AJA Announces Ki Pro Mini, MSRP $1995

S

Sumfun

Veteran
This was already mentioned in another thread, but I thought it was important enough to get its own thread. Records 10-bits ProRes 422 to compact flash for less than $2k! I think it will definitely give the Nanoflash and HPG20 a run for their money.

Here's the press release:

http://www.aja.com/news/index_article.php?id=125

AJA Announces Ki Pro Mini, Portable File-Based Recorder at IBC 2010
September 10, 2010

Miniature 10-bit 4:2:2 flash disk recorder mounts easily on digital cameras and accessories

Amsterdam, Netherlands, IBC Conference Stand 7.F11 (September 10, 2010)--AJA Video Systems brought production and post one step closer together today with the introduction of Ki Pro Mini, a smaller, lighter version of its breakthrough portable tapeless recorder that captures to the Apple ProRes 422 codec directly from camera. The highly portable Ki Pro Mini flash disk recorder mounts easily to digital cameras and accessories, enabling it to fit unobtrusively in small spaces for on-set capture of 10-bit 4:2:2 files that are immediately ready for editing.

Ki Pro Mini offers a small form factor, support for SDI & HDMI cameras and key features including:

10-bit full-raster recording to Apple ProRes 422 SD and HD formats (including HQ, LT and Proxy)
Recording of SD/HD files from digital video cameras to Compact Flash (CF) cards
Mac OS X friendly media and native QuickTime files--no log-and-capture required
Professional video connectivity through SD/HD SDI and HDMI I/O
2 channels of balanced XLR audio with switch selectable line/mic levels
8 channels of embedded digital audio over SDI and HDMI
Flexible control options including familiar front panel and web browser interfaces
Optional Ki Pro Mini Mounting Plates that attach to hot shoes, battery plates and virtually any other accessory bracket
Aircraft-grade aluminum construction that delivers light weight and maximum ruggedness
Ki Pro Mini supports a streamlined Apple file-based production-to-post workflow, recording native Apple ProRes 422 QuickTime files onto CF cards, which are formatted as HFS+ volumes that are instantly connected to a Mac computer via off-the-shelf CF card readers.

“Anywhere a camera can go, Ki Pro Mini can follow,” said AJA President Nick Rashby. “It’s smaller than some battery packs and mounts to virtually everything. We designed Ki Pro Mini for any sized production that needs seamless 10-bit file-based acquisition-- it’s about extreme portability and going from lens to post in a flash.”

Ki Pro Mini is planned for availability in October and US MSRP is $1995. For a complete set of features and technical specifications, please visit www.aja.com.
 
That looks really awesome and at a great price point... but there is really nothing "mini" about this. Guess it depends to what you compare it, lol.
 
JesterJJZ said:
Well, AJA just killed the Nanoflosh.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't go quite that far, but this is definitely a shot across the bow. Not everyone can work with .MOV files easily, and there are a lot of people who are already invested into a Sony MXF/XDCam workflow. The KiPro doesn't fit into that too well.
 
PerroneFord said:
Not everyone can work with .MOV files easily, and there are a lot of people who are already invested into a Sony MXF/XDCam workflow. The KiPro doesn't fit into that too well.
Click to expand...
Hmm? Both record stream from HD-SDI/HDMI. One can compress XDCAM or IFrame, second compresses to ProRes. mov is a container. the only difference is the type of compression. they both record to the same media.
 
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Some editing programs struggle with the .mov format (Vegas is AWFUL, CS4 isn't so hot either) so this may not be the best solution for people on those platforms.
 
Plus you have to take into account that although a lot of NLE's can work with ProRes it's a one way deal only - meaning they can read it but are not allowed to write ProRes. Not a deal-breaker by any stretch, but using a codec that is limited in that way makes it a little less attractive.
 
Both the Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini have a gig ethernet port. Does anybody know whether this could be used to write to a network attached storage device using NFS, AFP, SMB or any other network filing protocol?
 
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