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Home » Cinedeck 4.2 Software Upgrade Takes Tape Out of the Loop

Cinedeck 4.2 Software Upgrade Takes Tape Out of the Loop

Cinedeck LLC (www.cinedeck.com), pioneering developer of capture systems for motion picture and broadcast production, will ship a powerful new v4.2 software release on July 1st 2013 that enables its dual-channel RX and quad-channel MX file-based recorders to cost-effectively replace traditional tapedecks in everyday editorial and post production operations.

Headline features include Playlisting, RS-422 deck control, LUT shaders, Segment Record, H.264 streaming, plus enhanced Audio options, Burn-ins and Closed Caption recording. This new release will also unleash an array of additional features, including ARRIRAW recording and 3D stereo modes, which further advance the versatility of Cinedeck recorders in digital cinema and broadcast workflows.

Cinedeck recorders are already sweeping aside tapedeck technology in live and mobile OB production. With the v4.2 release, new playlisting capabilities and enhanced RS-422 deck controls, combined with the recorders’ renowned abilities to connect to SAN and NAS shared storage, expand their deployment options within editorial and post production operations. Now, the Cinedeck RX and MX can be utilized as either players or recorders in a range of master/slave configurations, and undertake the tasks of two or four tapedecks respectively.

Price points as low as $9,495 per play/record channel with the Cinedeck RX3G, and $13,499 with the Cinedeck MX, deliver enormous cost savings compared to the outlay on a single tapedeck, with further savings achieved against the extra shipping, power and auxiliary equipment costs associated with tape.

FotoKem, a leading full-service post production facility headquartered in Burbank, CA, has already implemented the v4.2 upgrade, successfully replacing traditional tapedecks with Cinedeck recorders. Others companies to similarly employ the new software include Modern Video Film and broadcast network Nickelodeon.

“FotoKem is highly-active in HD and 2K film and tape transfers to file-based media, and this latest v4.2 software upgrade allows the Cinedeck recorders to play fundamental roles within both workflows,” said Paul Chapman, senior VP of technology at FotoKem. “Compared to other products, we decided Cinedeck MX and RX3G with the latest deck control functions offered the most extensive feature set for the best price. Their abilities to perform frame-accurate capture, quickly and efficiently, coupled with simultaneous delivery of multiple file types for editorial, make them a great replacement for traditional tape decks.”

Highlights of Cinedeck v4.2 software upgrade:

Playlisting:

Harnessing the non-linear editor built-in to the Cinedeck interface, editors or machine room operators can select multiple clips, and play them in a desired sequence with clean cuts. Cinedeck’s playlist function allows the arrangement of clips in any order, from any folder and from any compatible format. Additionally, the playlist functions enable users to set in- and out-points on a clip to create sub-clips, which can be included in a playlist.

Enhanced RS-422 Deck Control:

The latest RS-422 enhancements allow Cinedeck RX and MX to directly control, or be controlled by, other devices in a “machine-to-machine” editing mode, where Cinedeck is the recorder or the player capable of creating instant, non-linear assemble-edits using file-based media. Uniquely, the interface of a remote tapedeck can be emulated on the Cinedeck screen, giving users complete control of a tapedeck via the RX or MX. Two channels of RS-422 control with the RX, and four channels of deck control with the MX, allow the recorders to be deployed in a range of master and slave configurations with nonlinear editing systems, outboard controllers and tapedecks.

LUT Shaders:

Users can import and apply LUTs (Look Up Tables) non-destructively in realtime, and view the results via the on-board display on the RX and MX devices, or on output monitors. Users also have the option of recording the master and/or proxy files with LUTs applied.

Segment Record:

Also known as “user-defined chunking”, Segment Record allows long recordings to be split into segments of specific shorter duration. During a recording, each time the specified duration is reached, the current file is closed and the next segment file begins. Segments can be fully-accessed for playing, copying, and transfer to a SAN. Breaking large recordings into smaller pieces also allows the use of auxiliary storage devices that have file size limits.

Enhanced Burn-in Options:

The new v4.2 release allows users to select from a range of burn-in options including timecode, file names and LUT names. The ability to burn-in additional data, such as GPS coordinates, will be released in subsequent software updates. New character overlay tools allow users to control the horizontal and vertical position of character overlays, as well as character size, foreground and background colors for each channel independently.

Closed Caption Support:

Version 4.2 software supports the recording and playback of standard CEA-608 and CEA-708 ‘DTV’ Closed Caption data in MOV-wrapped recordings. Closed captions in Op1A MXF, AFD and V-chip will be supported in a 4.2 maintenance release.

H.264 Streaming, Extended Encoder Audio Support and more:

Cinedeck has added extra H.264 encoding profiles, and MP4-wrapped H.264 is now streamable. Advances in audio recording include support for MOV-wrapped with interleaved audio, mono audio or separate WAV audio files, and input-to-file channel remapping. Other enhancements include 10bit to 8bit video input down-sampling for 8bit codecs (XDCAM, H.264), and gang-playback of multiple channels.

Cinedeck is also releasing ARRIRAW recording and enhanced 3D stereo modes in a v4.2 update, scheduled for July 2013:

ARRIRAW Recording:

With this forthcoming feature, the RX and MX recorders can directly record the RAW, full-resolution signal from ARRI Alexa cameras at standard frame rates up to 60fps. Users can record master and proxy versions of ARRIRAW material, and have full access to Cinedeck’s unrivalled choice of codecs if they want to use multiple channels for each camera.

Expanded 3D Stereo Modes:

The Cinedeck RX and MX models can perform synchronized recording and playback of 3D material using any codec from Cinedeck’s unparalleled range. They support Anaglyph Flip-Flop, and vertical/horizontal side-by-side viewing of 3D images.

About FotoKem:

FotoKem is an independently owned, full-service post-production facility that has become the go-to resource for the worldwide creative community. Since 1963, the company has serviced every corner of the entertainment market, providing unmatched expertise, high-end solutions and innovative technologies. The company’s systems approach to the imaging chain assists filmmakers in successfully bridging production and post, and supports them in navigating the many formats and choices for telling stories.

FotoKem offers a broad spectrum of services, including file-based workflows, 3D, digital intermediates, digital cinema packages, mobile dailies, global data delivery, film and video finishing, audio mixing and mastering, visual effects, full service film lab, restoration, and production rentals. FotoKem has expanded over the years with the acquisition of SPY, Keep Me Posted, Margarita Mix and L.A. Studios. Follow FotoKem on Facebook and Twitter (@FotoKem).

About Cinedeck LLC:

Founded by cinematographers, and headquartered in the heart of New York City, USA, Cinedeck manufactures innovative, touchscreen recording systems for use with all popular digital cinematography cameras. Along with on-set monitoring, playback and quality control capabilities, these recorders also unify camera-to-post workflows by offering the industry’s most comprehensive range of edit-ready output formats. Cinedeck EX, the industry’s first camera-mountable device, has proven essential to the workflow on hundreds of TV and cinema productions, and has won TV Technology’s “2010 STAR Award”, the “2010 Vidy Award,” and DV Magazine’s “Award of Excellence”.

Continuing this pioneering spirit, Cinedeck LLC has addressed the challenges of the mobile OB broadcaster with its Cinedeck RX rack-mounted, multi-format recorder, monitor and playback system. Cinedeck RX was awarded the prestigious “2011 Pick Hit Award at IBC 2011” from Broadcast Engineering Magazine. The new Cinedeck MX builds on the company’s proven technology platform to offer fully-tapeless workflow for broadcast and cinema entertainment production and post. For more information, visit www.cinedeck.com.

–Cinedeck Press Release

About Dan Ochiva

New York City-based journalist and NYCPPNEWS founder Dan Ochiva writes and consults on film, video, and digital media technology.

Community & Partner Links

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Parks has recently shifted her focus from supervisor to hands-on sound design, and we talk about how it’s never too late to pivot on your career path and find the thing you love doing wherever you are in life.

Click on this link to read the rest of the article on No Film School’s site.

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 Film tax credits — amending existing programs to include provisions for so-called New Jersey film partners and New Jersey film-lease partners and allowing an additional $200 million of tax credits annually over 13 years.

Click this link if you want to read the full article on the Lexology site. http://bit.ly/35NtDx6

Film Commish announces date for production restart

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Stimulus Offers $15 Billion in Relief for Struggling Arts Venues

The coronavirus relief package that Congressional leaders agreed to this week includes grant money that many small proprietors described as a last hope for survival.

For the music venue owners, theater producers and cultural institutions that have suffered through the pandemic with no business, the coronavirus relief package that Congress passed on Monday night offers the prospect of aid at last.

To read the full article on The New York Times’ site, click here.

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Phase 4 production guidance is available on the Film Permit website. All production activity, whether it requires a Film Permit or not, must comply with New York Forward Industry Guidance.

For more information see, please refer to the State Department of Health’s Interim Guidance for Media Production During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Please review the guidelines and FAQ before submitting permit applications. The Film Office is operating remotely, so please allow additional time for Film Permit processing.

The above paragraphs contain links to the various FAQ – just mouse over the relevant words.

Nikon to Stop Making Cameras in Japan

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To read the full article on Petapixel’s site, click here.

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NVIDIA Research has invented a way to use AI to dramatically reduce video call bandwidth while simultaneously improving quality

What the researchers have achieved has remarkable results: by replacing the traditional h.264 video codec with a neural network, they have managed to reduce the required bandwidth for a video call by an order of magnitude. In one example, the required data rate fell from 97.28 KB/frame to a measly 0.1165 KB/frame – a reduction to 0.1% of required bandwidth.

To read the rest of this article on Petapixel, click this link.

 

 

 

Union Health Plan Dodges Film Workers’ Suit Over Virus Relief

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In an order entered Thursday, U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner granted the board of directors’ motion to dismiss Greg Endries and Dee Nichols’ Employee Retirement Income Security Act suit accusing board members of breaching their duty to treat all plan participants fairly.

Endries and Nichols, members of Local 600 of the International Cinematographers Guild, said in July that the board left them and others “out in the cold” in its attempts to address the problems COVID-19 caused for plan participants.

But Judge Klausner agreed with the board’s contention that the case, which alleged a fiduciary breach, should be tossed because plan administrators don’t act as fiduciaries when they amend health care plans.

Read the full article on the Law360 site by clicking here.

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In a deal brokered and closed at the beginning of the pandemic, the Russos received the investment from an undisclosed Saudi bank in exchange for a minority stake in the brothers’ Los Angeles-based shop.

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