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4 Post • May 2014 www.postmagazine.com Bits & Pieces Post Picks L AS VEGAS — Post Magazine's writers and contributors, along with a range of industry professionals, recently attend- ed the 2014 NAB Show in Las Vegas, spend- ing several days walking the show floor in search of the latest and most innovative new product announcements and technologies. After meeting and comparing notes with our team of post production professionals, we are proud to announce a list of products and technologies that were agreed to have shown innovation, as well as captured con- siderable attention and interest at the early April event. The following are our "Post Picks" for NAB 2014. We've also included several Honorable Mentions that caught our team's attention. WINNERS AJA'S CION PRODUCTION CAMERA Grass Valley, CA's AJA Video Systems (www.aja.com) introduced CION at NAB, a new production camera that's capable of shooting at 4K/UltraHD and 2K/HD resolu- tions. The CION offers in-camera recording in the Apple ProRes family of codecs, includ- ing 12-bit 444, and the ability to output 4K raw data at up to 120fps via four 3G-SDI outputs. CION can record directly to AJA Pak SSD media at up to 60fps. According to AJA president Nick Rashby, the CION has been in development for sev- eral years. It embraces a familiar and tested camera form and ergonomic layout. A built- in shoulder mount and standard connectors are located where camera operators would traditionally expect them to be. CION fea- tures a PL lens mount for compatibility with industry-standard lenses. When recording in HD or 2K, the image is oversampled from the full 4K sensor, retaining focal length as well as providing a vibrant and detailed image. A built-in filter combines an optical low pass filter (OLPF) to eliminate unwanted aliasing and moiré with an infrared (IR) cut filter to produce appropriate colors. Addi- tionally, a back focus adjustment means the sharpest image possible can be produced. Recording formats and resolutions that CION can record to include ProRes 4444, ProRes 422 (HQ), ProRes 422, ProRes 422 (LT) and ProRes (Proxy); 4K (4096x2160); Ultra HD (3840x2160); 2K (2048x1080); and HD (1920x1080). 2K and HD are hard- ware scaled from the full 4K sensor for high- quality over-sampled images and retention of field-of-view. Footage is recorded to AJA Pak SSD media, which is available in 256GB and 512GB capacities. Transfer can take place via Thunderbolt or USB3 with the optional AJA Pak Dock. Users can output Raw footage via 3G-SDI at up to 4K 120fps, or via Thunder- bolt at up to 4K 30fps. AJA plans to deliver CION this summer for $8,995. DOLBY'S DOLBY VISION TECHNOLOGY At NAB, Dolby debuted a prototype 32-inch Dolby Vision monitor with a light measurement of 2,000 nits. The prototype made use of quantum dots technology with blue LED local dimming for energy efficiency. It's aimed at on-set use. Dolby Vision augments the video fidelity of Ultra HD and HD video signals used in OTT online streaming, broadcast and gaming applications by maintaining and reproducing the dynamic range and color gamut of the original signal as captured. For creatives, it goes beyond the constraints of legacy CRT technology to deliver true-to-life brightness, colors, and contrast to TVs. At the NAB Show, FilmLight (www. filmlight.ltd.uk) presented high dynamic range mastering and grading, by featuring Dolby Vision technology on its Baselight color grading system. Baselight colorists can now create high-quality grades with the confidence of knowing their work will be carried faithfully all the way to the viewer. SONY'S ALPHA 7S 4K CAMERA Sony has added a new model to its family of small, full-frame interchangeable lens cam- eras. The new Alpha 7S joins the A7 and A7R, and is capable of capturing 4K video quality with low noise. The A7S features a newly-developed 12.2 effective megapixel 35mm Exmor CMOS sensor paired with a BIONZ X image pro- cessor, allowing it to shoot at a sensitivity range of ISO 50 - 4096002 with high dynam- ic range and low noise. The new model also uses the entire width of a full-frame image sensor in 4K video acquisition, and does this without cropping or line skipping. The A7S also offers full pixel read-out (without pixel binning) during movie shoot- ing. The camera can process data from all of the sensor's pixels and output HD and 4K (QFHD 3840x2160 pixels) video while using the full-width of the sensor. In addition to the benefits for low-light shooting, the read out of all pixels frees the video from aliasing, moiré and false color artifacts. "NVIDIA Quadro GPUs and Adobe Creative Cloud work together seamlessly, enabling digital artists like us to work at the speed of thought." – Jeff August, Creative Director, Jump Studios Creators of a compelling ESPN ® trailer for NASCAR ® Drive. Projects. Faster. Get The Advantage. www.pny.com/quadro Get The Advantage. Get The Advantage. www.pny.com/quadro Get The Advantage. Get The Advantage. } Support for any system brand } Three-year hardware warranty } Toll-free phone and email technical support Scan code to watch trailer Pros select their top finds from NAB 2014