News

September 16, 2013

Blackmagic Design announced ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K, a new extremely advanced Ultra HD live production switcher with 6G-SDI technology for only 2.275 EUR.

The new ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K are being demonstrated on the Blackmagic Design IBC 2013 booth in Hall 7, Stand H20.

At NAB 2013 in Las Vegas, Blackmagic Design introduced the ATEM Production Studio 4K, the world’s first Ultra HD live production switcher. Now this new advanced ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K model will provide customers with added features such as 10 independent 6G-SDI inputs each with frame sync, built in DVE with zoom, scale and rotate, 4 upstream chroma keyers, 3 independent aux outputs with front panel control and a larger media pool that holds both still frame graphics as well as motion video clips.

The current ATEM Production Studio 4K model will be reduced in price to 1.555 EUR.

The new ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K lets customers connect up to 10 x SD, HD or Ultra HD 4K video cameras, disk recorders and computers for live production. The advanced ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K includes all the features expected from a professional switcher, including 4 chroma keyers, built in full motion DVE, transitions, large media pool, 2 downstream keyers, 3 independent aux outputs, built in multi channel audio mixer, multi view, re-sync on all video inputs and all connections feature the latest 6G-SDI and HDMI 4K video technology.

The much larger media pool on the ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K allows 32 still frames with fill and key in Ultra HD as well as 180 frames of full motion clips with fill and key Ultra HD. When switched to 1080p or 1080i video formats the media pool allows 720 frames of full motion clips. The built in media pool means customers don’t need to run large and expensive external graphics servers with the ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K because of the large media pool memory the 2 built in media players allows, plus the included Photoshop plug-in allows all on air graphic’s management to be built into the switcher itself.

With a built in powerful DVE processor, even when running in Ultra HD, the customers can get full position, resize, scale and rotation of any live video source. The built in DVE can be used for positioning of graphics, for picture in picture presentations or for use in exciting DVE based transitions. ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K also includes support for using the media pool based graphics with the DVE for exciting stinger transitions.

ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K lets customers work and master to Ultra HD when used with the HyperDeck Studio Pro, which has Ultra HD and 6G-SDI support. This allows important events to be captured in the television format of the future and is perfect for live music events, sporting events, theatre productions, program production, conferences and more.

Ultra HD is four times the resolution of regular high definition video for a massive 3840 x 2160 frame size. Blackmagic Design was the first company in the world to ship products using the new 6G-SDI and HDMI 4K video connections so customers can now purchase a range of products that effortlessly handle Ultra HD. Even when operating in Ultra HD every input of the ATEM switchers includes a full frame synchronizer allowing the use of non genlock sources such as computers. There is also a high definition down converted HD-SDI program output for when the switcher is operating in Ultra HD formats, but a regular HD program feed is required.

The ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K features a strong and elegant machined aluminum front design. The front panel key pad lets customers select between routing to each of the 3 auxiliary outputs, and the built in LCD screen provides instant feedback on the status of the auxiliary outputs. The aux switching is also a valuable tech monitoring tool for setting up and for live aux switching during production.

The ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K includes the ATEM Software Control Panel for both Mac and Windows that provides complete control of the switcher from a laptop or desktop computer. If customers prefer working with a traditional hardware control panel they can add either a ATEM 1 M/E Broadcast Panel or ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Panel.

ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K features built in multi view monitoring so customers can view sources on a single SDI monitor or HDMI TV and multi view includes independent views for program, preview and 8 customizable switcher sources. ATEM Production Studio 4K uses an aviation grade operating system that ensures mission critical reliability, unlike cheap computer based switchers that interrupt video if the computer crashes. With ATEM Production Studio 4K there will still be video output even if one of the control panels loses power or crashes, so the live event is protected from any potential problems.

“With new Ultra HD televisions hitting the market, consumers are gearing up for an amazing transition into a cinema viewing experience in the home! We think this is an exciting revolution that is only just starting, however the primary problem is content creation,” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “Live production is the fastest way to generate massive amounts of Ultra HD content quickly and live events offer some of the most exciting sources for entertainment that will take advantage of the increased resolution of Ultra HD images. ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K is perfect for this market and we think it will become the center of Ultra HD live production.”

ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K Key Features

• Full live production switcher with media players, chroma keying, transitions and more.

• Switcher can be selected between SD, HD and Ultra HD video formats instantly.

• Built in multi view lets you see 8 sources, preview and program on an HD-SDI and HDMI output.

• 10 Inputs total with 10 6G-SDI and 1 HDMI inputs. All inputs feature auto re-sync.

• 2 6G-SDI program outputs, 1 HDMI 4K program out and 1 down converted HD-SDI program output.

• Built in media pool graphics storage for 32 RGBA Ultra HD stills and 180 frame Ultra HD clips.

• Built in full motion 2D DVE with position, scale, resize and rotate features.

• 2 media players allow graphics to be connected to keyers for fill and key layering.

• Transitions include cut, mix, dip to color, SMPTE wipes and more.

• 4 upstream keyers include chroma keyer and 2 downstream keyers are included.

• 3 auxiliary outputs include front panel aux switching buttons and LCD screen for viewing.

• Built in audio mixer live mixes embedded audio from all video inputs and independent audio inputs.

• Balanced XLR stereo analog audio inputs and 1 HiFi RCA stereo audio inputs into built in audio mixer.

• Audio mixer is output onto balanced XLR audio outputs and on all video outputs.

• Internal sources include black, color bars, two color generators and media pool.

• Ethernet connection for control panel connection. Mac and Windows control panel software included.

• Compatible with all ATEM Broadcast Panel control panels when hardware panel is required.

• Black Burst and HD-Tri-Sync genlock input.

• Compact 1 rack unit size for a portable solution.

Availability and Price

ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K will be available in October for 2.275 EUR. The current ATEM Production Studio 4K model will reduce in price to 1.555 EUR

Press Photography

Product photos of the ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K, and all other 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.

September 15, 2013

Blackmagic Design announced three new models of Mini Converter designed to ease the transition into Ultra HD workflows and to allow lower cost Ultra HD studios to be built. These new models are fully compatible with SD, HD and Ultra HD equipment and automatically switch between video formats. The new Mini Converter Optical Fiber 4K, Mini Converter SDI to HDMI 4K and the Mini Converter SDI Multiplex 4K will retail for 475 EUR each.

The new Ultra HD Mini Converters with 6G-SDI will be shown on the Blackmagic Design IBC 2013 booth in Hall 7, Stand H20.

Mini Converter Optical Fiber is a new optical fiber bidirectional mini converter that includes 6G-SDI and 6 Gb/s optical fiber for automatic switching between all SD, HD and Ultra HD television standards. This model is a more advanced 6G-SDI version of the original Mini Converter Optical Fiber model which operates up to 3G-SDI which will now be reduced to 275 EUR as a lower cost model. Mini Converter Optical Fiber 4K will retail for 475 EUR.

The new model of Mini Converter SDI to HDMI 4K is a SDI to HDMI converter that features 4 SDI inputs that allow support for Ultra HD video inputs using a single link 6G-SDI, dual link 3G-SDI and quad link HD-SDI connections. Although this model allows Ultra HD monitoring using a single 6G-SDI connection, some older equipment still uses 4 HD-SDI connections to connect Ultra HD devices and Mini Converter SDI to HDMI 4K supports these formats using its 4 SDI inputs.

The new Mini Converter SDI Multiplex 4K, features four SDI inputs and four SDI outputs allowing conversion to and from quad link HD-SDI, dual link 3 Gb/s SDI and now single link 6G-SDI video connections. This model can also handle different types of Ultra HD SDI connections as well as performing 4:4:4 Single Link and Dual Link 4:4:4 conversions. This model is perfect for interfacing between the latest 6G-SDI Ultra HD products and older Ultra HD equipment such as displays that use 4 separate HD-SDI connections.

“With exciting new Ultra HD workflows based on 6G-SDI technology and products such as Blackmagic Design’s ATEM Production Studio family of live production switchers, there is a vital need to interface into various types of broadcast systems and between Ultra HD equipment. These new mini converters will now allow 6G-SDI workflows and Ultra HD production to be easier than ever!” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “These new converters are fully compatible with other Ultra HD and 6G-SDI equipment from Blackmagic Design such as the new ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio, HyperDeck Studio Pro, UltraStudio 4K and Blackmagic Audio Monitor! Now it’s possible to build a whole Ultra HD production studio at dramatically low cost and with the simplicity of a single BNC connection between devices!”

Availability and Price

Mini Converter Optical Fiber 4K, Mini Converter SDI to HDMI 4K and the Mini Converter SDI Multiplex 4K will be available for 475 EUR in October.

Press Photography

Product photos of the the new Ultra HD Mini Converters, and all other 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 DaVinci Emmy™ award winning 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, UK, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. For more information, please check www.blackmagicdesign.com.

September 14, 2013

Blackmagic Design announced the immediate availability of HyperDeck Software Update 4.0, a new update for the HyperDeck Studio Pro broadcast recorder. This update adds support for additional Apple ProRes file formats, ProRes 422, ProRes 422 (LT) and ProRes (Proxy).

HyperDeck Studio Pro is being shown on the Blackmagic Design IBC 2013 booth in Hall 7, Booth H20.

HyperDeck Studio Pro customers can already record and playback in uncompressed, or compressed ProRes 422 (HQ) and DNxHD formats. This new software update allows them to use three additional ProRes formats, ProRes 422, ProRes 422(LT) and ProRes 422 (Proxy). These additional formats provide customers with significantly reduced video file sizes while preserving full frame 10-bit 4:2:2 quality.

Customers can choose dramatically longer recording times on the same low cost SSD drives while still recording high quality video in all SD, HD or Ultra HD resolutions. Selecting the type of ProRes format for recording can be set via the built in on screen menus and all ProRes types can be played back automatically.

The Apple ProRes 422 formats are designed specifically for multi-stream playback, minimal generation loss and fast export, making them very popular video file formats for post production and broadcast. All ProRes files recorded with HyperDeck Studio Pro can be opened directly in Apple Final Cut Pro X for immediate editing.

"It’s exciting to be adding more versions of Apple ProRes to HyperDeck Studio Pro, giving our customers the choice to work in an even greater variety of compressed formats to suit their projects and workflow," said Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design. "ProRes 422(HQ) is an amazing quality codec and incredibly popular with HyperDeck users, now with the extra options like ProRes 422 (Proxy) it’s possible to record over 24 hours of 1080HD video in a single 480GB SSD drive! Combined with the continuous recording technology of the HyperDeck Studio Pro, means you could record for 2 days non stop before swapping out the SSD drives! This versatility combined with cost effective SSD technology makes HyperDeck Studio Pro an even more compelling replacement for aging decks in fast paced broadcast and live production environments.”

About HyperDeck

HyperDeck Studio Pro is a broadcast deck SSD recorder, that let customers record and play back the highest quality uncompressed and compressed video format’s using fast 2.5” SSD’s. HyperDeck Studio Pro records and plays back uncompressed, compressed ProRes or DNxHD formats. HyperDeck Studio Pro features dual SSD slots and a beautiful user friendly VTR style design with function buttons, a control wheel for jog and shuttle, plus external RS-422 emulated control.

The high resolution LCD screen displays timecode and transport information, plus a full color thumbnail preview of the current clip in record and playback. Crystal look buttons give customers full transport control just like a broadcast deck. HyperDeck Studio Pro features single link 6G-SDI giving customers Ultra HD recording and play back from a single SSD!

Availability and Price

HyperDeck Software Update 4.0 is available now for download free of charge from the Blackmagic Design website for HyperDeck Studio Pro customers.

Press Photography

Product photos of the HyperDeck Studio Pro, and all other 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.

September 14, 2013


Blackmagic Design announced SmartScope Duo 4K, an updated model of its SmartScope Duo that now includes 6G-SDI for Ultra HD support.

SmartScope Duo 4K is a unique dual rack monitor that allows a range of broadcast accurate waveform monitoring on 2 large 8 inch LCD screens of any SD, HD and Ultra HD video source. SmartScope Duo 4K replaces the previous SmartScope Duo model and is available now for only US$995.

SmartScope Duo 4K will be demonstrated on the Blackmagic Design IBC 2013 booth in Hall 7, Stand H20.

SmartScope Duo 4K features two large 8 inch LCD screens in a compact rack mount design that is less than an inch thick. SmartScope Duo 4K includes powerful image processing allowing each of the two screens to be independently selected between video monitoring and waveform monitoring of any SD, HD and Ultra HD video source. There are 7 types of waveform display that can be selected by the user, including waveform, vectorscope, RGB parade, YUV parade, histogram and an audio scope with 16 channels of SDI audio and audio phase meter.

SmartScope Duo 4K is a perfect solution for general video monitoring as it handles virtually all SD, HD and Ultra HD video standards via its 6G-SDI inputs and all screens can be remotely adjusted via the customer’s Ethernet network. SmartScope Duo 4K can be installed into equipment racks for local monitoring in post production, or for multi monitor video walls in master control rooms or for camera monitoring for production switchers!

One of the main difficulties when installing multiple monitors is attempting to match color settings on all monitors. SmartScope Duo 4K eliminates this problem by connecting to an Ethernet network using the included Mac and Windows software to adjust all your monitors from one central location. This utility also lets customers choose between monitoring video or the various types of scope views.

SmartScope Duo 4K includes full tally features so it is perfect for live broadcasters. Unlike a simple tally light, SmartScope Duo 4K includes tally borders that can be independently displayed in red, green or blue. Each screen features an independent tally in the three colors so customers can signal to the user more information than a simple on air status. Tally is connected via a standard parallel pin connector on the rear of SmartScope Duo 4K and provides full contact closure compatibility with all switcher and automation systems.

"In the past high quality broadcast accurate waveform monitoring has always been extremely high cost and physically large and cumbersome," said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. "We think SmartScope Duo 4K is the perfect solution, as it builds broadcast accurate scopes into the monitor itself, so customers can simply choose between monitoring video, or one of the 7 scope types built into the product! This is the perfect solution for monitoring cameras with our new Ultra HD 6G-SDI based live production switchers!"

SmartScope Duo Key Features

• 2 independent 8 inch LCD displays in a 3 rack unit size chassis, less than 1 inch thick.

• 6G-SDI inputs for SD, HD and Ultra HD monitoring, with re clocked loop outputs.

• Ethernet input with loop output for connecting to computers for central adjustments.

• Tally input for each monitor allowing red, green or blue tally indication.

• Control software panel included free for Windows and Mac OS X.

• Full 10-bit data path and image scaling for high quality displays.

• Idea for use in broadcast, post production and camera monitoring for switchers.

Availability and Price

SmartScope Duo 4K is available now for 785 EUR.

Press Photography

Product photos of the SmartScope Duo 4K, and all other 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.

September 13, 2013

Blackmagic Design announced Desktop Video 10, a major new software update for its UltraStudio 4K and DeckLink 4K Extreme capture and playback products that replaces all processing with a wholly new design. This new software update allows for innovative features such as simultaneous capture and playback and will be available in October free of charge.

UltraStudio 4K running simultaneous capture and playback will be demonstrated with DaVinci Resolve 10 on the Blackmagic Design IBC 2013 booth in Hall 7, Stand H20. This demonstration will show live capture, color grading and then output live on the single UltraStudio 4K.

After 11 years of shipping thousands of capture and playback products for Mac, Windows and Linux, it was time to redesign the firmware and drivers to allow a new generation of features and performance. This new architecture has been designed from the ground up to be optimized for high speed Thunderbolt and PCIe computers and the new emerging Ultra HD television formats that require massive data speeds to support. This new design has also been driven by the needs of high end DaVinci Resolve customers who are working on high end feature films.

The new design replaces the entire driver set and internal processing in the UltraStudio 4K and DeckLink 4K Extreme models. This change is a purely modern design that allows exciting features such as capture and playback at the same time and in different video formats. The new design features almost zero latency, depending on the host computer for the highest performance Direct GPU support.

DaVinci Resolve 10 customers will benefit from the capture and playback support as this lets them capture direct from cameras on set, then grade the live video with multiple nodes of correction and then to output to an on set monitor all live. This makes lighting a film set easy and allows DOP’s, directors and colorists to work together to optimize the film’s look on set. Other features included in Desktop Video 10 for DaVinci Resolve include new frame buffers supporting R10K RGB, 12 bit support, higher frame rates and much more.

OEM developers will also like multiple new features to help support custom system development. These new features include full frame genlock timing, closed caption in all bit rates, automatic input detection support, better CRC input checking, extremely low latency and Direct GPU support, plus the ability to write pixels direct into frame buffers and the ability to write their own custom drivers.

About UltraStudio 4K

UltraStudio 4K, an attractively designed rack mount capture and playback device based on Thunderbolt™ technology developed by Intel® with collaboration from Apple®. UltraStudio 4K instantly switches between all SD, HD and Ultra HD video formats, supports dual stream 3D capture/playback, and includes a modern 12 bit hardware architecture, Dual Link 6G-SDI, HDMI 4K, support for up to 1080p60 and a wide range of SDI, HDMI and analog video and audio connections all for only US$995. UltraStudio 4K is the ideal solution for all post production and broadcast users when working on design, editing, paint, color correction and effects tasks.

About DeckLink 4K Extreme

DeckLink 4K Extreme is a high performance PCIe based capture and playback card that instantly switches between all SD, HD and Ultra HD video formats, supports dual stream 3D capture/playback, and includes a modern 12 bit hardware architecture.

DeckLink 4K Extreme features powerful features such as Dual Link 6G-SDI, HDMI 4K, support for up to 1080p60 and a wide range of SDI, HDMI and analog video and audio connections all for only US$995. DeckLink 4K Extreme is the perfect solution that can be installed inside high performance workstations for broadcast design, editing, paint, color correction, visual effects and more.

“We have been working on this new design for a long long time and its exciting to show it at IBC working with DaVinci Resolve 10” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “The previous driver and firmware design for our capture and playback products had served us well over the last 11 years, however it’s now time to start again by throwing away the old code and engineer a totally new design that includes all our exciting ideas into this new design. This new design is a complete reinvention of the desktop video products and is what UltraStudio 4K and DeckLink 4K Extreme were designed for. We have already seeded this update to developers and they are very excited by this update and we think customers will also love it too!”

Availability and Price

Desktop Video 10 for UltraStudio 4K and DeckLink 4K Extreme will be available in October free of charge.

Press Photography

Product photos of the UltraStudio 4K and DeckLink 4K Extreme, as well as all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/press/resources/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, 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 DaVinci Emmy™ award winning 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, UK, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. For more information, please check www.blackmagicdesign.com.