American Cinematographer - July 2009 - 64

New Products & Services AJA Intros Ki Pro Digital Disk Recorder AJA Video Systems has introduced the Ki Pro, a portable, tapeless video recorder that records files to the Apple ProRes 422 codec directly from camera, providing a powerful bridge between production and post with extensive analog and digital connectivity. Virtually any video and audio source can be fed into Ki Pro to record pristine, 10bit ProRes 422 media, which in turn is immediately ready for editing in Apple’s Final Cut Studio without having to rerender. Ki Pro records hours of media to a removable storage module with built-in FireWire 800, or to 34mm ExpressCard Flash. The small, portable unit can sit on a table, in a bay or mounted between a camera and tripod. Ki Pro is also ideal for on-set monitoring, providing instant access to multiple display devices simultaneously. Other features include the ability to connect digital cameras via SDI or HDMI, or analog cameras via multiple options; real-time converting from SD to HD, or 720 to/from 1080, in full 10-bit quality; simultaneous recording to camera and Ki Pro; and built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet for complete control via Web browser or iPhone. During the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference held in Las Vegas this past April, AJA announced that the Ki Pro has been endorsed by Arri, Canon and Red. “Ki Pro fills the gap between camera acquisition and postproduction, giving filmmakers 64 July 2009 and video professionals instant access to their material,” says Nick Rashby, president of AJA Video. “It’s extremely gratifying to bring this product to market with the support and enthusiasm of companies such as Apple, Arri, Canon and Red.” Ki Pro is priced at $3,995, which includes the Recorder, the HDD Storage Module and an AC adapter. Additional product options include an exoskeleton for mounting between the camera and tripod, an SSD Storage Module, extra HDD Storage Modules, a Rod Accessory Kit and an AJA Lens Tap Cable Accessory. For more information, visit www.aja.com. Chemical Wedding Shines With Helios Chemical Wedding has introduced the Helios Sun Calculator, an application designed for use with Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch. Utilizing algorithms created by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the National Geophysical Data Center, Helios offers professionals information regarding the path of the sun from dawn to dusk in any given place on any given day — past, present or future — accurate to a tiny fraction of a degree. The Helios application operates in four modes: HeliosMeter provides a graphical representation of the position of the sun on a compass dial for any time of day, indicating the sun’s elevation and the length of the shadow it would cast; Skyview offers an at-a-glance depiction of the sun’s path across the sky; Raw Data view provides strictly numerical information; and Inclinometer view allows for accurate measurement of the sun’s elevation, given in both degrees and times of day. Helios includes an internal database of more than 25,000 cities around the world, providing longitude, latitude, time zone and daylight- savings information, and users can save favorite locations or add current locations from GPS data. Helios can be purchased in the iTunes App Store for $29.99. For more information, visit www.chemicalwed ding.tv. Silicon Imaging Goes 3-D, Teams With Band Pro Silicon Imaging, developer of the SI-2K camera, has unveiled the SI-3D, an integrated 3-D cinema camera and stereo-visualization system. The SI-3D shoots uncompressed raw imagery from two synchronized cameras and encodes directly to a single stereo CineFormRAW QuickTime file, along with 3-D LUT color and convergence metadata; the stereo file can be instantly played back and edited in full 3-D on an Apple Final Cut timeline without the need for proxy conversions. The SI-3D camera system uses two remote SI-2K Mini cameras with a P+S Technik interchangeable-lens mount connected to a single processing system via gigabit Ethernet; the cameras are synchronized and controlled through the familiar SiliconDVR touch-screen interface. On set, the cameras can be viewed individually or in stereo modes using modern 3-D LCD and DLP displays. With the addition of CineForm’s Neo3D, convergence and stereo or individual eyecolor adjustments can be dynamically controlled and modified while viewing live 3-D playback using side-by-side, overunder or interlaced output modes. The SI-3D system can record dual-
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American Cinematographer - July 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - July 2009
