News

Press Release

Blackmagic Design today that Singapore based Hoods Inc. Productions is shooting “Knockout Carnival,” Singapore’s highest rated and longest running weekly television series focusing on the arts, with Blackmagic Cinema Camera.

“Knockout Carnival” features exciting arts how to’s, news and competitions for children, youth and families. With tight weekly deadlines and the need to provide high quality images for a wide broadcast audience, series producers chose Blackmagic Cinema Camera because it provides both beautiful footage and could facilitate their workflow without any loss in quality.

With a top notch cast and crew using Blackmagic Cinema Camera, it now only takes up to two days to film a single episode, with all footage recorded as 10-bit Apple ProRes 422 files via the camera’s internal SSD recorder to ensure a seamless post production process.

“Having the footage recorded in Apple ProRes 422 saves a lot of time as it is a format accepted in the editing software that we use. This means that the editor is able to start editing immediately. Also, there is no need to spend time ingesting or digitizing the clips again, which is crucial for timeliness when delivering 52 episodes a year,” said Bratina Tay, executive producer of the series. “Unlike in the past when we had to archive both the original footage and digitized footage, the Blackmagic Cinema Camera eliminates the need for twice as much time and storage space.”



“All clips are easily previewed and renamed using Preview and Finder, and there's no need to install any special codec or a special program to watch them. When editing, the clips can play smoothly on the timeline. We save time, storage space and money compared to our past workflows, and it works very well for this series,” said Deanna Tan, post production supervisor, Hoods Inc. Productions.

For monitoring, Blackmagic Cinema Camera is connected to an external LCD monitor via the camera’s built in SDI port. The crew also monitors the audio tone and signal on a laptop running the included Blackmagic UltraScope waveform monitoring software, which is connected to Blackmagic Cinema Camera via a Thunderbolt cable to make sure everything complies with the broadcaster’s technical requirements.

Tan Yean Loon, the cinematographer who has been shooting the series with Blackmagic Cinema Camera said: “My favorite feature is the simplicity of the camera. I put on a lens, slide in an SSD, adjust white balance, shutter speed, iris and focus, and I'm good to go. The clean and simple menu design is brilliant.”

Press Photography
Product photos of all Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/press/images.

About Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and film restoration software for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including stereoscopic 3D and 4K workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. For more information, please check www.blackmagicdesign.com.

Blackmagic Design released Desktop Video 9.7.7 for its Broadcast Converter, DeckLink, H.264 Pro Recorder, Intensity, Multibridge and UltraStudio product lines.

New in this update:
• New 4K DCI modes for DeckLink 4K Extreme and UltraStudio 4K
• HDMI improvements for DeckLink 4K Extreme and UltraStudio 4K
• Support for UltraStudio Mini Recorder and DeckLink Mini Recorder with Avid Media Composer

To access this update, visit Blackmagic Design's Support page and select any product that includes Desktop Video (i.e. DeckLink).

Prolonged to 31 December 2013!

Customers purchasing a AG-AC160AEJ or a AG-AC130AEJ camcorder are eligible for an immediate price discount of 150 EUR (incl. VAT) on AG-AC160AEJ and 100 EUR (incl. VAT) on AG-AC130AEJ, respectively. This promotion is valid until October 31, 2013. For a limited time only, customers can also save up to the value of 100 EUR (incl. VAT) on the accessories of their choice when purchasing a AG-AC90EJ camcorder, until 30 September 2013. When purchasing an AG-HPX250EJ or an AG-HPX255EJ camcorder along with one or more microP2 cards (either 32GB or 64GB models – AJ-P2M032AG or AJ-P2M064AG), customers will receive one microP2 Card adapter AJ-P2AD1G for free. This promotion is valid until September 30, 2013.

We have the new Blackmagic Cinema Camera with MFT in stock!

Press Release

NewTek shipped the next-generation of its entry-level TriCaster 40, a complete HD multi-camera video production studio that enables anyone to create professional streaming television on a small budget. Version 2 of TriCaster 40 gives students, schools, corporate video departments, small organizations and communities, video bloggers, and independent producers unprecedented access to the same production capabilities used by major networks – including customizable animated transitions, network-style titles and graphics, improved file interoperability and much more.

“At NewTek, we are constantly striving to help people with ideas use video in new ways, so that they can tell stories and make a big impact when sharing them with the world,” said Dr. Andrew Cross, Chief Technology Officer at NewTek. “Our next-generation TriCaster 40 gives the most budget-conscious storytellers a whole new class of professional tools, which if purchased individually, would each cost far more than the TriCaster 40 itself. This means that financial limitations no longer hamper creative storytelling. Anyone can use TriCaster 40 to turn a live event into a video production that rivals the pristine look of a network broadcast.”



TriCaster 40: What’s New

With a broad range of new production capabilities, TriCaster 40 now enables video producers to create stunning HD television-style video broadcasts. Users can look forward to:

– Creating more engaging content with network-style, highly designed visuals that deliver a polished, post-production look to live productions, in real time;

– Creating and customizing transitions and effects, using the now included Animation Store Creator to produce full color full motion overlays, audio for both directions and even warped video mapped against any 3D surface for the highest-impact presentations possible;

– Adding a dedicated title station inside the TriCaster, with the included LiveText application onboard for creating unique HD titles and graphics with hundreds of pre-loaded templates, displaying real-time data, and using vector-based drawing tools and extensive text options for designing custom graphics;

– Enhancing the viewing experience with new video formats, recording options and session resolutions to reach more viewers on the platforms they watch;

– Maximizing production efficiency and minimizing disruptions with new workflows for capturing to disk and exporting to external applications for the smoothest content creation; and,

– Improving visual quality and consistency, correcting for variances in the video signal on every input, and tightly calibrating white, black and color levels for every source to broadcast-acceptable standards with preview scopes.

Pricing and Availability
Existing TriCaster 40 customers can purchase the TriCaster 40 version 2 software immediately for $995 US MSRP. From now until July 12, 2013, TriCaster 40 systems can be purchased for $4,995 US MSRP, with the option to upgrade to version 2 software for $995 US MSRP. Beginning July 12, all TriCaster 40 systems will include the version 2 software, at which time the new system price will increase to $5,995 US MSRP. An optional control surface for TriCaster 40 is available for $1,995 US MSRP. International pricing may vary. For more information, please visit www.newtek.com, or call NewTek Sales at 800-368-5441. International callers dial +1-210-370-8000.

About NewTek
NewTek is transforming the way people create network-style television content and share it with the world. From sporting events, Web-based talk shows, live entertainment, classrooms, and corporate communications—to virtually any venue where people want to capture and publish live video, we give our customers the power to grow their audiences, brands and businesses, faster than ever before.