iPhone, etc.) all of this footage? Today most post houses have to handle all of these flavors uniquely in their own workflows. Film needs a LUT to display correctly on a facility's Baselight in order to mix it with the ALEXA footage. Then it needs an output LUT applied for a film-out and another different LUT applied for a rec709 output for broadcast. Everyone just loves the RAW files from the RED but those R3D's don't mean anything until they're debayered though REDCINE-X or some other proprietary software. The ALEXA footage could be ARRIRAW, ProRes Log-C Quicktimes, or uncompressed DPX frames. And the 5D... well let's just say it's gotta fit in too. Besides actually getting each capture medium to open up and play on a particular post system like DaVinci or Scratch the biggest concern is making sure what you're seeing on the screen is ALL or MOST of what each camera actually captured.

Here's a simple example: you want to grade and output a rec709 master of your film for television broadcast and you're dealing with ALEXA Log-C QTs. You've already calibrated your Baselight system to your new Dolby 42" Display and have everything set into a rec709 gamma and color space. Good. Since this is where you want to end up it makes sense that this is where you should start, right? Hmmm, maybe not. Here's the problem, the ALEXA doesn't capture dynamic range and colors according to the rec709 specification (unless you set the camera to conform to this spec but who in their right mind would do that?). The ALEXA natively captures a much, much broader range of gamma and color gamut than is even allowed by the rec709 standard. This is indeed awesome because this is exactly how the camera is able to record such impressive dynamic range. What's important is that the camera captures as much information as possible so we can use all of it later in post during our final color-grading session and eventual conform/output. The distinction is in what parts of the whole we actually end up using. 13 stops of DR is great but usually looks like crap. Why? With all that tonal range you've inherently got LESS contrast. And as all self-conscious image makers know... contrast is your friend and should be embraced. Why does Log-C look so flat? Because it doesn't have any contrast! Duh...

Think of it as a box. Rec709 is a little box. Log-C is a much, much bigger box capable of storing a wide range of tones and colors. It's fine if you intend to finish within the rec709 space. The problem is stuffing that big Log-C box into the teeny, weeny rec709 box. If you simply just jam it in there you're liable to lose 50% of the ALEXA's color and tonal range. Eventually you'll HAVE to loose that range in order to finish your grade for TV broadcast but the distinction is if you can SEE all of the CAPTURED RANGE you can DECIDE what parts stay and what are discarded. This is the essence of color-grading. A nimble colorist will give you everything you need and none of what you don't. Unfortunately, just when a colorist feels confident in grading RED MX Build 1067.2 along comes some 500fps Phantom Flex footage. They may both be RAW files but they react to light and color in dramatically unique ways.

With film it was easy. DP's knew how film reacted to light and color. They knew how it needed to be processed and printed. And the colorist knew how to add points (printer lights) to create the DP's "look". The workflow and color science were well understood and standardized. Now, in our digital world, each camera behaves differently. Each camera sees tonal range and colors different than the next. There is no standard as each camera is it's own standard. The ALEXA has 13 stops of dynamic range. The RED has 13 stops of DR. Sony's F35 now has 13 stops of DR. And Kodak 5219 has 13 stops of DR. But each will map what it perceives as "blackest black" and "whitest white" to a different place on it's tonal curve. If I choose 5219's "black" as THE BLACK then the ALEXA, SONY, and RED would need to be somehow conformed to match how 5219 encodes BLACK. After that I'd have to calibrate 5219's BLACK to display correctly as "blackest black" on my new Dolby 42" display. Then make sure that the ALEXA, SONY, and RED matched that. And make sure that any other displays like my AC's 5" on-board monitor, my director's 17" monitor, my DIT's 24" master monitor, or my own living room's 103" Panasonic Plasma also match. Yeah, it's a pain. And most of the time they all match... sort of, kinda, close-but-not-quite, ok... no, not really, not even close.

So this is where the IIF comes in. The BIG IDEA here is to take any and all recorded sources and transform them into a standardized gamma and color space that is so large that it can hold all legacy and (hopefully) most future imaging devices (that would be cameras). By transforming a source (like ALEXA) through the AMPAS's Academy Color Encoding Specification (ACES) you can standardize and theoretically future-proof your entire capture-to-display workflow across every conceivable output (theatrical, tv, dvd, etc).

Again think of the IIF-ACES as a really, really, really BIG box that anything can fit into. Be it RED, Weisscam, Fuji Film, ALEXA, Sony F65, 5D, or yer iPhone everyone of these capture mediums will have it's own specified transform to take it from its native gamma and color space to the much larger and standardized IIF gamma and color space. Now you won't get anything for free here. If you shoot 8-bit with an AF-100 and encode it to the IIF's proposed 16-bit specification you're not gonna gain any extra DR or color gamut. You'll just have a lot of empty spaces between your little 8-bits. The obvious benefit is that once the transform is completed that "blackest black" will be consistent across all of your cameras, displays, and outputs. The RED's BLACK that encodes at .0023xr3d and the ALEXA's BLACK that encodes at 20c.-2 and the 5D's BLACK that encodes at "-crappy" and 5219's BLACK that renders at x,y slope will ALL be transformed to encode at simply 0 within the IIF.

So when your colorist pulls up the scene in your movie that has 5D inter-cut with film inter-cut with RED inter-cut with Phantom inter-cut with ALEXA... BLACK on ALL will appear BLACK on your display. And when you're finished with your final grade your Digital Master will appear the same across all of your deliverables (Theatrical, TV, Blu-Ray, You Tube, etc.). This is the hope and motivation at least. And I for one welcome it.

Though the IIF is still being refined FX's show "Justified" is already using the standard as a basis for the show's pre-thru-post workflow. Check out this HD Video Pro article on real-world implementation. If you want to implement IIF in your real world all that's needed is to sign up. And if you're feeling especially nerdy and a glutton for punishment REDUSER never fails to deliver the goods.

T(echnicolor)-Log

In case you haven't already heard Technicolor recently released their custom picture profile for the Canon 5D Mark II. Called CineStyle this profile was created by Technicolor color scientists and engineers with the help and cooperation of Canon USA. CineStyle converts the 5D's usual rec709 gamma and color space into log for increased dynamic range and control in post-production.

Similar to shooting S-Log with a Sony F35 or Log C (download the Alexa color processing white paper) with an Arri Alexa, CineStyle will encode your video (or stills) with a stretched gamma curve and desaturated colors producing flat, grey images perfect for a proper DI session. And best of all, CineStyle is free and available for immediate download. Just don't forget to read through the user guide and accompanying documents.

MIA2

Every good thing deserves a sequel. Or a prequel...

The ALEXA LUT Generator is Born

Today, a bit past 7 in the morning PST, an engineer known only as "Harold" made an announcement on the Arri Digital Forum:

"The LUT Generator for the ALEXA (and D-21) camera is online: http://www.arridigital.com/technical/luts."

Ah ha! And you thought there'd be press releases and bombast involved! How wrong you are, sir.

So the LUT Generator is live. And? It's really just for post-production purposes. As of now it is very rudimentary. After all a LUT (Lookup Table), in image processing, is used to transform input data into a more desirable output format. Turn X to Y. Grey to Black. Or Grey to White. There is no creative component to this. It is simply a coded transform. And in this way ARRI's LUT Generator works as advertised. The goal here it to simply pick your output application (Apple Color, Scratch, Nuke, DaVinci, etc.) and generate a LUT to enable you to work natively with ALEXA's Log C. The biggest draw here is the "Linear Gamma" tab. ARRIRAW here we come!

So lately we've started using LUT's creatively on the set to "pre-grade" a project. Systems like Technicolor's DP Lights, Filmlight's Truelight, or Iridas' SpeedGrade OnSet have the ability to not just apply a simple transform LUT but can also generate a "look" for dailies or even as a reference for the final DI session.

I'd love to see ARRI's LUT Generator move eventually into this territory. It would be fantastic to have a simple on-camera tool to apply creative LUT's. Something akin to the ALEXA Frame Line Generator, maybe? You know, so we can see what we're messing with by pushing all those shinny little buttons. I'm just saying...

And just in case you didn't get yesterday's announcement either: we now have audio, playback, and false color. Download ALEXA's 3.0 firmware here.

Canada Saves the Day

I just re-installed my Mac OS this weekend and am currently in the middle of trying to get all of my applications working properly again. Wadding through endless plug-ins and downloads is a pain. Even more so when you're dealing with Sony software.

Sony's US software/firmware site is difficult to make sense of and has glaring omissions. Being stuck, once again, trying to get XDCAM codec support for QuickTime Player has left me breathless and bewildered. Luckily our friends up North have a much more sensible support site.

Thank you Canada.

SxS w/ SDHC?

Sonnet, who makes a bunch of cool stuff, just released their SDHC Adapter for SxS Camera Slot. With it you can use itty-bitty SD cards in any Express Card 34 Slot. Like the one found on this camera.


Or even the one found on this camera.


You'll need a very fast SDHC card to be able to use this set-up on an ALEXA. SanDisk and Kingston both just released the fastest SDHC cards on the market. It's possible, but right now these new cards are still not fast enough to record your ProRes 4444 Log C masters. Besides, you'd probably just end up losing these little SD cards anyway...

But on the Sony F3 this could end up being half the price of a comparable SxS card. Then again, Sony's XDCAM EX codec is piss-poor when coupled w/ the F3's imager and ability to record in S-Log gamma. You'd be much better off skipping the SxS cards and XDCAM EX codec and going straight in with the ass-kicking 10-bit Apple codec ProRes 422 HQ via the new AJA Ki Pro Mini.


Or just give it 6 months. Or maybe 12 when Sony releases their newest flash memory cards.

MIA

Yes. I have been "Missing In Action" lately. It's been busy both personally and professionally. I've been working on a new website and business that should launch sometime in March. I promise to Blog more... sorry.