Ki Pro Quad Supporting 4K and 2K Recording Announced by AJA

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In case this got overlooked with all the other news out of NAB...

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AJA Announces Ki Pro Quad Supporting 4K and 2K Recording​
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Ki Pro Quad Delivers Future-Proof Recording, Making 4K Workflows Efficient, Affordable and Portable

Las Vegas, NV, NAB Conference, Booth SL3305 (April 16, 2012)-AJA Video Systems announced Ki Pro Quad, a new solid-state portable video recorder at NAB Show 2012. Ki Pro Quad is capable of capturing high-quality edit-ready files in formats including 4K (4096 x 2160), Quad HD (3840 x 2160), 2K (2048 x 1080), and HD (1920 x 1080), for the fastest path from camera-to-editorial with 10-bit 4:4:4 and 10-bit 4:2:2 color support.

"I believe a Ki Pro Quad, a Canon EOS C500 and a ThunderboltTM-enabled Mac will revolutionize the industry, delivering a powerful, portable and cost-effective gear solution for premium Hollywood filmmakers," said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A.

Ki Pro Quad helps facilitate a powerful workflow for 4K, accepting RAW camera output via SDI simultaneously outputting that data via ThunderboltTM. The recorder also performs debayer processing of the RAW data that can be used to produce on-board Apple ProRes recordings to SSD media. HD, 2K and 4K ProRes files recorded to removable SSD media may easily be used in a variety of popular non-linear editors. The debayered image produced by the Ki Pro Quad can also be used for 4K monitoring in real time. A scaled or cropped output is also simultaneously available for 2K or HD monitoring via dedicated SDI and HDMI connections.

"We have been working very closely with Canon Inc. headquarters in Japan to optimize performance between Canon's upcoming Cinema EOS C500 digital cinema camera and our Ki Pro Quad," said Nick Rashby, President, AJA Video Systems. "Ki Pro Quad offers some amazing new ways of working; by creating post-friendly files to removable SSDs, moving the original camera RAW files to a Mac, and allowing 4K monitoring all at the same time. Regardless of what your production needs may be today, Ki Pro Quad will have you covered for future workflow needs as well."

Ki Pro Quad Overview:

* 4K/Quad HD/2K/HD Solid State Video Recorder
* Supports 10-bit 4:4:4 and 10-bit 4:2:2
* RAW support
o Debayer and ProRes encode to on-board SSD
o Realtime pass-through of RAW data via Thunderbolt
* Uncompressed and debayered 4K monitoring output
* Dedicated HD monitoring via SDI and HDMI
* Record to edit-friendly 4K, 2K, or HD ProRes files on removable SSD media
* Offload ProRes files to your non-linear edit system via AJA Thunderbolt SSD reader

Ki Pro Quad Workflow:

* Camera outputs 4K RAW over SDI
* Ki Pro Quad accepts 4K RAW over SDI
* Ki Pro Quad performs debayer processing of RAW
* Debayered image is used for on-board compressed recordings to SSD media
* Debayered image is used for 4K monitoring output
* Debayered image is used for scaled/cropped HD monitoring via SDI and HDMI
* RAW signal is passed from camera to Ki Pro Quad and out via Thunderbolt to computer/storage
* Further manipulation of RAW is made possible via Canon software tools
* HD, 2K, and 4K compressed recordings made to SSD media may be used directly in popular non-linear editors

Ki Pro Quad will be available later in 2012 through AJA's worldwide network of resellers for an MSRP of $3,995 US. For a complete set of features and technical specifications, please visit www.aja.com.


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[size=+1]BlackMagic Digital Camera Info:[/size] http://www.bmcuser.com/showthread.p...mera-Technology-Announcements-amp-Latest-Info
 
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Saw the KiPro Quad at NAB. Imagine a slightly larger KiPro Mini with a small LCD screen on it, and you've got the idea.

Personally, I find the form factor a bit of a turn off, but Aja really delivers when it comes to firmware updates and supporting their products. If I were in the market for a 4K recorder, this would be near the top of my list. (Codex looks really nice as well.)
 
The thing I dont get about this product is that it doesn't record the Raw image it compresses it to prores. The only way you can get raw out of it is via a tether from the thunderbolt to a mac!! this seems crazy, isnt half the benifit of the camera the raw format and being able to adjust iso and white balance after the fact? Once in prores you loose that ability.
 
EndCredits said:
The thing I dont get about this product is that it doesn't record the Raw image it compresses it to prores. The only way you can get raw out of it is via a tether from the thunderbolt to a mac!! this seems crazy, isnt half the benifit of the camera the raw format and being able to adjust iso and white balance after the fact? Once in prores you loose that ability.
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Yeah, I’m not in the market for 4K at the moment but this would defeat the purpose for me as well, especially as a future-proofing purchase, which they advertise it as. I think it’s an engineering limitation… 4K RAW is a heck of a lot of information and if AJA put that onboard—especially with SSDs as storage, which aren’t cheap yet—it would quickly become unaffordable for most of their target market. I would expect a slimmer, more capable model to come out in the future.
 
Blackmagic quotes the Shuttle will record 12.5min of 1920x1080 raw on a 128GB drive, which goes out to a little over 10GB / min. 4k raw is going to be over 4x that much, meaning if you have 512GB or four 128GB SSD drives you'll get about 10min. You'll have to swap drives about as often as you'd have to swap out a reel of film.

Alternatively, ProRes HQ is about 25% (very rough) the file size, so you'd be able to record 40min with the same amount of disk space, which means you'll have to stop & re-load the media 1/4 of the time.

Yeah raw is great, but ProRes is nothing to scoff at. It is all about what your needs are.


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I do look at the photos & think it is a little funny. Tiny camera body up front, big brick of a recorder at the back.
 
Stephen Mick said:
Saw the KiPro Quad at NAB. Imagine a slightly larger KiPro Mini with a small LCD screen on it, and you've got the idea.

Personally, I find the form factor a bit of a turn off, but Aja really delivers when it comes to firmware updates and supporting their products. If I were in the market for a 4K recorder, this would be near the top of my list. (Codex looks really nice as well.)
Click to expand...

Aja makes good gear. It will definitely find it's market with all the new 4K systems surfacing over the next 12months.


Pappas
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BlackMagic Digital Camera Info Thread: http://www.bmcuser.com/showthread.p...mera-Technology-Announcements-amp-Latest-Info
 
Thunderbolt also seems like a strange choice. Why not a bolt on module to record the 4k pass through instead of being tethered to a mac and hdd
 
EndCredits said:
The thing I dont get about this product is that it doesn't record the Raw image it compresses it to prores. The only way you can get raw out of it is via a tether from the thunderbolt to a mac!! this seems crazy, isnt half the benifit of the camera the raw format and being able to adjust iso and white balance after the fact? Once in prores you loose that ability.
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The Ki Pros have always been ProRes recorders though. That's what they are. They're meant for people who want to shoot in a format they can quickly take to edit.
 
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