July 28, 2011

Glidecam iGlide Smartphone Mount

The new Glidecam iGlide Smartphone Mount is designed to allow smart phones such as Apple's iPhone to be attached directly to its HD-1000 Hand-Held Camera Stabilizer, to transform mobile phone video into smooth, professional-looking footage.

The lighter the camera, the more prone to shake it becomes, and mobile phones are amongst the smallest, lightest cameras, so need stabilising more than most.

The iGlide and HD-1000 combination will allow the phone to float, always balanced, and isolated from any shaky hands. The iGlide costs $49, while the HD range of stabilizers costs from $399.

Related post: Steadicam Smoothee steadies iPhone

By David Fox

Chrosziel Aladin Mk II S3D control

Chrosziel's new Aladin Mk II is an eight-channel lens remote control, offering 3D control capability and versatility.

It includes a modular handset and a small receiver that controls up to eight motors, which it calibrates automatically. For more advanced setups, the receiver has a display, so there is no need for an extra monitor.

For stereoscopic 3D shooting, the Aladin Mk II is claimed to be the only system currently able to operate focus, zoom and aperture on both camera lenses and also control angles and distance between cameras simultaneously, thanks to its eight channels.

It can control and power the internal motors of digital Canon and Fujinon lenses, with no external motors required for zoom, focus and iris, and no extra power supply. Communication and power run through the serial auxiliary port of the control box, which makes life easier and is more cost effective, especially when using a Steadicam.

An RF spectrum analyzer can help identify sources of wireless interference and pick the best transmission channel at any particular location, and if there is interference on all 16 channels, simply attach a cable using the BNC connector and a standard Video-BNC line.

Chrosziel is also developing an option to record timecode and metadata for post-production.

By David Fox

July 25, 2011

Dr. has new case for video DSLRs

Petrol Bags has a new camera bag for users of video-enabled DSLR cameras. Based on its popular Dr. Petrol models, the new Dr. DSLR Camera Bag is a practical design in black 900D and ballistic nylon fabrics, and even has internal lighting.

Inspired by the traditional doctor’s bag, this semi-rigid equipment bag is designed to hold a video-enabled DSLR camera and accessories comfortably and securely.

A hinged, extra wide opening provides fast, easy access. The interior is contoured to fit a DSLR camera with the lens mounted. Removable internal dividers help secure contents and create pockets for storing a mattebox, camera plate, follow focus, camera light, viewfinder, cables, spare lenses, etc.

Contents are surrounded and cushioned by soft padded red fabric. An LED lighting system illuminates the interior, making contents easier to find.

Twin brackets on the bottom of the bag allow quick connection to Petrol's Snaplock wheel and trolley system. Additional features include laminate panels for extra protection, ergonomic neoprene shoulder strap, a flash memory card mini pouch (holds up to four cards), and dual-direction easy-glide zippers.

The Dr. DSLR Camera Bag (PD443) will cost €210 (£180).

Related post: Bag design throws light on interiors

By David Fox

bebob's light + thin 75Wh batteries

German camera accessories company, bebob has added two new 75Wh battery models to its range. 

The 75 and 75plus are extra light and thin batteries designed for powering LCD-monitors and small camcorders, such as the Sony F3, Canon DSLRs and Panasonic's AF101.

The 75plus battery model stands out thanks to four built-in Hirose-4Pin connectors, with both 7.2v and 12v available, meaning that this 14.8v battery can supply power to multiple audio accessories directly from one location at the audio mixer.

“We got the impetus for the 75plus batteries from our close collaboration with film academies. This co-operation is very constructive and we use these relationships to identify the continuing needs of experienced operators as well as new users," said bebob Managing Director, Pierre Boudard (pictured). "In this case the decisive input was given by the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Ludwigsburg, Germany."

“Finally a compact and lightweight solution to supply audio applications centrally. It’s a pleasure to experience that bebob listens carefully and works on the ideas given by users,” confirmed Bernd-Siegfried Michalek, department Mobile Technology, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.

The batteries are available in A-mount (Anton/Bauer compatible), or V-Mount versions.

Also new is the ML-120 Hot Swap Adapter, a buffer that keeps the camera powered while swapping the main camera battery.

It offers an uninterrupted power supply for the Arri Alexa (pictured), Red One, Sony and Panasonic cameras. It warns when a battery needs to be swapped, two minutes before it runs out, then self-charges from the new camera battery for the next swap.

By David Fox

July 22, 2011

dv Prompter arrives on Android

Datavideo's free dv Prompter software is now available for Google's Android platform. 

It can be downloaded from the Android Market, and will run on any Android device running Android 1.5 or above. It follows in the wake of Datavideo's Apple iPhone/iPod Touch and iPad app (which is now on version 1.3 with support for a new wireless remote). There are several other prompter apps available for both Android and iOS, but few of them are free.

dv Prompter is claimed to be "a fully featured teleprompter application, with fast loading of scripts or cue sheets, a variety of font styles and a variety of playback settings."

To mount it on a camera, users would need to buy the Datavideo Smart Phone Prompter Kit, TP-100 (pictured on left above), which costs about £230, or the £300 TP-200 kit (pic right) if used with a tablet device – although as the TP-200 is built primarily for the iPad, the tablet would have to be of similar proportions.

The kit incorporates a rigid camera hood and 60/40 glass to reflect the script while still allowing the camera to see the subject. Included is 3m wired remote control, for controlling the speed of prompting and jumping back or forward to different points in the script.

According to Holdan, Datavideo's UK distributor: "This is also one of the quickest and most convenient prompting solutions available, thanks to its fast assembly and use of the user's own smartphone."

By David Fox

July 21, 2011

Blackmagic conjures up Lion support

Apple released its latest version of OS X yesterday, Lion (10.7), and Blackmagic Design rapidly released a software update for its desktop video products to add full support.

Its Desktop Video 8.2 software update includes support for Apple’s new Core Video and Core Audio processing pipelines for professional grade video and audio functionality across a wide variety of applications, and supports all of Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink (above), Intensity, Multibridge (below) and H.264 Pro Recorder products.

Core Media is the new way video hardware devices capture and playback to software applications and is the future of video API's on the Mac OS X platform. Blackmagic claims to be the first company to support this new standard. As it is part of the core capabilities of the OS, it is easier for developers to design modern 64-bit video software and get high performance capture and playback to hardware.

“Our close relationship with Apple has enabled Blackmagic Design to take full advantage of the many exciting new features in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, such as Core Video and Core Audio, from the very first day of its release,” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. "Our customers are constantly looking for performance improvements to their workflows and they will not be disappointed when they upgrade to the incredible new performance of Mac OS X 10.7 and Blackmagic Design products.”

The Desktop Video 8.2 software update is available free of charge for DeckLink, Multibridge, Intensity and H.264 Pro Recorder customers from the Blackmagic Design web support page (www.blackmagic-design.com/support).

Apple also introduced new hardware yesterday, including upgraded MacBook Air and Mac Mini models (at least twice as fast as previous versions). Now, almost all of its computers come with Intel's new Thunderbolt high-speed I/O technology (the only range still to be upgraded is its Mac Pro desktops).

It also announced the world's first Thunderbolt monitor (pictured in dual screen use with Final Cut Pro X and a 15-inch MacBook Pro), the high-resolution 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt Display, which includes built-in Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 connections, and a power adaptor for Apple's notebook computers.

By David Fox

Miller's Compass on new heading

Miller Camera Support’s Compass range of fluid heads has been extended with the release of the new Compass 12 system packages.

This is claimed to bring "premium camera support with optimal professional performance in cost effective systems package pricing". The Compass 12's easy to use design offers a wide payload range, selectable pan and tilt drag settings, and illuminated bubble level in a compact, lightweight 75mm ball levelling fluid head.

The Miller range now includes the Compass 12, Compass 15, Compass 20 and the 100mm ball-based Compass 25 fluid heads.

The Compass models use the same fluid drag system components as its Arrow range. This results in soft take offs, stable pan/tilt moves and smooth stops in addition to several settings of distinct levels of drag resistance.

The 75mm fluid heads can take payloads of between 2-10kg for the Compass 12 and Compass 15 models and 2-12kg for Compass 20, while the 100mm Compass 25 has a selectable 4-14kg payload range.

A variety of system packages are available, from the 2-stage 75mm or 100mm alloy tripod to versatile 2-stage or 3-stage Solo DV/Solo ENG tripods to the quick deployment Sprinter 2-stage carbon fibre tripod.

To meet the setup demands of today’s highly accessorised DSLR, ENG and lightweight EFP and studio cameras, Miller has added an accessory mounting bracket to allow users to side mount camera accessories (monitors, lights, etc.) up to 3kg to all Compass and Arrow models.

One tripod we've had for several years is a Miller Solo, with an older head, which has been durable, easy to set up and comfortable to carry.

By David Fox

Gold Mount power for F3 + AF101

Anton/Bauer has introduced new battery packs for the Arri Alexa, Sony PMW-F3, Panasonic AG-AF100/AF101 and DSLRs.

The new additions to its Gold Mount system will include the QR-HotSwap-AR for Arri's Alexa digital camera system, the QR-Locaster for the Arri Locaster light, the QRC-Dual-PT for the Sony PMW-F3 camera, the QR-C80P for the Panasonic AG-HMC80 professional AVCCAM HD shoulder-mount camcorder, and the QRC-VBG for the Panasonic AF100/AF101 series HD camera.

Also new is the QR-DSLR for Canon's EOS 5D Mark II, 7D and 60D digital SLR cameras, which will run monitors, lights, transmitters and other accessories not possible with a standard OEM battery. It uses the Logic Series batteries and can mount to most third-party support rigs, such as Redrock Micro, Zacuto, Genus and Cinevate. It can also be configured in a pouch pack for handheld production.

“The key to our success and foundation of all of our technology begins with the Gold Mount System,” said Shin Minowa, VP of marketing and business development. He called the Gold Mount "the most secure mounting system available for professionals. The last thing Anton/Bauer Gold Mount users will have to worry about is a power failure because of a bad battery connection when shooting on location.”

The Gold Mount, which is claimed to be the industry's most widely used battery mount, is forward compatible to allow for new cell chemistries as they develop, allowing today's battery to perform seamlessly on a charger purchased ten years ago, with only a simple firmware upgrade. Central to the Gold Mount’s performance are three solid mechanical connections that lock into place, providing secure contact, with self-cleaning gold-plated pins rated for high current. It includes an InterActive Viewfinder Fuel Gauge communicating directly with the camera’s viewfinder.

By David Fox

Sky - Europe's greenest studios

The new Sky Studios, which started broadcasting recently, is Europe's most environmentally friendly broadcast centre. 

I visited the west London facility, which was  known as Harlequin 1, and talked to some of the people behind it, including Alistair Watters, Harlequin One programme director (pictured top).

It has eight studios (five of which will be in operation initially), 45 edit suites, 14 voice-over suites, four audio suites, on site post-production facilities, and room for some 1,370 staff.

Energy saving was a key priority, evident in its giant wind turbine on the roof, alongside all the heat-producing mechanical and electrical equipment normally found in studio basements – this use of natural air cooling extends to the studios and offices too. A Combined Cooling & Heating Power plant has also been built, which will provide about 20% of the complex's energy needs when it comes on line.

The green agenda also extended to demanding power savings from its broadcast equipment suppliers, and to devising smart ways of cooling racks of hardware.

Smart design was also applied to the infrastructure, to make it quick and easy for camera crews to shoot anywhere in the building, and to ensure the studios and galleries are as flexible as possible. To aid this, almost all of the galleries are identical, except for the Sky Sports News gallery (the first one to go into operation), which has more graphics. "It’s very bespoke. Equally it’s a gallery that works between two studios, and it has two galleries in one," said Darren Long, Director of Operations at Sky Sports (pictured in the master control room, which, unusually for such places, is filled with daylight).

Effectively one gallery area deals with the downstairs studio and another with upstairs. The smaller area allows the main gallery to work to the front desk while the downstairs studio shoots something for Sky News or does a pre record, "but when they swap from upstairs to downstairs they might want the smaller gallery to take control of upstairs so that they can swap all the infrastructure and everything to the downstairs area." This will allow them to change the look of Sky Sports News more easily throughout the day.

For the full behind-the-scenes report on how Sky Studios was developed, see my story from the July issue of TVBEurope.

By David Fox.

July 12, 2011

Arri releases Alexa Software Update 4

Arri has released the latest software update for its Alexa cameras. The Alexa Software Update Packet 4.0 provides new features and improvements for both the Alexa and Alexa Plus models.

The Alexa range is also expanding, with two more models due for release before the end of the year: the Alexa Studio, featuring an optical viewfinder and 4:3 sensor, and Alexa M, with a separate camera head for 3D applications and tight shooting environments.

The new software will allow users to apply a customized look to all Alexa outputs through an Arri Look File, which alters the way the camera image is converted to video colour spaces. For example Arri has designed a Low Contrast Curve Look File for those who do not want to deal with Log C but would like more dynamic range in a gradable video image.

There are also new SxS PRO card options, including the ability to playback audio. When playing back a clip, the audio is output as embedded audio on Rec Out, Mon Out, and as an analogue audio signal through the headphones jack. A new option to disable SxS recording switches off the compression and SxS boards inside Alexa but still outputs the HD-SDI record flag.

There is a new Auto White Balance option that can automatically determine the red/blue white balance and green/magenta CC values.

Anamorphic de-squeeze is the first Alexa feature to be enabled with the purchase of a license key, and allows images shot with 2x or 1.3x anamorphic lenses to be displayed in their proper aspect ratio on set, either in the viewfinder or on a monitor.

The new peaking focus check function makes it easier to determine if an area is in focus or not by highlighting everything that is in focus, either in the viewfinder or on a monitor.

The is also a false colour exposure check available in the viewfinder and the monitor output that will show accurate exposure levels for Log C images as well as Rec 709 and DCI P3.

Arri has also made fan improvements for hot shooting conditions, so that the Alexa will achieve silent running at ambient temperatures of up to +30°C with the fan set to ‘Regular’ mode. When it’s even hotter on set, ‘Rec Low’ mode runs the fan fast during standby to pre-cool the camera, but slowly and silently during recording.

There are also new image comparison options for the camera operator. Return In video has been enabled, allowing users to see a reference image such as a second camera feed or a previz image with VFX elements already added. In addition, a JPEG still image can be loaded from the SD card into the camera and displayed for comparison with the live image.

There are several new features of the update that are applicable only to the Alexa Plus: It will get Master/Slave lens motor control and 3D sync (so that the focus, zoom and iris on the slave camera lens precisely follows the lens on the master camera); Enhanced Lens Data System integration, so that LDS information can be displayed in the viewfinder or on the monitor, detailing the lens being used and its settings (non-LDS lenses can also be displayed if the lens profile has been added to the Lens Data Archive); and an electronic level or virtual horizon can be displayed on the monitor or in the viewfinder.

By David Fox

IDX V-Mount for AJA Ki Pro Mini

IDX Technology's new V-Mount sleeve and Mounting Adaptor simplifies attaching an AJA Ki Pro Mini digital recorder to a camera. The A-E2KPm is designed to securely house the Ki Pro Mini and mount conveniently to an ENG camera V-Mount connection.

It has an integral P-V2 plate that allows direct attachment of IDX 14.4v V-Mount Lithium Ion batteries to provide simultaneous power for both the Ki Pro Mini and the camera.

The A-E2KPm has a discreet four-pin XLR cable to pickup power from the battery and slot into the XLR power terminal at the base of the Ki Pro Mini. A two-pin D-Tap connector located on the side of the P-V2 supplies DC power directly from the attached battery to an on-board camera light or other DC operated accessory.

The rugged exterior and slim profile of the A-E2KPm provides secure housing while a hinged top hood offers protection to the flash card slots and LCD panel in poor weather conditions, allowing users to easily insert or remove media without removing the unit from the enclosure. Even when housed, the A-E2KPm provides full access to the Ki Pro Mini’s audio and HD-SDI video input and output sockets.

The A-E2KPm can also be mounted directly on IDX’s Shoulder Stabilisation System, without the use of 3rd party rod or rail mountings. It can simply be slotted to the chosen P-V series plate at the rear of the A-CA74E Shoulder Adaptor and powered using an attached IDX 14.4v V-Mount Li-ion battery.

By David Fox

Datavision low-cost LED lights

The distributor Holdan UK has introduced two new on-camera LED lights from Datavision that are higher performing and lower priced than the "extremely popular" low-cost units they replace.

The new Datavision 850 Lumens LED-130 (£99) and 1050 Lumens LED-170 (£129 - pictured) improve markedly on their predecessors. Light output is increased by 60% and 100% respectively, despite retaining the same light weight (237g) and small size (150x70x160mm).

However, the enhanced performance has come at the expense of additional power requirement – demanding an extra 2% and 4% respectively, meaning that the LED-130 draws a still tiny 7.8 Watts and the LED-170 draws just 10W.

"The outstanding brightness of the LED-130 at and of the LED-170 is down to a combination of using the latest generation of bulbs with improved electronics management," explained Richard Payne, Holdan's technical specialist. "LED products are proving so popular and the technology is evolving so quickly, that these new units are actually lower priced than earlier models."

The lights can be powered by six AA batteries, offer dimming control between 5% - 100%, and a battery level indicator - they can also be fitted with various Sony, Panasonic, Canon and Nikon batteries. The colour temperature of the lights is 5400K, but they can also output 3200K using a tungsten filter (included - as is a diffuser and magenta filter).

By David Fox

July 04, 2011

X-rated: Apple FCP X - an analysis

Final Cut Pro X is a radical revamp of the world's most popular broadcast editor, but that revamp isn't proving popular WITH broadcast editors.

As with most things Apple does, its release of FCP X has resulted in a lot of noise, heat and light (admittedly not so much of the latter). It appears that while FCP 7 users merely wanted a faster horse (with reins that could be controlled from their iPads, oh, and their tummies rubbed too…), Apple followed Henry Ford's dictum and just gave them something black (the deep, dark depths of despair).

Apple did amazingly well with Final Cut Pro 7. It sold more than two million copies (that's approaching $2bilion in revenue, plus all the high-end hardware needed to run it – and as there could have been another one or two million pirate copies in use, all running on Apple hardware, it was a significant earner). It had about 55% of the broadcast market, compared to less than 20% each for Adobe and Avid, and recorded 94% user satisfaction (which is high even by Apple's standards).

So, it would have been easy for Apple to just issue an incremental upgrade: FCP 8 – the same but faster (and 64-bit).

Instead, it jumped straight to ten. It abandoned its legacy programming in favour of all new clean code, hoping this can provide a platform for video editing for the next decade. In doing so it made some brave (ie foolish) decisions, and some courageous (ie correct) choices.

Some people have derided its decision to ditch legacy standards, such as the EDL (Edit Decision List). But how many people need an EDL any more? It was superseded years ago (by OMF, AAF, and XML – admittedly FCP X doesn't fully support them currently either).

Having tried FCP X, it really does have some wonderful features and makes FCP 7 (and almost every other NLE) look very old fashioned. If you shoot tapeless, don't have to export to AAF or produce an EDL (and very few of that 2m do), and aren't part of a workgroup, then X hits the spot.

If you need to do multicam editing, output to tape, or do multi-track audio recording, then it may not be ready for you, yet. But at a background briefing we went to, Apple promised that "you will see updates coming fast and furious, and significant updates every six months or so."

Multicam editing

There are some things that will be added in the next few iterations. Multicam editing may not be one of the first, because Apple's developers are still trying to find the perfect way of doing it. "We want to knock everybody's socks off and do it in an innovative way," we were told. Besides, it is not that difficult to do a multicam-style edit, we've worked around it in the past, and the main thing is to get the synchronisation right – and FCP X does that automatically – have a look at the YouTube video by Bill Savage below for a simple tutorial.



However, there are some things that Apple will leave to others to do, such as EDLs, playout to tape (where AJA and Blackmagic Design have already announced upgrades so that their interface users have full tape access), export to OMF and AAF (Automatic Duck has a solution –although it seems expensive), and film work (Cinema Tools is no more, and X doesn't even display feet and frames).

Most broadcast users should look at FCP X as a work in progress that may not be ready for serious use for them for at least six months, maybe a year. Some editors are angry that they may have to wait, or that much-needed features are no more, dismissing it as iMovie Pro; but FCP 7 still works – although anyone trying to buy a new license may have difficulty (resellers like Root6 report high demand for remaining copies of the old system). Unfortunately, projects created in FCP 7 can't (at least yet) be exported to X.

This does seem like a mistake. As FCP X is so obviously a work in progress (at least as far as its high-end features are concerned), why not continue selling FCP 7 until the end of the year, say, so that anyone that has started a project (a TV documentary series may take a few years in production) can add extra bodies if necessary to their post-production workflows as deadlines loom. I'm sure that exporting a project from 7 to X isn't going to be simple, as the two don't map straight onto each other, but it's not impossible. There may need to be user parameters to select (to set priorities or if/then choices), but wouldn't it be worth it to see all those happy, chubby-cheeked, tear-stained faces of editors as they find they can migrate all their past projects into one glossy new interface?

Apple's long game

FCP X is such a radical overhaul, requiring users to relearn many aspects of how they edit, and raises so many questions about how to replace missing features, that Avid and Adobe will relish the opportunity to win over any dissidents (and are already offering fantastic crossgrade deals); but Apple appears to be playing the long game here. It wants to be best for tapeless, for DSLRs, for ease of use, and can probably rely on increased sales to all those who've used iMovie and want more power (iMovie projects CAN be imported into X), at a significantly lower price (£180/$300) than FCP 7.

Besides, it is amazing what you can make half-baked software do. As trainer, Larry Jordan (pictured), pointed out at the FCPUG London SuperMeet, "Walter Murch edited Cold Mountain on Final Cut Pro 3, which didn't support output to film, but he won an Oscar."

Jordan believes that FCP X "will be perfect for some people out of the box, but not for everybody," particularly as it will take third parties time to test their software with X, maybe three months. Only a few major companies seem to have had pre-launch access to perfect their applications.

"We've got to give it time," he added. "There are some things I'm not going to use FCP X for [such as his multicam podcasts], but I will use it for others."

Related post: Apple ships Final Cut Pro X

David Fox

July 01, 2011

Blackmagic's DaVinci Resolve 8

DaVinci Resolve 8, billed as "a major new update to the world’s most advanced colour correction tool", is now available. New features include: stabilization, multi-layer timelines, XML round trip with Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro, OpenCL support, digital noise reduction, and auto 3D alignment.

Blackmagic Design claims it is the most widely used colour grading system for Hollywood feature films, commercials and TV shows.

It now works better with editing systems and gives graders more editing tools. Its new XML import/export combined with the multi layer timeline lets complex sequences from Final Cut Pro 7 and Premiere Pro be imported, graded and exported directly back into the NLE, with all the graded shots and the layer structure intact. If the edit is changed, Resolve 8 will automatically relink all the clips so the grades are preserved.

It has also added a variety of editorial tools, such as the ability to deal with placeholder effects (and can force a conform even if it doesn't fit with the timecode). Clips can be adjusted and relocated, and it supports a lot of new transition types, so they can be changed during grading.

Its new noise reduction is GPU accelerated. "It basically uses just one slider," explained Alexis Van Hurkman, author of the Color Correction Handbook, who demonstrated it at last week's FCPUG London SuperMeet. "There is a second slider for quality, and the higher the number the less processor power is needed, but a value of three is suitable for just about any situation," he found. It is also possible to blend between the noise reduced and the original version.

"You can also control where the operations happen, so you can do a noise correction before or after your main grade." He's found that whether one or the other works better depends on the media. Users can also limit the noise reduction to a shape, or matte or colour.

Also new are hue curves. Users sample an area of an image, and apply the curve. "It gives fast results and the edges roll off really nicely," he said. It is part of a simplified interface, to help editors adapt to Resolve. Its Curve Grading works the same way as editing software grading, but with the ability to customise the curves and give greater control with a variety of hue, saturation and luminance controls.

There is also a "very flexible" RGB mixer, which he demonstrated creating various greyscale (monochrome) effects with just three sliders.

DaVinci's tracking technology has been extended to also do multi point image stabilization. "It has a very high quality scaler, so it can handle the necessary zoom too," said Van Hurkman.

For stereoscopic 3D work, Resolve 8 has a powerful new automatic image alignment tool that aligns images between cameras.

It analyses hundreds of individual image points, so that the image is perfectly aligned between eyes, to produce sharper, more vibrant 3D images. Alignment takes seconds per shot and is completely automatic, so the colourist doesn't need to select any settings.

Resolve now has OpenCL image processing, for GPU acceleration, allowing real time processing in HD. While OpenCL is not as powerful as the CUDA processing it also offers, it allows a wider variety of computers to be used for grading, such as Apple's iMac and MacBook Pro.

Resolve 8 also supports the Avid Artist Color, Tangent Wave and JL Copper control panels and offers ALE export to relink graded DNxHD files back into Avid editors.

For productions shot on the Red Epic, Resolve 8 can also support Epic's HDRx high dynamic range mode.

The $995 software is a free upgrade for existing DaVinci Resolve users.

By David Fox