American Cinematographer - January 2016 - 108

Video Devices Offers Precision
Monitoring, Recording
Video Devices - the video-products
brand of Sound Devices, LLC - has introduced the Pix-E5 and Pix-E5H 4K recording
monitors. The 5", 1920x1080-resolution,
441-ppi Pix-E5 comes packed with a full
suite of precision-monitoring tools, SDI and
HDMI I/O, and the ability to record 4K and
Apple ProRes 4:4:4:4 XQ edit-ready files to
affordable USB-based SpeedDrives with
mSATA solid-state drives. The Pix-E5H
features HDMI-only inputs/outputs for
customers who do not need SDI capabilities;
the unit records a range of Apple ProRes
codecs from Proxy to ProRes 4:2:2 HQ.
Video Devices has also introduced
the
SpeedDrive
recording and filedelivery accessory
for the Pix-E
Series. When
connected to
the rear of the
monitor, the
SpeedDrive's USB 3.0 interface automatically switches to a SATA interface to
record continuous, high-data-rate 4K video.
As an added benefit, when a user is finished
recording, no special card reader or docking
station is needed; users can simply unplug
the SpeedDrive from the back of Pix-E and
plug it into any USB computer port to transfer data at fast USB 3.0 rates. Two SpeedDrive options are available: a 240GB SpeedDrive (mSATA drive in the enclosure) or an

enclosure-only version that allows the user
to choose any approved, third-party 128GB
to 1TB mSATA drive.
Additionally, Video Devices has
announced firmware version 1.05 for the
Pix-E Series. With this latest firmware
update, the Pix-E Series recording field
monitors will feature several standard lookup tables, the ability to utilize custom LUTs,
and support for HDMI recording triggers for
Panasonic cameras.
For additional information, visit
www.videodevices.com.
108

January 2016

Colorfront Introduces 2016 Lineup
Colorfront, the Academy and Emmy Award-winning developer of high-performance
on-set dailies and transcoding systems, has introduced its 2016 product range. Transkoder
2016 and On-Set Dailies 2016 incorporate Ultra High Definition (UHD) and High Dynamic
Range (HDR) workflows.
Colorfront Transkoder and On-Set Dailies feature Colorfront Engine, the state-of-theart, ACES-compliant, HDR-managed color pipeline, which enables on-set look creation and
ensures color fidelity of UHD HDR materials and metadata throughout the camera-to-post
chain. Colorfront Engine supports the full dynamic range and color gamut of the latest digital
camera formats, and mapping into industry-standard deliverables such as the latest IMF specs
and AS-11 DPP and HEVC, at a variety of brightness, contrast and color ranges.
The mastering toolset for Transkoder 2016 has been enhanced with new statisticalanalysis tools for immediate HDR data graphing. Highlights include MaxCLL and MaxFALL
calculations, as well as HDR mastering tools with tone and gamut mapping for a variety of
target color spaces. New to Transkoder 2016's UHD toolset are unique tools to concurrently
grade HDR and SDR UHD versions, cutting down the complexity, time and cost of delivering
multiple masters at once. Additionally, On-Set Dailies 2016 introduces a multi-view capability,
which allows concurrent, real-time playback and grading of all cameras and camera views.
For additional information, visit www.colorfront.com.

VER Acquires Aurora
VER, a global provider of production
equipment and engineering support, has
completed its acquisition of Aurora Lighting
Hire Ltd., a U.K.-based lighting-rental
specialist. The acquisition represents the
latest step in VER's strategic plan to expand
its lighting capabilities and equipment
inventory throughout the U.K. and Europe.
"Over the next year, we will invest
significantly to expand the equipment offering and other resources to support the
tremendous demand for [Aurora's] service,"
says Steve Hankin, CEO of VER. "The
combination of Aurora's knowledge and
quality service with VER's broader product
line will offer Aurora's clients a truly one-ofa-kind resource."
American Cinematographer

Chris Rigby, founding director of
Aurora, adds, "I am delighted that Aurora is
joining forces with VER. Combining the
resources and strengths of our companies has
created an unbeatable team with a shared
passion for service and an incredible range of
production solutions. I know this will be a
huge asset to myself and other lighting
designers, both now and for the future."
Aurora will retain its name, staff and
services, with plans to move into a new stateof-the-art facility alongside VER.
For additional information, visit
www.verrents.com and www.auroratv.co.uk.
●

http://www.colorfront.com http://www.verrents.com http://www.auroratv.co.uk http://www.videodevices.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - January 2016