Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) January-February 2017 Volume 34, Issue 1 | Page 15

January-February 2017
CREATION 15
that 4K / UHD is likely to serve as a main resolution for monitoring and format for content as this new technology benefits productions , which has critical demand on monitoring quality . Hence , Osee will launch a new 4K / UHD monitor line this June to better serve our clients ’ 4K / UHD needs .”
For SWIT , one of its key offerings is the S-1243H full-HD LCD monitor , which offers 2K / 3G / HD / SD-SDI and HDMI monitoring . Designed as a studio monitor , the 23.8-inch LCD monitor adopts an IPS LCD panel , and features waveform analysis in YCbrCr and RGB formats , vectorscope and histogram .
And although the company is yet to offer any broadcast monitors with 4K / UHD and HDR capabilities , SWIT ’ s Ni notes a growing trend where on-camera and studio monitors , equipped with HDR capabilities and featuring 10-bit colour depth and 1000-nit brightness , are increasingly available in the market .
In order to deliver 4K / UHD and HDR , content producers have to re-design their workflows , so as to meet the higher requirements for bandwidth and storage . Incorporating HDR into the 4K / UHD ecosystem poses yet another challenge , says Richard Lim , director of Blackmagic Design Asia .
He elaborates : “ There are different HDR standards , and the pain point is about displaying
Blackmagic Design has released the Video Assist 2.3 , an update to its Video Assist users , with additional features such as 3D LUTs , false colour monitoring and expanded focus options .
❝ The benefit of monitoring with 3D LUTs is that the crew is able to see the footage as the director intends it , and is completely nondestructive because the original camera footage remains untouched .❞
— Richard Lim , Director , Blackmagic Design Asia
HDR in the existing environment . Displaying these HDR images on the broadcast monitors requires 12-bit per channel but most
monitors are in 10-bit .”
To address content producer ’ s needs for displaying HDR on broadcast monitors , Blackmagic
Design is offering its DaVinci Resolve Studio editing and colour correction suite , which is capable of supporting different HDR standards while providing algorithms that can help users to display 12-bit HDR images on the 10-bit Blackmagic Video Assist monitors .
Designed to be mounted on cameras as a large crew monitor , Blackmagic Video Assist monitors can also be deployed by cinema tographers to compose shots , or set in front of the director to review each take . Available in two models — a five-inch HD monitor and a seven-inch 4K / UHD monitor — the portable monitor and recorder features SD card recording in 10-bit 4:2:2 quality ProRes , DNxHD and DNxHR files in Quicktime and MXF formats .
Blackmagic Design has also released the Video Assist 2.3 update to both models , with additional features such as 3D LUTs , expanded focus option and false colour monitoring .
Using false colour monitoring , camera operators are able to keep exposure consistent from shot to shot , as the false colour exposure tools allows them to set exposure in different parts of the image by highlighting specific colour ranges of luminance with a solid colour overlay .
The expanded options for focus assist allows users to adjust
focus in a wider range of scenes , and under a variety of different lighting conditions .
Particularly , Lim emphasises how the 3D LUTs function has become an important part of digital filmmaking as it transforms the camera images into a look that closely approximates the final look the director wants .
He elaborates : “ As digital films are often shot in logarithmic colour space , the shot will look flat and washed out when viewed on the monitor . The benefit of monitoring with 3D LUTs is that the crew is able to see the footage as the director intends it , and is completely non-destructive because the original camera footage remains untouched .”
SWIT has also included a 3D LUTs calibration feature in its third-generation studio monitors . Claiming 3D LUTs as the most precise method of colour calibration , Ni adds that this feature is able to measure and control RGB in a cube , and offers the 17x17x17 steps cube to map the monitor display colour space to the correct colour space .
He concludes : “ We understand that broadcast monitors requires precise and accurate colour response . The 3D LUTs correction files can be imported and read by the monitor , so that the monitor is able to be calibrated , which is very important for content producers .”

ZEISS shipping new Super 35mm zoom lens

Designed and developed for the needs of recent 35mm large sensor cinema camera owners , ZEISS is now shipping the ZEISS Lightweight Zoom LWZ . 3 21-100mm / T2.9- 3.9 T * ( LWZ . 3 21-100mm ) lens .
Able to be used with a range of Super 35mm large sensor cameras , including Canon ’ s EOS C100 Mark II and EOS C300 Mark II ; Sony ’ s PXW-FS7 and PXW-FS5 ; Blackmagic Design ’ s URSA Mini 4.6K and the RED Dragon , the LWZ . 3 is 226mm long and weighs just 2kg . Its front dia meter measures 114mm , while its gear pitch measures in at the cine standard of 0.8m .
With a zoom ratio of nearly five times ,
this 21-100mm lens covers commonly used focal lengths , and also matches the sharpness and contrasts of ZEISS ’ prime lenses . The broad focal range coverage of the lens also means camera operators no longer need to change focal lengths for a range that they previously had to use up to six focal lengths , according to ZEISS .
In addition , the LWZ . 3 offers an aperture range of T2.9-22 with 11 iris blades , and comes with the Interchangable Mount System ( IMS ), which makes it easier for users to adapt the lens to their current camera systems .
The LWZ . 3 also addresses the need for affordable , high-quality manual lenses , at a time when camera offerings continue to broaden the range of video applications , according to Victor Cheang , regional sales director , South-east Asia and ANZ , ZEISS .
He said : “ The new ZEISS LWZ . 3 can fulfil this need — one zoom at an affordable price to fit all situations with its ideal range of focal lengths , meeting major film set requirements of budget-conscious productions .
“ The compactness and range of focal lengths allow the use of the ZEISS LWZ . 3 as a single lens for a wide range of assignments , with a high variety of sceneries .”
Describing it as offering a “ true cine-
Designed for the needs of 35mm large sensor cinema camera operators , the new ZEISS Lightweight Zoom LWZ . 3 21-100mm / T2.9-3.9 T * ( LWZ . 3 21-100mm ) lens also comes in a smaller form factor to suit small to mid-range productions .
matic look matching ZEISS ’ prime lenses ”, ZEISS recommends the LWZ . 3 to mid-range filmmakers shooting documentary films , corporate videos and commercials as a longterm investment .

Tell a more compelling story with Avid 4Designer 1.2

In order to allow content producers to create , distribute and optimise media , Avid has launched a new version of the 4Designer authoring software solution .
According to Avid , the latest version offers user interface enhancements that maintain existing customer workflows and product knowledge , while introducing new workflow improvements and graphical features that enrich the artist ’ s toolset .
Alan Hoff , VP , market solutions , Avid , added : “ Increased competition for viewers has intensified the need for impactful storytelling and higher production values .
“ With this new version of 4Designer , we ’ re delivering innovations that give graphic artists and designers the graphics creation tools they need to create highquality , engaging and immersive content in real time .”
As part of the Avid graphics toolset that is tightly integrated with the Avid MediaCentral Platform , 4Designer offers a complete solution for creating captivating 2D and 3D motion graphics in a wide range of resolutions .
4Designer is also the core application used to create graphics for Avid ’ s entire production environment , including on-air graphics , virtual studios , channel branding , sports enhancements , video walls and interactivity .
Among the new enhancements to 4Designer 1.2 are new line charts , which allow graphic artists and designers to generate line and area charts quickly and easily from new built-in assets and control every aspect of the chart ’ s appearance .
Completely new objects can also be created from 4Designer primitives and objects imported from third-party applications using geometry modifiers — these objects can then be modified in real time without pre-rendering .
Through support for 3D maps from WorldMapper , visual interest and location context can also be added to news and weather reports , while users can work with real maps that combine high-resolution satellite imagery with detailed terrain data to create flyovers and map interactivity , among others .