Blackmagic Design kicked off NAB 2024 with a bang, launching a massive array of new products and upgrades for cinema and broadcast customers. On the camera side, the new URSA Cine 17K features a 65mm CMOS Sensor comparable to some of the largest on the market, while the URSA Cine 12K has a full-frame sensor that captures up to 3:2 open gate. Both boast 16 stops of dynamic range, built-in DaVinci color science, and new bodies designed for on-set ease of use. The PYXIS 6K Cinema Box Camera repackages the sensor from the Cinema Camera 6K in a more intuitive and modular form factor while maintaining its accessible price point and 13 stops of dynamic range. In the editing world, the new DaVinci Resolve 19 offers many new AI-focused features for tracking, audio editing, replays, and Fusion effects, alongside an updated Blackmagic Cloud ecosystem.
On the broadcast end, Blackmagic is embracing the SMPTE 2110 standard with a suite of products that simplify IP workflows in studio and field work. New ATEM 1 and 2 M/E Constellation 4K's bring 4K switching to a wider audience, launching alongside an affordable ATEM Micro Panel, while upgraded SFP Fiber connections have been added to many Blackmagic converters for users with high data demands. Updates to the SmartView 4K, Audio Monitor 12G, and Blackmagic Studio cameras continue the move to fiber and 2110 workflows, as well as a new Ethernet Switch 360P for networked rack set-ups.
The Cameras
The announcement of the URSA Cine 17K made waves on Friday, but exact details are still hard to come by, as the camera won't start shipping before the end of the year. What we do know is that it has an incredibly large 65mm sensor that offers a resolution of 17,520 × 8,040 pixels. That puts it in the top tier of large format cameras, comparable to something like an Arri Alexa 65. With a sensor that big, you will need specialty glass to be able to cover it, so the two mount options for the 17K are going to be ARRI LPL or Hasselblad. Blackmagic has also promised built-in high-capacity storage and networking options for syncing footage on set. A price point and more granular details are still to come, but it's amazing that filmmakers could soon have a commercially available camera that captures IMAX-level resolutions.
We know much more about the URSA Cine 12K, as that model is close to commercial availability. The 12K's full-frame sensor promises to be a significant imaging upgrade to the 35mm sensor used on previous URSA models, with a max resolution of 12,288 x 8,040 pixels and high frame rate abilities as you crop in. Open gate recording and anamorphic de-squeeze options are also wide ranging, ensuring the camera can cover any type of format you want to record in. Don't expect dual-native ISO, but that's a fair compromise for a whopping 16 stops of dynamic range. The camera will ship with a B-mount battery plate, but more options are planned for down the line.
Outside of the sensor, other notable upgrades include a proprietary 8TB recording module included in the kit that uses NVMe mounts for blazing fast write speeds. Blackmagic Cloud integration means easy footage sharing and streaming via 10G Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Separate CFExpress modules will be available at a later date. Built-in ND filters, an Optical Low Pass Filter, and a whole host of inputs and outputs (LEMO, Fischer, 12G-SDI, XLR's, etc) mean the camera will be able to slot into any production environment, especially with an interchangeable lens mount that can switch between PL, LPL, EF, and Hasselblad. An optional updated Electronic View Finder connects via USB-C and features a 1920 x 1080 OLED display with a built-in digital focus chart and 4-element glass diopter.
The final new camera is the Blackmagic Design PYXIS 6K Cinema Box Camera, which will soon be available in L-mount, Arri PL, or Canon EF mount options. A Blackmagic box camera has been requested by fans for years, and the company made sure this new model delivers the good with a 36x24mm sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range, and a native resolution of 6,040 x 4,032 pixels. The PYXIS does have dual native ISO's (400 and 3200), dual CFExpress card slots, and high-speed frame rate options that go up to 100fps in Super 16 mode. A 4" 1500 nit high-resolution HDR LCD on the left side of the PYXIS should assist in easy operation and settings changes, as will custom function buttons on the body of the camera. The right side has a customizable plate for mounting SSD's or other accessories.
Recording codecs will be familiar to anyone who's used the Blackmagic Design Cinema Camera 6K, though added Blackmagic Cloud support means additional mobile streaming and fast media uploading. Like many box cameras, this one's designed for easy buildouts while also capable of standing alone, with essential ports like a mini-XLR, 12G-SDI, 1G Ethernet, and Ref/TC built-in. Power options out of the box are a Sony-type BP-U battery or 12V power supply. While higher end features like built-in ND filters and full size XLR's would've been nice, streamlining the PYXIS helps Blackmagic keep it at an accessible price point, and users can always expand its feature set with accessories like the previously mentioned EVF.
DaVinci Resolve
Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve Studio has eaten up an impressive chunk of the post-production world over the past few years, and that growth should continue with the release of DaVinci Resolve 19, adding quite a few new AI-assisted features that use machine learning to speed up your workflow and simplify repetitive tasks. Resolve's auto-transcription feature was a massive boon for documentary filmmakers, and the new update allows you to edit your timeline using those transcripts, identifying speakers, cutting down text, and having the audio and video in the timeline reflect the changes in real time. A new AI tracking tool called IntelliTrack should assist in rotoscoping, color grading, and effects work, while an UltraNR tool more easily and successfully reduces noise in your image while maintaining detail. Fairlight has upgraded AI-based tools for separating dialogue elements, remixing music tracks, and panning sounds, while Fusion gains a uVolume feature for importing volumetric VDB files such as smoke, fire, and explosions.
Coloring tools are what really launched Resolve in the professional world, so Blackmagic has paid special attention to those, with a new Film Look Creator that lets users build custom profiles for effects like halation, bloom, grain, flicker, and gate weave. A ColorSlice tool features a six-vector grading palette with an emphasis on enhancing specific colors while maintaining accurate skin tones. The easiest way to grade on Resolve is with a Blackmagic Panel, so the company announced a DaVinci Resolve Micro Color Panel to make this set-up more approachable to filmmakers, especially those using the popular DaVinci iPad app. With three trackballs and a ton of customizable keys, the Micro Color Panel can dramatically speed up your color grading workflow.
Streaming and studio editing with Resolve is a notable growth sector for Blackmagic, so they've announced the DaVinci Resolve Replay Editor to compliment new multicam and point of interest-based replay features in the software. Create and trigger replays via the multiview or the timeline, then easily convert these replays into promo and social content. HyperDeck users will have an even richer feature set, with real time, collaborative shared storage and playback abilities. For networked editing, look to the new 24 and 48TB variations of Blackmagic's popular Cloud Store Max flash storage, with whopping 100G ethernet ports, no file size limits, and no need for subscription plans or individual licenses.
Broadcast and 2110
Forget your SDI and HDMI cables, now it's all about ethernet and fiber, as broadcast and live production set-ups switch over to networked connections for running AV. The SMPTE ST-2110 standard for IP video is aiding this transition, so Blackmagic is releasing an array of converters, monitors, switchers, and other tools that take full advantage of it. These start small, with 2110 IP Mini IP to HDMI, 2110 IP Mini BiDirect 12G, and a 2110 IP Mini BiDirect 12G SFP Converters for your basic HDMI and SDI conversions to ethernet and fiber, all three supporting up to UHD 4K 60fps video.
Stepping up from those, you have the Blackmagic Design Media Player 10G and 2110 IP Presentation Converter for network-connected capture and playback abilities, with the Presentation Converter specifically built for use with projectors, laptops, microphones, and other conference/event tools of the trade. Finally, a 2110 IP Converter 4x12G PWR unit can convert four 2110 IP devices to 12G-SDI while providing them power, perfect for use with the smaller 2110 converters or the new 2110 abilities of the Studio 6K Pro cameras.
On the monitoring end, both the Blackmagic SmartView and Audio Monitor have gotten 2110-based upgrades. The SmartView 4K G3 is a 15.6" DCI 4K broadcast monitor with two 12G-SDI inputs as well as the ability to display SMPTE 2110 IP video via RJ45 or optical fiber inputs, with its 3840 x 2160 active-matrix TFT LCD providing sharp, reliable, color-accurate video. The Audio Monitor 12G G3 received similar improvements with a RJ45 10G Ethernet 2110 IP input added to complement the three XLR and two RCA inputs. This unit makes monitoring audio easy, with multicolored level meters and an LCD on the front, as well as dual subwoofers, extra wide range speakers, and HDMI/SDI outputs to get a detailed visual breakdown of your levels.
4K is clearly where streaming's headed in the long term, so Blackmagic announced two lower cost entries in its Constellation line-up to bring 4K switching to a larger user base. The ATEM 1 M/E Constellation 4K Switcher features ten 12G-SDI inputs and 6 12G-SDI outputs, as well as a 16-source multiview output, analog audio in's and out's, a USB-C for webcam abilities, and ethernet ports for control and talkback. The 2 M/E Constellation 4K doubles the switching range, with 20 inputs and 12 outputs, as well as two independent multi-view outputs. The inputs on both units connect to built-in Fairlight audio mixers for complete mixing control, and the front panels of the Constellations still feature hard buttons, a jogwheel, and an LCD display. Physical panel based live editing remains the industry standard, so launching with these units is a more affordable ATEM Micro Panel that can control any of the Constellations. The panel works in tandem with ATEM software control, while giving you high-quality backlit buttons, a manual T-bar, and an internal battery for on-location switching.
For building out more complex 2110 networks, the Blackmagic Design Internet Switch 360P should be a major asset, with sixteen 10 GigE and two 100 GigE RJ45 ports, as well as backlit router controls and an LCD display on the front panel. With this unit, Blackmagic has redesigned the traditional networking switch to be more compatible with video rackmount set-ups, putting the ethernet ports on the back and all the controls on the front.
Speaking of complex set-ups, the new Videohub 120x120 12G Video Router can help you realize ambitious, high-end studio builds, supporting DCI 4K 60fps video on all its 120 inputs and 120 outputs. Expect the same zero-latency reliability as the rest of Blackmagic's Videohub line, as well as an ethernet port for control over a network.
Clearly Blackmagic has been extremely busy this past year, and now customers will reap the rewards with this bevy of new tech. For more information about Blackmagic's offerings, including features, specs, and highlights, be sure to check out the detailed product pages. You can also drop us a line below, and we'll do our best to answer all of your comments and questions.
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