A “generational leap,” that’s what Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design, is promising with the company’s latest round of products. Part of that is definitely 8K. The other part is in improving efficiency with the tools you already use.
Starting with the HyperDeck Extreme 8K HDR, Petty began to talk about a ton of new features that separate this model from its predecessors, and it isn’t just that it does 8K. Opting for a slightly larger form factor, Blackmagic could place a large touchscreen on the front. There are plenty of connections on the back, too, ensuring you have exactly what you need for live productions. Built-in scopes return, dual CFast slots make it easy to record, and it can use H.265 for much smaller file sizes in 8K. Coming in June.
If you want all 8K, you’ll need an 8K switcher. The ATEM Constellation 8K is that solution—and it's available now. 8K video is basically four times 4K, and this will do it with ease. It has 4 M/Es, 40 12G-SDI inputs, 24 12G-SDI aux outputs, 4 DVEs, 4 keys, 4 media players, 4 multi-viewers, 2 SuperSource channels, and the ability to use standards conversion on all SDI inputs. Talkback is also supported and there is a 156-channel Fairlight audio mixer.
Monitoring is up next, with the Teranex Mini SDI to HDMI 8K converter. Scopes are built in and up to two can be played over the background, making it useful for color grading. Support is offered for third-party colorimeters for calibrating a display. Another release coming in June. As for capture, the DeckLink 8K Pro will do the trick with four 12G-SDI connections, and it has bi-directional connections for Quad Link 8K or four independent 4K and lower channels. It can also support up to 12-bit RGB 4:4:4 with Rec.2020 and HDR support.
DaVinci Resolve 16, unsurprisingly, makes an appearance. Blackmagic is introducing a new page, the Cut page. This is designed to improve speed and productivity. Everything must do something on this page—no wasted space here. Dual timelines are a noticeable change, providing a complete at-a-glance view of the entire timeline, as well as your conventional zoomed-in timeline. Multicam has been given tools for added precision, and transitions are now quick buttons located just over the timelines. Another feature being shown off is that exporting is now supported from every page, for even faster delivery.
A huge list of changes is coming with 16, beyond the Cut page. Highlights for editors are having timelines within a project with custom settings that are different from the project, adjustment clips that will affect all clips underneath them, facial recognition, and Fusion has been sped up. For the Color page, Blackmagic is introducing Object Removal, an upgraded Auto Balance and Shot Match to make it easy to bring new clips in and quickly match them to the existing clips, GPU-accelerated scopes, and a new CIE 1929 scope. Fairlight audio gains an elastic wave for smart stretching and manipulation of your audio clips, rebuilt loudness meters, full 3D environments, and more.
There is a new physical product for Resolve: the DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard. It provides all the essentials of a keyboard, including durable construction and reliable switches rated for more than one million clicks. This keyboard adds in a ton of shortcuts, too, including a jog wheel, so you can work more effectively with two hands working on it. Repairability was also a part of the product’s design, ensuring a long life, even with heavy use. Available in August.
There is also some camera news. No new cameras this year; the Pocket 4K and URSA Mini Pro G2 are still the latest releases, but there is a new Battery Grip for the Pocket 4K. This will improve battery life of the compact camera dramatically.
That’s everything! And it was a lot. Which of Blackmagic’s releases are you most excited about? Share your thoughts in the Comments box, below, and follow B&H Explora for the latest news from NAB 2019.
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