4K switcher and camera from Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design is serving the emergence of 4K with a new production switcher and digital film camera, named the Atem Production Studio 4K and Production Camera 4K respectively.

The Atem Production Studio 4K is described by the manufacturer as the ‘world's first Ultra HD 4K production switcher with support for Ultra HD live production with 6G-SDI and HDMI 4K technology’. It allows end-users to connect up to eight SD, HD or Ultra HD 4K video cameras, disk recorders and computers for live production, alongside features such as chroma key, transitions, media pool, downstream keyers, an audio mixer, multi-view and 6G-SDI and HDMI 4K video connections. It has been designed for use with HyperDeck Studio Pro, which has Ultra HD and 6G-SDI support.

Connected to all cameras via a single cable, the switcher includes a frame synchroniser on every input even when operating in Ultra HD 4K, allowing the use of non-genlock sources such as computers. There is also a high definition down converted HD-SDI programme output for when the switcher is operating in Ultra HD formats, but a regular HD programme feed is required.

Physically the unit offers a front panel key pad for selecting between auxiliary output sources plus a small LCD screen, while full control over Mac or Windows is facilitated with the inclusion of the Atem Software Control Panel. Traditional hardware control is available with the addition of either an Atem 1 M/E or 2 M/E Broadcast Panel. Built-in multi-view (downscaled to HD) is also offered, plus two onboard media players capable of storing up to 20 full resolution Ultra HD 4K still frames with key and fill, while a Photoshop plug-in enables the direct download of graphics and titles.

Meanwhile, the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K is a ‘digital film camera with a Super 35 size sensor and professional global shutter, combined with precision EF mount optics and high quality Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) file recording’.

The camera shoots to high quality compressed CinemaDNG RAW and ProRes 422 (HQ) files in 4K, capturing files to a onboard SSD recorder, while also supporting 6G-SDI for live productions. According to Blackmagic, it has been designed with ‘portability and durability’ in mind, offering standard connections and an internal battery within a machined aluminium design.

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Web: www.blackmagicdesign.com