Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/663382
REVIEW www.postmagazine.com 45 POST APRIL 2016 set something up that was going to be mismatched. For example, if I changed the settings in 2K but tried to record in 4K, the unit would indicate that. That might not be a huge feature to some, but it was something that was very helpful when putting the Ki Pro Ultra through its paces. You could still fire off a recording in a mismatched set up, but why be in mismatched formats if you don't want to be? As for the functionality, it is something the folks at AJA should really be proud of. Sure, the monitor is great, but the shine factor really happens on the back of the unit. Yes, the back — most likely one of the most complete and seamless units for field and studio control rooms that I have seen in a long time. Connections included HDMI in/out, four 3G-SDI in/ out, Fiber in/out RS-422, analog, timecode, reference timing, RCAs and two redundant power supplies. I was, however, surprised that the Ki Pro Ultra doesn't have XLR connectors. That might not be too much of a concern for a leave alone studio or control room set up, but some end users prefer XLR connections in the field. It would have been a nice to have, but not a deal breaker considering how many other features AJA stuffed into the Ki Pro Ultra. PERFORMANCE Looking at the product's performance, one word comes to mind — flawless. The Ki Pro Ultra is rock solid. The two camera set ups that I used were with the Panasonic AG-DVX200 and the Blackmagic Design Ursa Mini. The Ki Pro Ultra is able to record 60p in ProRes 4444, 2K, and HD. It can also record up to two continuous hours in 4K 60p ProRes HQ when using two AJA Pak1000 (1TB) SSDs. Additionally, when rollover mode was enabled, the Ki Pro Ultra made the hop (not a technical term, I know) from one drive to the next without as much as a hiccup. The menu overlays were also a real plus. Being able to make decisions and change settings quickly based on the monitor was a real asset. Also, the fact that the transport control mimicked old-school tape machines is great. It's very visual and straightforward. The Ki Pro Ultra also has a very nice slo-mo playback feature, which I found extremely useful when I wanted to look at some scenes quickly without having to export them first. IN CONCLUSION On versatility, functionality and performance, AJA Ki Pro Ultra receives high marks in all three categories. As a standalone recorder/monitor in the field, the Ki Pro Ultra would be a serious must-look for shooters that need flexibility and recording muscle for acquisition. For small- to medium-sized editing boutiques, the Ki Pro Ultra would be an ele- gant-yet-powerful solution for the editing station. The Ki Pro Ultra is even rack-mountable, giving larger production and post houses lots of options when it comes to building an infrastructure that can be expanded down the road. With the Ki Pro Ultra, AJA has added another winner to its product line.