NAB 2018 NEWS! NEW PRODUCTS FROM NEWTEK, BLACKMAGIC AND MORE!

I just came back from the big NAB 2018 show in Las Vegas. Lots of new products! I even managed to see a few of them. In no particular order this is some of what I saw and some brief info about some of those items:

Blackmagic Design, as usual at any NAB, announced a bunch of new or enhanced products including:

  • DaVinci Resolve 15
  • Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
  • ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K
  • Cintel Scanner 2
  • Mini Converter UpDownCross HD
  • Blackmagic Multiview 4 HD
  • Mini Converter Optical Fiber 12G
  • Micro Converter Bi-Directional SDI/HDMI
  • HyperDeck Studio Mini H.264 Update
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The Blackmagic Design ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K (pictured above) adds 4K support in an affordable ($2,995.00 MSRP) package. Like the previous Television Studio Pro HD the unit combines the switcher and hardware control panel, allowing you to operate the system with physical buttons, knobs and a transition slider. Unlike the previous model, the Television Studio Pro 4K features 8 instead of 4 SDI inputs up to 2160p. Even better, you can bring in HD and UltraHD sources using the built-in standards converter meaning your video sources don't have to be at the resolution and frame rate to work with the switcher! The Fairlight audio mixer includes  6 band parametric EQ, compressor, limiter, expander/noise gate, pan, audio channel split to dual mono, stereo simulator on analog and mic inputs and an audio delay on analog inputs. Even the chroma keyer has been improved!

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The Blackmagic Design Mini Converter UpDownCross HD is an affordable ($155.00 MSRP) 3G (1080p60) converter that works with both HDMI and SDI video inputs and outputs. The SDI input has an SDI loop through output that isn't processed. Two SDI and one HDMI video outputs are included. An AC power supply with screw lock connector prevents power from being accidentally disconnected. The reference input works with Blackburst and Tri-Sync for SD and HD. The unit also provides reclocking meaning you can extend the length of your SDI and HDMI cable runs. Both SD and HD inputs and accepted. The different input and output setting are determined by toggle switchers on the converter itself, meaning you don't have to connect the unit to a computer to determine the input and output settings.

NewTek also announced a ton of new items . . . below is a quick overview. Click here for more info:

  • LiveGraphics
  • Connect Spark Pro
  • Premium Access software collection
  • NVP (NewTek Virtualized Products)
  • NewTek Remote Storage
  • NewTek NC1  Studio I/O IP module
  • TriCaster TC1 and IP Series Free Upgrades (!)

LiveGraphics allows Real-time motion graphics from Adobe® Creative Cloud® including: plays out directly from NewTek live production systems, LiveGraphics Creator simplifies building of complex Adobe® After Effects® motion graphics plus Simplified one-button PSD import with drag and drop interface.

The Connect Spark Pro ($995.00 MSRP) builds on the success of the previous two Connect Spark devices and adds 4K UHD and 1080p up to 60fps support using an HDMI 2.0 input connector. Tally, PoE and  web-based remote configuration are included.

The Premium Access is a collection of annual (current promo price of $1,149.00 good through 9/21/18 then doubles in price afterwards ) subscription-based software for the TriCaster TC1, available Q3, 2018 that includes:

  • LiveGraphics
  • LivePanel™
  • Advanced Audio I/O
  • NDI® KVM
  • Virtual PTZ
  • Virtual Set Library
  • And more!

The NewTek NC1  Studio I/O IP module (MSRP $14,995.00) let's you connect NewTek NDI devices (TriCaster TC1, TriCasters running the Advanced Edition software, the 3Play 1, etc.) to SMPTE ST 2110 IP video sources. In other words, you can add affordable NewTek products to your SMPTE 2110 network to do live video switching, instant-replay, graphics creation and more.

The TriCaster TC1 and IP Series Free Upgrades include the following:

  • New "Express Mode" user interface
  • Touchscreen support
  • Audio sliders in multi-viewer windows for easy access to audio level control
  • Multi-engine workflow - for redundancy and enhanced capacity (Exclusive to IP series) 
  • LiveMatte(tm) Pro - enhanced chroma keying performance
  • Plus 25 more enhancements

As a bonus for schools, through June 22nd, 2018 NewTek has lowered the MSRP price of the TriCaster Mini Advanced HD-4 from $5,995.00 to $4,995.00! Given that the TriCaster Mini Advanced also includes the Advanced Edition software upgrade for free this is a savings of $3,000.00. For $4,995.00 you can purchase a four-input HDMI video switcher with an extra four NDI (IP video) inputs plus video clip playback plus four-channel recording to hard drive, real-time streaming and on-the-fly real-time titling.

The big news from Atomos is:

  • Atomos Ninja V
  • ProRes RAW support

The Ninja V (MSRP $695.00) is a 5-inch monitor recorder for DSLR/Cinema users. You can record up to 4Kp60 10-bit HDR video directly from your camera's sensor using an HDMI 2.0 cable using affordable SSD drives.

ProRes RAW support has been added to the Atomos Shogun Inferno and Sumo 19 devices. You have the best of both worlds ... the ability to capture and edit footage directly from you camera's sensor as ProRes files.

The new Birddog Studio Mini joins the existing Birddog Studio NDI encoder for easily adding video source to your NDI network. Unlike the Birddog Studio ($895.00 MSRP) which has both SDI and HDMI inputs, the Studio Mini ($595.00 MSRP) works with HDMI but offers all of the features and capabilities of the Studio including Tally, Power over Ethernet (PoE), Audio Intercom support for camera operators, and more.

The folks at PTZOptics showed a new 30X camera . . . more details to follow.

For more information or a quote to purchase any of the above items please email mdrabick@mindspring.com or call 919 810 9457. You'll be glad that you did!