Discussing the latest news for broadcast professionals with Mark Sindyukov and commenting on the latest technological news with our favorite expert, Philip Grossman.
360 Seconds. Broadcast News & Commentary is a weekly program on Youtube about the latest equipment for broadcasting and film. Explained by experts – practitioners directly working in the field of cinema and television.
Hosts: Philip Grossman, Editor-in-Chief of TFT1957, and Mark Sindyukov. Production – TFT1957 LLC. Air date: October 21, 2024.
Atomos Shinobi II: Firmware Update
Mark: First, we’re going to talk about the Atomos Shinobi 2 and the major firmware update they’ve had with their camera control and exposure tools. Atomos has released a significant update for the Shinobi 2 monitor, which has introduced new features such as touch-to-focus on select cameras, camera control for Fujifilm and Nikon models, and advanced exposure tools like refined false color and EL Zone colorized exposure modules. Philip, what are your thoughts about this technology?
Philip: Atomos is one of the leaders in on-camera monitors and third-party monitors. It’s interesting because they really started as an ingest recorder, a recorder that sat on the camera to allow you to take the HDMI or SDI output, and eventually raw data output, and record in ProRes, now ProRes RAW. They were the leaders in that space. Convergent Design’s Odyssey was the other major competitor at that time. It’s interesting to see Atomos now shifting toward the control monitor side. SmallHD and other competitors have had monitors that could control cameras but couldn’t record, whereas Atomos could record but didn’t focus on control. Now we’re seeing those two functions come together.
I think it’s great for Atomos and what they produce, and it’s exciting to see their capabilities. It’s a little disappointing that RED camera control isn’t included — at least I didn’t see that mentioned, as I’m a RED shooter. However, I also shoot with Canon, so that’s a great thing. This update provides a really interesting universal tool for a lot of users. I can have all these capabilities in a single monitor and move that monitor from camera to camera, so I don’t need a specific monitor for each camera. I’m excited to see it and what will come in the future. Hopefully, they’ll add RED control, but these tools make life as a cinematographer much easier.
Avid: Acquiring Wolftech Broadcast Solutions
Mark: Awesome! Now, moving on to our next piece, which is about an acquisition happening in the market. Avid, a global leader in professional media production software, has announced its agreement to acquire Wolftech Broadcast Solutions, a company known for its cloud-based multiplatform planning and news production tools. Philip, what are your comments on this acquisition?
Philip: I think this one is very interesting. Avid acquiring Wolftech… you know, Avid is typically known for Pro Tools, that’s their big one, or their Avid editing suite, which dominates the television world. However, they’ve acquired a lot of broadcast technologies over the years that don’t necessarily make big headlines.
This one is interesting because Avid is one of the two primary newsroom computer systems, along with ENPS. Wolftech is a sort of startup—I did some work with them a couple of years ago, evaluating their tech for one of the major international broadcasters. They have some interesting technology. Avid has historically struggled with integrating the tech they acquire, which isn’t unique to them; other companies, like Imagine (formerly Harris), have faced similar challenges.
If Avid can successfully integrate Wolftech’s technology into their stack, particularly within the iNEWS framework, they could really become the dominant player in newsroom computer systems for managing stories. There’s been a big push towards what’s called story-centric design, which for the life of me, I don’t understand why it hasn’t always been the case, especially for news organizations. The integration of this tech with Avid’s editing solutions could give a big boost to their capabilities. Since it’s cloud-based, it also gives Avid a stronger foothold in the cloud world. The big question is how expensive it will be and whether they’ll make it accessible to mid-tier and smaller organizations, which would be a very interesting move.
Panasonic: Automatic Framing for PTZ Cameras
Mark: Now, lastly, to discuss, Panasonic Connect Europe has introduced an auto-framing feature for its PTZ cameras, aiming to improve video production quality and efficiency, alongside many other great technologies that add to it. Philip, as our expert, what are your thoughts on these solutions, and how integral are they to the system?
Philip: Well, I think this is probably the area where AI will dominate. Yes, there are many ways AI can help, from picking shots to helping with color grading and more. But this tech really helps camera operators and organizations that may not have an individual per camera, such as those who need to manage multiple cameras at a time, one-man-band operations, or smaller shops. This is the kind of tech that isn’t super complicated from an AI perspective, doesn’t require a lot of processing power in comparison, but it really adds a benefit to those production environments. So, I’m happy to see it, and I’m happy to see a lot more manufacturers introducing similar features.
Mark: Many thanks to our expert, Philip. This is TFT1957 360 seconds news reporti. Thank you, and have a wonderful rest of your week!
360 Seconds. Broadcast News & Commentary
The weekly show, focusing on the latest products and solutions in the global TV and film industry, features insights and analysis from top experts. Released every Monday within the TFT1957 network, the program can be found on the YouTube channel, social media groups, and the tkt1957.com website.
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