Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/511209
www.postmagazine.com 12 POST MAY 2015 BITS & PIECES AJA RELEASES NEW MINI-CONVERTERS, KONA AND IO SOFTWARE UPDATE GRASS VALLEY, CA — AJA Video Systems (www.aja.com) announced several new releases at the 2015 NAB Show last month, including V.12.2 software for its Kona and Io prod- ucts, and a host of new Mini-Converters. The V.12.2 update includes a new capability for Io 4K that offers AJA Raw ingest to Cinema DNG files from AJA's CION production camera, at up to 4K 60fps on Mac or Windows. Kona 4 will support AJA Raw capture from CION up to 4K 120fps on Windows. Additionally, 4K Avid DNxHR capture using Kona 4, Kona 3G, and Io 4K has been added to AJA Control Room and Avid Media Composer Version 8.4. AJA Control Room is a unified, cross platform ingest, playback and output software, available for free for use with the latest Kona and Io products. According to Nick Rashby, president, AJA Video Sys- tems, "AJA Raw support is huge for many of our CION customers who already own and use Kona 4 or Io 4K de- vices in production, providing a cost-effective and flexible approach for CION's Raw workflows either on-set or in the edit suite. The addition of Avid's great new DNxHR codec offers more options for high-quality 4K finishing in an efficient file size." For streaming clients, the V.12.2 integrated driver and plug-in package also includes expanded support for AJA Io Express products with Telestream's Wirecast software. The company also announced a host of new Mini-Con- verters, including the FiDO-4T-ST, FiDO-4R-ST, and HA5- 4K. The FiDO-4T-ST and FiDO-4R-ST are quad-channel 3G-SDI to ST Fiber and ST Fiber to 3G-SDI mini-converters that carry up to four 3G-SDI signals on a single converter, with the ability to send signals from a 4K/UltraHD source, such as from the CION camera, up to 10 kilometers. Alter- natively, the quad-signal path also allows for multiple HD signals to be carried across long distances. The HA5-4K provides a simple and powerful path from HDMI to 4K SDI, converting the signal to four 3G-SDI outputs. It can be used to convert HDMI video from DSLR or prosumer 4K cameras to 4K SDI for use in professional workflows. MERMAIDS ON MARS EMERYVILLE, CA — Athena Studios (www.athenastudios.com) produced the 20-minute, stop-motion short, Mermaids on Mars. Directed by Jon V. Peters and created by artists who have worked on Coraline, James and the Giant Peach and The Nightmare Before Christ- mas, the short is based on a book by Nancy Guettier. Mermaids on Mars tells the story of a young boy named Julian who is magically transported to Mars, where he tries to stop an evil martian from destroying the last of the planet's mermaids. The entire story, told in stop-motion animation (using five Canon 60D animation cameras shooting 5K plates via Dragon Frame software and a 2.5K Blackmagic Cinema camera for live-action puppeting) was shot, produced and finished on-site at Athena Studios. To help the team stay organized, Athena relied on Shotgun, a plug-and-play solution that offers pro- duction management, review and tracking tools. They also used Autodesk Maya to create all models for the 3D printer, and After Effects for post. IZOTOPE'S NEW AUDIO POST TOOLS CAMBRIDGE, MA — iZotope, Inc. (www. izotope.com) unveiled new tools for the post market at the 2015 NAB Show in Las Vegas last month, including its RX Loudness Control plug-in, its RX 4 and a preview of its RX Final Mix. The compa- ny is positioning these new products as tools intended to help content creators deliver consistent and compliant levels, stems and surround channels. RX Loudness Control is intended to help audio post production and broadcast professionals automatically and reliably create high-quality, industry-compliant mixes. With the widespread adoption of loudness standards worldwide, the responsibility often remains with content creators to ensure that programs are delivered within the appropriate tolerance of the required loudness standard. With RX Loud- ness Control, video and audio editors can choose the broadcast standard they wish to adhere to from a set of global templates. In faster than realtime, RX Loudness Control automatically analyzes the audio and renders out a compliant file and an accompanying .CSV-formatted loudness report in two clicks. The company also spoke with attendees about its new RX Final Mix, which is being billed as the "ultimate stem/master bus processor, designed specifically for post production profession- als." RX Final Mix will go beyond audio repair and concentrate on taking the guesswork out of mundane tasks such as making multiple mix stems. RX Final Mix will use intelligent algorithms to balance dynamics and frequencies for mono, stereo or surround material. The company's RX 4 was showcased as well, with features that help editors save otherwise unusable audio from the cutting room floor. By reducing the need to re-voice via ADR (auto- mated dialogue replacement), or scrap an otherwise great take in today's reality shows, RX 4 helps preserve original performances by making it possible to use production dialogue. "The last thing an audio or video professional ever wants to say is, 'This is the best we could do with the time we have,'" says Rob D'Amico, director of product management, iZotope. "We've been working hard to develop more ways to get the best-sounding results quicker than ever before. The end result being that no matter how tight the schedule may be, the finished product is something everyone is proud of."