Clark Media attends NAB 2011 in Las Vegas
Tape is Dead... or is it?
By: Gary Snyder, President, Clark Media
Much of the conversation, before and after NAB, was on the recent disaster in Japan and how it was affecting the availability of traditional HD tape and XDCAM-HD optical stock supplies.
Obviously, the use of HD tape and XDCAM Optical– gave a certain comfort level to many production companies that could acquire on location – and have a physical master to easily put on a shelf for archival purposes. With the current high entry expense of purchasing HDCAM-SR machines, along with an uncertain future on SR tape supplies, NAB 2011 seemed to mark the end of HD Tape.
However, the traditional “mindset” of a camera master is what seems to make the XDCAM-HD optical format so popular. The recorders have the look and feel of a regular VTR. The HD footage can be recorded at various quality levels depending upon project requirements. The footage is recorded digitally and can be ingested into an edit system in faster than real time. And, the camera masters can be simply put on the shelf much like a regular videotape. From what we have heard, the delivery of XDCAM-HD optical discs should return back to normal in the next few months. Clark Media has a large inventory of Sony XDCAM recorders and adequate supplies of stock for all upcoming projects.
Another important thing we saw at NAB is the emergence of multiple direct to digital recorders that offered HD recording of all codecs – including some with very high bit-rates that gobble up mast amounts of digital storage.
Sony introduced a new solid-state DDR that uses the Sony SR codec at bit rates up to 880/mbs. The new SR memory will be sold in 256G, 512G and 1 Terabyte storage modules. Obviously, these devices are not meant to be put on the shelf for long term storage. This now identifies the need for on-set backup as well as longer term archival storage.
Sony also has the SRR1 – Portable recorder designed to record HD-SDI/3G dual-link. It looks like it could be a perfect companion to the Sony's new F-3 35mm camera.
Sony is not the only company that will be generating large amounts of data. Cameras by RED, ARRI, and specialized 3D and 4:4:4 projects will mandate a solid workflow that gives the speed of digital with the confidence of tape.
Just when we thought tape was dead, we discovered a new tape technology that will provide a great solution for long term archival and backup of large video data files. This backup system LTO – Linear Tape-Open technology was introduced in 2000 and has been used successfully to backup large data centers in the financial industry.
A partnership of companies including HP, IMB, Quantum among others, have joined together to ensure compatibility of files using new LTO-5 TAPE technology. The 1.5TB tape drives cost approximately one-hundred dollars each and store up to 15 hours of 1080i/59.94 4:2:2 footage. That is a fraction of the cost of traditional DVCPRO-HD or HDCAM tape stock. http://www.trustlto.com/index.html
Additionally, there were many companies that provided turn-key solutions using this new tape technology. Check out the following:
www.1beyond.com Builds integrated archival systems for on-set data management.
http://www.cache-a.com Builds custom archive appliances for location and post production.
http://www.productionbackup.com A division of the Tolis Group, which has been providing backup solutions to the computer industry for years.
The real challenge is to determine what work-flow is the best for your application.
Outfitting the Sony PMW-F3
By: Patrick McCarty, DIT
This year's NAB show had me focused mainly on data acquisition and content management. With the variety of formats, codecs and means of recording that Clark Media now handles, the selection of workflows is virtually endless. With
Having just got my hands on our new F3 camera, my first goal was finding the best solution for accessorizing the camera to create a complete F3 package; including matteboxes, viewfinders, on-board monitors, lenses, and external recording devices.
As far as the base plate for the camera, I think we will go with Zacuto’s Universal V3 base plate. It seems to be compatible with an array of other gear including the Z-Finder EVF Pro Viewfinder. 16x9 had a great solution for a mattebox with the
As for lenses, Clark already owns a set of the Sony prime SCL series lenses as well as a 50mm Zeiss super speed but we also want to incorporate a couple of nice PL mount zoom lenses as an option for the package. Of course you have companies like Fujinon and Canon when you think lenses but neither of them provided a solution for the range of lens we wanted for the F3. We saw the Angenieux Optimo DP 16-42mm and 30-80mm lenses with an aperture of T2.8 and fell in love. They are very lightweight and compact PL mount zoom lenses that looked great.
There are a lot of companies coming out with external monitors/recording devices. We already own the Cinedecks which are great but there is now some competition. The two front runners are the Gemini 4:4:4 from Convergent Design and the Pix 240 from (of all people) Sound Devices. Both are very powerful and compact machines that record a number of HD formats to SSDs, or in the case of the Pix 240, an SSD or CF card. Our options for a stand alone on-board monitor came from companies like
We strive to provide our clients with not just one, but a number of choices for workflow options and the Sony F3 camera was another great addition to the line up. With the knowledge gained at this year’s NAB show, we can stay on top of providing the customer with the optimal workflow for each of their specific projects.
Sound Devices Premiers HD Video Recorder
By: Robert Kupillas, Engineer
It’s always great to see the all the newest gear showcased at the NAB show. This year you could really see a trend developing toward small on board recording devices. It looks to me that this may be the near future of the tapeless media format. One of these new recorders came as a surprise from a company with a reputation for building solid audio gear...Sound Devices. They are releasing two versions of their recorder, one that provides an HDMI In/Out and the other that features both HDMI and HD-SDI In/Out. The Sound Devices recorder appears to be every bit as rugged as their audio gear. It allows recording of Apple Pro Res or as an additional option the Avid DNX HD Codec to either a solid state hard drive or a Compact Flash Card. Another onboard recorder came from a more expected source, Convergent Design. The makers of the well known nanoFlash had their new Gemini 4:4:4 on display. The Gemini boasts recording of uncompressed 10-bit 4:4:4 or 4:2:2 HD onto a removable solid state hard drive, or two removable solid state hard drive for formats that require a higher bandwidth such as 1080p @ 59.94. There were several other small recorders from a variety of different sources and price points, but overall these recorders seem to be getting smaller and more affordable. I will be excited when these recorders start to ship so we can start to run them through the paces to find out which ones will pass the field test.