FS5 Firmware V4.02 has just been released, fixing some of the bugs introduced with the highly-anticipated V4.0. A few weeks ago, Sony aimed to greatly increase the functionality of the Sony FS5 by releasing FS5 Firmware V4, bringing HDR support with the introduction of new Hybrid Log Gamma Picture Profiles, reduced minimum ISO for Slog 2 and 3, as well as support for 120fps continuous shooting with an optional license sold separately (you can read our post on this release HERE). Only a few days later, however, Sony pulled the download due to “a minor issue found within the HDR function”. This caused concern among users who had already downloaded V4.0, as there is no way of rolling back on this camera’s firmware to a previous instance. Sony removed the firmware V4.0 download, prompting worries from users. True to their word, Sony have now released FS5 Firmware V4.02 available for download from HERE. The release notes also finally indicate the “minor issues” introduced with V4.0. From the Sony site: V4.02 fixes the following issue: 1.      Video image may be recorded with short delay of 2 or 3 frames of audio in other recording modes than AVCHD. 2.      When choosing [HLG1],[HLG2] or [HLG3] in the PictureProfile and CENTER SCAN in the CAMERA/PAINT menu, rebooting the camera may cause brightness and color shift. Were you a V4.0 early adopter and came across any of these issues? Have you already tested the new HDR support? Let us know in the comments below!

We recently reported about the FS5 Firmware 4.0 update which, among other things, unlocked the Instant HDR feature for that camera. Yesterday, this update was suddenly pulled from the Sony website without explanation – what happened? The site only includes a note that the download has been “temporarily” suspended and that they are planning a “restart in early August”. cinema5D reached out to Sony immediately for comment and explanation, not least because users who have already updated their Sony FS5 became worried. We just received this official response:  Sony has temporarily suspended the new firmware updates for PXW-FS5 and PXW-Z150 due to a minor issue found during testing within the HDR function in the Picture Profile menu. These will be fixed in a new firmware version, v4.01 for the PXW-FS5 and v2.01 for the PXW-Z150, which will be released in the coming weeks. If the most recent firmware version has already been downloaded we advise to download v4.01 or v2.01 as soon as it becomes available. If there are any further questions please contact the Prime Support team on 00800 7898 7898 and they will be happy to answer your questions. So the culprit seems to be a minor issue related to the new HDR function, which sounds like something users who have already updated shouldn’t bee too worried about – but of course they urge users to upgrade to the bugfix upgrade 4.01 as soon as it becomes available. The phone number supplied by Sony is the European Prime Support Number. We will update this post, should we receive further information. UPDATE, 31/07/2017: We just got an update from Sony with more details: In response to instances of firmware issues for the PXW-FS5 (v. 4.0) and PXW-Z150 (v. 2.0), Sony has to date confirmed that these issues only occur in specific applications of HLG in HD shooting modes. We are continuing to investigate further and are working to release a firmware update in the coming weeks. We appreciate our customers’ understanding.

Sony have released firmware 4.0 for the FS5, which unlocks their recently announced Instant HDR feature. Available to download from here, this system update for the FS5 will enable the following features: New Features 1. Support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) by shooting in Hybrid Log-Gamma* (HLG) standard 2. Support for continuous 120fps High Frame Rate (HFR) recording in 1080p with CBKZ-FS5HFR (sold separately**) 3. Option to change the minimum ISO sensitivity number to ISO 2000 from ISO 3200 when recording S-Log2/S-Log3 *4K: XAVC-Long 4:2:0 8-bit, HD: XAVC 4:2:2 10-bit. ** See buy links below According to Sony, Instant HDR “enables the shooting, editing and viewing of HDR content in HLG, without the need for additional colour grading.” The HLG mode can be set-up quickly through a newly-added picture profile option, just like setting up Slog3. Here are all the modes now available: [HLG] Setting equivalent to ITU-R BT.2100. [HLG1] Setting that provides greater noise suppression than [HLG2]. However, the dynamic range that can be shot is narrower. [HLG2] Setting with balance between dynamic range and noise suppression. [HLG3] Setting that provides wider dynamic range than [HLG2]. However, the noise level rises. All of the above new profiles use the same gamma curve characteristic, only the dynamic range and noise suppression characteristics differ. The great thing about HLG, and the reason Sony are branding it as ‘Instant HDR’, is that metadata embedded in the XAVC video file when recording can be read by a supporting TV or monitor and displayed automatically with the correct settings. Hybrid Log-Gamma was specifically developed for broadcast television by the BBC and Japanese broadcaster NHK. The main benefit it has over Dolby Vision (a competing HDR technology) is that HLG’s native compatibility allows existing broadcast infrastructure to be re-used for HDR and automatically displayed correctly on a viewer’s TV. Aside from these new HDR options, I’m also really pleased to see the ability to reduce the ISO below 3200 when shooting in SLog3. This should make it easier to match the FS5 with its bigger sibling, the FS7 (which has a base ISO of 2000 in CineEI Mode). I will be shooting some tests on this new FS5 firmware very soon and will follow up with my thoughts on how much of an effect this makes on shadow noise and, of course, how easy the HLG workflow truly is. Do you own an FS5 and will you be downloading this update straight away? Are you excited about HDR or not? Let us know in the comments below.

More resolution, High Dynamic Range (HDR), higher frame rates… How exactly do the limits of the human visual system impact our technology? When is enough, enough? This is one of the most interesting questions brought to mind after a discussion that came up at the recent ARRI Broadcast Day held at Die Fernsehwerft studio facilities in the new creative district of East Berlin Harbour. In a studio filled with international guests from across the industry, Marc Shipman-Mueller – ARRI’s head of camera systems – opened up this topic in a way that has permanently realigned the way I view today’s core developments in digital cinema acquisition, post and delivery. These are purely my opinions based on an evolving thought process rooted in an exploration of new technology, and not an absolute truth. I may well end up being wrong, and am happy to learn things that may change my views expressed here. In fact, I’d love to open this up to you, and hear some of your thoughts, so I encourage you to leave comments. The Holy Grail A decade ago, matching the performance and aesthetic of 35mm film was the “Holy Grail” of digital cinema. We have now met and surpassed the challenges laid down at the birth of digital cinema, matching 35mm emulsion technically, if not also in almost every other way. We are now far more concerned with the nuances of digital color science than arguing over film vs. digital. That battle has been won and, for the most part, the result is universally accepted. So, what’s next for digital cinema? And how much of it is commercially driven by the need to sell new TVs and consumer gadgets rather than by a meaningful improvement of the visual experience? Perhaps more than we’d like to think. On the other hand, after a few years of feeling through the darkness, some core standards are finally being defined and adopted throughout the industry. Digital Cinema 2.0 If the initial phase in the evolution of digital cinema saw us match and surpass 35mm film, the second phase has shifted gear and direction entirely. It is no longer a question of imitating what came before, but imagining and realising an unknown future. Film as the holy grail of the cinematic experience was a fixed, known goal, but the question of where to head next has seen us charge down a few blind alleys only to backtrack and change course. The Cart before the Horse? Perhaps it is this very lack of a fixed, known goal on the horizon that has allowed us to follow technology for technology’s sake to the detriment of both the art and the consumer of filmed entertainment. Television manufacturers have charged ahead, undeterred by the recent rise and fall of 3D TV, to UHD, SUHD, HDR and whatever other acronyms they can legitimately or illegitimately make up to dazzle consumers into parting with their cash. This was already taking place before formal standards were agreed, all the while content creators were finding themselves lost for technical direction, and content providers scrambling to launch their first UHD channels and services regardless of the fact that there is very little UHD content. UHD, High Dynamic Range (HDR), wide color gamut, high frame rate… We’ve thrown everything we can at the screen, when perhaps fine tuning a more measured combination of technologies could give the best results for both creators and audience. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean it’s the best (or only) solution to the problem. We may, in fact, not even fully understand the problem. Resolution The resolution war has quietened over the past couple of years. We all know 4K is here to stay, and we’d be foolish not to acknowledge that 8K has already made it over the horizon and is charging toward us. Granted, I don’t believe we will see 8K adopted as a mainstream delivery resolution anytime soon, but RED (and of course NHK and partners on the broadcast side of things) has made 8K acquisition a reality, and it’s actually not as impractical as the cynics would like to think. However, simply increasing pixel resolution has some far-reaching implications. More pixels at a higher color bit-depth means a lot more data. This increases bandwidth requirements on location, through post and, of course, delivery. The whole point of increasing pixel resolution is to increase perceived sharpness and detail in the image, although there are other ways to achieve this without the huge overhead. There is a difference between perceived resolution and actual pixel resolution – a difference which is important to distinguish. The only thing that matters to the viewer is “perceived” sharpness and detail and, as such, it is imperative to bring the response of human vision into the equation if we’re weighing the pros and cons of different technologies, advancements and their implications. Quite often, solving one issue by brute force – such as a 400% increase in actual pixels – brings up other problems. All too often in these discussions it seems we don’t acknowledge how we see, process and perceive the illusion of moving images at all. Resolution and Human Vision We have only a small region of our retinas which packs cone cells at a very high density. This area is called the “fovea” and, while it comprises less than 1% of the retina, it takes up over 50% of the visual cortex in the brain. Only the central two degrees of the visual field is focussed on the fovea, approximately twice the width of your thumbnail at arm’s length. By Ben Bogart – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31009153 When you observe an object in detail which occupies more than this central two degrees of your field of vision, your eye must scan the area and your brain fills in the gaps. Your peripheral field of view is effectively of far less resolution, but your brain is able to construct the overall image of the scene in front of you as your eye passes over it. You remember and recall detail in parts of the scene after your eye has moved focus, even when in motion, which is why you maintain real-time visual awareness over your entire field of view. What you are seeing, however, is a constantly updated construct processed in your brain rather than the exact “real” projected image your eyes are seeing. You are perceiving a computationally constructed reality all the time, something far more complex and nuanced than a camera recording the entirety of an image focussed on an image sensor at a fixed, uniform pixel density and frame rate. This is why your eye moves to scan your screen as you read this: for you to stop and again see full detail on another part of the screen you have to move your eyes to read it again. You are aware of the rest of the text and the overall layout and spatial position of everything else in your field of view, but to actually read the text you have to physically move your eyes. A moving image on a screen is an illusion. It is a trick that our brain perceives as a fluid moving image. We should be careful not to break the illusion, which is more fragile than you might think. HDR Pixel resolution is not the only measure of sharpness. Mathematically, there is no doubt that increasing the pixel count gets the job done, but beyond a certain threshold the returns drop off towards zero while exponentially increasing data rates. Our perception of detail and sharpness is based intrinsically on contrast. It is edge contrast especially which allows our brain to separate and recognise one object from another. It is also contextual to the rest of the image, is not necessarily uniform – especially when in motion – and is largely informed by contrast in brightness and color. This is why simply increasing pixel resolution over the entire image is quite possibly a wasteful brute force solution to a problem which can be better addressed by feeding our visual system with just the extra information it needs, exactly where it needs it to achieve the desired illusion. One of the practical examples shown by Marc Shipman-Mueller at the ARRI Broadcast Day was a side-by-side comparison between 1080p SDR and UHD HDR, followed by 1080p HDR and UHD HDR on calibrated monitors in a darkened room. The difference between 1080p SDR and UHD HDR was clear, but the 1080p HDR and UHD HDR which followed immediately afterwards was not. After a repeated viewing, everyone agreed that when compared to the 1080p SDR, the 1080p HDR provided 90% of the perceived increase in detail achieved by quadrupling the pixel count when sitting at the same (normal) viewing distance from the screen. That’s a lot of wasted pixels. Judder It’s time to address the elephant in the room. We’ve all seen it – it’s arguably the biggest challenge we currently face in maintaining the illusion of motion when our brains fail to smoothly connect and integrate individual frames. But, what exactly causes judder? Judder is caused when our brains fail to smoothly connect movement of objects with bright, high-contrast edges across individual frames. The reason it is more of a problem for us in the context of HDR is the higher display brightness, but it comes down to a combination of factors: the ratio of the area of moving detail compared to the total field of view, speed of motion, contrast in the detail, sharpness of the detail, brightness level of the display. Display brightness is not really a root cause, but it definitely makes the situation worse. The lower the overall image brightness, the less obvious the effect, and at SDR-display levels, judder has typically been hidden by motion blur at film and video frame rates. However, at HDR contrast ratios and display backlight levels, it is no longer possible to hide these artefacts. So how do we solve this problem? Read on. Frame Rates In the real world, our eyes feed our brains with a constant stream of image information. We don’t see in discrete frames or fixed images sampled over time. However, the illusion of motion we perceive when we view a series of still images in quick succession is caused by what we call the persistence of vision, as the retina is able to hold an image for about 40ms. The 24fps standard came about as the minimum acceptable frame rate for the perception of smooth motion: high enough for the illusion to hold, but low enough to be economical. The reason 24fps still feels cinematic is largely due to historical and cultural reference. In other words, it’s the way it has always been. The subtle, almost imperceptible flicker informs us to expect big-screen Hollywood budgets, award-winning performances and high production and artistic value compared to the lower expectations of television and video. This has been fine for more than 100 years of motion pictures, for film, television, all the way up to what I consider the end of “Digital Cinema 1.0”, where we have now matched 35mm film in resolution and color. But whether on a small screen or cinema projection, our viewing experience has remained within the threshold of acceptable contrast, color and brightness for the illusion of motion to hold at traditional frame rates. With high-resolution images, high dynamic range and brighter displays comes the need for higher frame rates. Simply put, we perceive less judder at higher frame rates because the relative motion of objects is reduced between frames. Areas of very high detail, high contrast and fast motion could require very high frame rates to be perceived without any judder. There are other advantages to high frame-rate acquisition. Shooting at 120fps allows motion blur to be interpolated in post, and the ability to easily master to any number of lower frame rate delivery requirements. There are also disadvantages, the first being obvious: like resolution, increasing frame rate drastically increases the required data bandwidth to capture, store and process moving images. Super realism and the soap-opera effect The second disadvantage is one being faced by some of the first filmmakers to experiment with high frame rates. Many critics of Peter Jackson’s decision to shoot and master The Hobbit at 48fps, and more recently Ang Lee’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk in 3D at 120fps, claim that the hyper-real effect of the crystal clear, super-sharp look, while technically impressive, is unwatchable and un-cinematic. A projecting praxinoscope, 1882, here shown superimposing an animated figure on a separately projected background scene It is not the illusion of motion that is broken, but the dream-like quality that absorbs you into a story and removes you from reality. It’s the ethereal experience that is broken, and this, I would argue, is perhaps more important to the experience than 4K 1000-nit displays. Of course we may just need to get used to a new aesthetic. Computational Imaging Maybe the ideal solution is not to hit the entire image with the sledgehammer of 4K or 8K resolution at 120fps. Could there be a more targeted approach where we increase detail and frame rate in selected parts of the image only? Remember, you only see the central two degrees of your entire field of vision in high detail, and even while watching a screen you are constantly scanning, moving your eyes from point of interest to point of interest. Shouldn’t we be thinking more about how we will actually experience and perceive the images we create? Targeting our solutions to human perception means understanding that our brains are already doing an awful lot of sophisticated real-time compression and filtering. Our retinas are part of our central nervous system, and there are about 150 million receptors in the eye and only 1 million optic nerve fibres. The retina spatially encodes (compresses) the image to fit the limited capacity of the optic nerve. Your brain is dynamically processing a constant stream of narrowly-focused high-res image information from the fovea along with a low res wider field of view, augmented with extra detail from memory recall to build what we know and see as our world around us. If your perception of reality is already based on your eyes and brain filtering out a ton of unnecessary extra information, and passing on mostly just what changes from moment to moment (not unlike the digital spatial and temporal image compression we already use to compress video) maybe we only need to present extra information where it matters, where it will be seen and affect our perception of the image. Perhaps in this way we can enhance how we experience cinema, adding a sense of enhanced realism and clarity, but stepping back from the point where we disengage from the dream. In Conclusion Sure, 4K and 8K HDR, HFR, wide color gamut images on a massive cutting-edge OLED display might make you feel like you’re looking through a window to a real-world scene on the other side. But is reality really what we want from our storytelling? I don’t think so. Let us know what you think of these technologies, trends and the impact on how we tell and experience cinema in the comments below.

The campaingn’s founder, Ryan Stout, claims that Arsenal is an intelligent camera assistant. The DSLR add-on helps you capture the perfect shot every time with the help of image analysis and machine learning. With the accompanying app for your smartphone you end up with an actual smart DSLR. Let’s have a look! Meet Arsenal There is a new gadget in town. Well, almost – but if you happen to be brave enough for another Kickstarter campaign, the Arsenal might be worth a closer look. The so-far very successful campaign is about to hit the home stretch and the product itself looks very promising: a tiny device which is connected 1) to your DSLR via USB and 2) to your smartphone wirelessly. The unit is programmed with thousands of images which are then compared to the current framing of your DSLR. It adjusts several settings accordingly in order to get the perfect shot, so all you have to do is frame your picture and the Arsenal will take care of the (technical) rest – just like an actual camera assistant. Too good to be true, right? Different Modes The Arsenal is capable of several shooting modes: HDR stacking, long exposures, focus stacking, you name it. The good thing is, you don’t have to think about it. All you have to do is let your creativity flow while Arsenal takes care of the technical execution. Here is a list of things the Arsenal algorithms process while striving for that perfect shot: Compares current scene with thousands of past images using a convolutional deep neural network (the same algorithm used in self driving cars) Optimizes settings based on 18 different factors Avoids settings that produce weak images on your specific camera and lens Uses image recognition to identify subject-specific needs (e.g. fast shutter for birds) Shows safe ranges for each setting based on situational constraints (e.g. vibration) Gives you the ability to change the settings you care about most Controlling the Arsenal is easy: just download the android or iOS app and you’re good to go. All the settings can be accessed and changed via the app, and you’ll get a live preview from your DSLR and a convenient viewer for the pictures you’ve already taken. And since we’re living in a social-media world, you can upload your hero shots straight from the app, of course. The most interesting feature for me personally is the ability to create fully-automated timelapses. Even the so-called holy grail (transition from day to night or vice versa) is supported. I’m very curious how well the Arsenal handles that tricky type of timelapse! Specifications, Pricing and Availability The Arsenal supports a whole range of DSLRs. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fujifilm, they are all aboard. Check out this webpage and search for your DSLR make and model. The campaign is live until Thursday, June 22th 2017 4PM CEST. While writing this, the “Get Arsenal – Kickstarter Exclusive” tier is still available. That one will set you back $150. The estimated delivery date is January 2018. Just a word of warning: This is still a Kickstarter campaign, not a retail offer, so naturally there are risks. I had a few disappointing Kickstarter experiences myself, so be advised! If you love the thrill, go get one. If you want to play it safe, wait until the actual product is ready and check if it still pleases your needs. If so, go and get one for a slightly higher price. links: Kickstarter campaign | Website What do you think? Does this look like the gadget you were waiting for? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The new Atomos Sumo was introduced right at the start of NAB 2017, so we couldn’t wait to head over to their booth to talk to them about this 19″ High-Dynamic Range Monitor-Recorder packed with incredible features. NAB 2017 saw an incredible amount of great innovative technologies and Atomos, the renowned company for on-board monitor-recorders, has sure left filmmakers drooling. As the name would state, the Atomos Sumo is an upsized new monitor of a staggering 19″ packed with all the great features from all previous Atomos monitor-recorders. Atomos recognized that, while most current cameras are already able to film high-dynamic range in Log or RAW, it is the viewing panels that still needed to accommodate it. To create an HDR end-to-end workflow, they took a step toward the film industry, bringing out an incredibly affordable monitor-recorder. In a previous announcement article I listed some of the great features that can be found in the Atomos Sumo. Atomos Sumo Tech Specs The Atomos Sumo has a 19” 1920×1080 10-bit LCD panel with 1200nit brightness. It is based on the same architecture as the Atomos Inferno, with 4K60fps, Quadlink and HDMI 2.0, but more is built under the hood. The AtomHDR engine “maps the Log/PQ/HLG from popular cameras, game consoles or TV makers to perfectly resolve 10+ stops of HDR in real time”. The calibration on the Sumo lets you use the i1DisplayPro from X-Rite to always ensure accurate HDR and Rec709 monitoring. It features a VESA mount and an included stand for a variety of mounting configurations, and an optional mounting plate allows you to connect either two V-Lock or Anton Bauer batteries. The Sumo also features a continuous power system that allows for hot-swapping batteries on the go without any power interruption. The two 12v 4-pin connectors are a nice touch to make the Sumo an all-rounder on set. Recording The Sumo can capture 12-bit 4K30p as CDNG or 10-bit Apple ProRes / Avid DNxHR up to 4K60p / 2K240p Raw using the SDI outputs from the Sony FS5/FS7/FS700, Canon C300MKII/C500 or Panasonic Varicam LT. As with previous models, Atomos are sticking with the widely available 2.5″ SSDs that provide an affordable solution for long recording times if you are shooting 4K. If you are shooting HD, a regular 2.5″ hard drive will do. Atomos has partnered with companies such as G-Technology to bring out an off-the-shelf solution called the Angelbird Drive. Live-Switching The Atomos Sumo will be able to incorporate live-switching, a nice feature found in the Convergent Design Apollo. You will be able to switch and mix a live record up to four HD ISO recordings using the QuadLink SDI connections, as well as switch between feeds on screen with cueing, cross fade and hard cuts from the locked sources, or tag and adjust final edits with advanced metadata tagging preserving ISO feeds. This means that the final result is still editable afterwards too. Please note that this feature will become available with a future firmware update. Sumo Connections The 3G QuadLink/6G/12G SDI connections on the Atomos Sumo allow you to connect cameras with multiple 1.5 or 3G SDI outputs without the need for converters, while its HDMI 2.0 connectors support up to 4K60p input/output along with the open protocol that supports HDR automation, including importing of camera settings. There is also support for Genlock and LTC timecode. Balanced XLR Monitor with 48V Phantom Power Now this is pretty cool. Sumo has full-size XLR connections to connect external microphones, and includes 48V phantom power to supply to them. Dedicated meters and adjustments for frame delay and gain, as well as a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack and built-in speakers, complete the package for a true all-in-one recorder. We have been told that the 19” Atomos Sumo will launch in the third quarter of 2017 for approximately US$2,500. Are you excited about the new Atomos Sumo? Please let us know in the comments below.

Atomos has just revealed the Atomos Sumo, a 19″ HDR Monitor-Recorder that can handle 4K 12-bit Raw, 10-bit ProRes/DNxHR, as well as 1080/60p live switching and recording. Atomos Sumo Calibrated Monitor The Atomos Sumo has a 19” 1920×1080 10-bit LCD panel with 1200nit brightness. It is driven by the AtomHDR engine, which “maps the Log/PQ/HLG from popular cameras, game consoles or TV makers to perfectly resolve 10+ stops of HDR in real time”. The calibration on the Sumo lets you use the i1DisplayPro from X-Rite to always ensure accurate HDR and Rec709 monitoring. If you are in need of an HDR monitor for your editing and grading station, Sumo might also prove to be an affordable option. It features a VESA mount and an included stand for a variety of mounting configurations, and an optional mounting plate allows you to connect either two V-Lock or Anton Bauer batteries. The Sumo also features a continuous power system that allows for hot-swapping batteries on the go without any power interruption. Recording The Sumo can capture 12-bit 4K30p as CDNG or 10-bit Apple ProRes / Avid DNxHR up to 4K60p / 2K240p Raw using the SDI outputs of the Sony FS5/FS7/FS700, Canon C300MKII/C500 or Panasonic Varicam LT. As with previous models, Atomos are sticking with widely available 2.5″ SSDs that provide an affordable solution for long recording times. Live-Switching The Atomos Sumo also incorporates live-switching, a nice feature found in the Convergent Design Apollo. Sumo allows you to switch and mix a live record, and stream or record four HD ISO recordings using the QuadLink SDI connections. You are able to switch between feeds on screen with cueing, cross fade and hard cuts from the locked sources, or tag and adjust final edits with advanced metadata tagging preserving ISO feeds. This means that the final result is still editable afterwards too. Sumo Connections Sumo has HDMI 2.0 & 3G QuadLink/6G/12G SDI connections. Quad SDI inputs connect cameras with multiple 1.5 or 3G SDI outputs without the need for converters, while HDMI 2.0 supports up to 4K60p input/output along with the open protocol that supports HDR automation including importing of camera settings. There is also support for Genlock and LTC timecode. Balanced XRL Monitor with 48V Phantom Power Now this is pretty cool. Sumo has full-size XLR connections to connect external microphones, and includes 48V phantom power to supply to them. Dedicated meters and adjustments for frame delay and gain, as well as a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack and built-in speakers, complete the package for a true all-in-one recorder. Alongside Convergent Design, Atomos is at the forefront of Monitor/Recorder technology. The Shogun was a less expensive alternative to the Odyssey 7Q+, and with updates that kept on flooding in, it became an extremely robust and reliable monitor and recorder. Atomos have embraced High Dynamic Range technology in their Atomos Sumo, offering an incredibly affordable new product. Watch out DITs and VT operators, this one is for you! We have been told that the 19” Atomos Sumo will launch in the third quarter of 2017 for approximately US$2,500. Obviously, we have only just gotten word of this new product, and haven’t seen it in person. Our team on the ground at NAB will take a closer look at the Sumo, with an in-depth interview with Atomos for all the details. Stay tuned for more!

HDR is the future, the future is now. Find out why 10-bit color and higher bit-rates will come to consumer and professional imaging devices. The highlight of the new Panasonic GH5 has to be its internal 10-bit 4:2:2 video specs. Despite some issues, Panasonic is the first camera manufacturer to bring 10-bit 4:2:2 4K video to a consumer device, and will soon up the bit-rate to a respectable 400Mbps. It’s really about time, and I hope and predict that this signifies a base-level shift in the minimum accepted (and expected) video standards for other manufacturers moving forward. A move to enable and encourage video acquisition in wider color gamuts with higher dynamic range is a necessary evolutionary step. What is 10-bit color? Whenever you hear a reference to 10-bit color depth, it is referring to video which has 10-bits of luminance information, or 1024 total steps per pixel, per channel. Those can be R, G, B or in most cases Y, Cr, Cb. Chroma subsampling is something different, but also very important. If you want to know more about chroma subsampling (Y, Cr, Cb 4:2:0, 4:2:2, etc) check out my article Getting to Grips with Chroma Subsampling. To be honest, 10-bit color, and even HDR (High Dynamic Range) is nothing new. It has been considered the minimum requirement for color and finishing since the first DPX film scans. Color bit-depth has to do with the number of steps that can be assigned to levels that make up the image in each color channel. A bit has one of two states, on, or off, a binary 1 or 0, white or black. 1-bit: 1 value (0 – 1) 2-bit: 4 values (0 – 3) 4-bit: 16 values (0 – 15) 8-bit: 256 values (0 – 255) For example, a binary word made up of 8-bits offers 256 possible combinations of those eight ones or zeros, and therefore can represent any value between 0 and 255. In terms of luminance information, this translates to a maximum of 256 steps (0 to 255 counting 0 as a value) between black (0%) and white (100%). I went into this a bit further in the context of non-linear gamma encoding in my last article about the new flat / log gamma profile in the latest FiLMiC Pro beta. Actual black point however is usually not 0 but 16, and white point is 235, not 255 for rec709 legal video levels. I haven’t represented an image of a 10-bit gradient above because you wouldn’t be able to see the difference on the device that you are using to read this. It would look identical to the 8-bit gradient above because your device screen and GUI graphics pipeline is probably only capable of displaying 8-bit color depth, as most devices are still 8-bit. The differences to the end viewer between 8-bit and 10-bit color depth are minimal to unnoticeable when viewing a traditional rec709 gamut on 99% of our various screen types and devices. However, when expanding dynamic range, not only at acquisition, but at the end-user display – whether a TV, a smartphone, laptop or in cinema – the bit-depth of the original camera files, post workflow and the final deliverables for playback become very important. When you grab the white end of that gradient shown above and stretch it further to an even brighter white value (extending dynamic range), the steps obviously also get stretched out, so you want more steps to keep it smooth. Keep in mind that just as non-linear gamma encoding in camera means we assign more of these steps to the lows and mids and fewer to the highlights, but then reverse this curve when color grading it back to rec709, the same principle applies to HDR, only that it stays more stretched out since rec2020 covers a much greater range. Beyond Rec709 Up until now, within the fairly limited color gamut and range of the rec709 standard set for HDTV, 8-bit has been the norm particularly for delivery, but also for acquisition at a consumer and prosumer level. We’ve even pushed the limits further by implementing log or “flat” non-linear gamma profiles in camera, which assign more of these values to the shadows and mid-tones and fewer values into the highlights of the image. However, 256 values between 0% and 100% luminance is not nearly enough when expanding the total dynamic range of luminance – or brightness – that we want to faithfully record, or even deliver in the end to a HDR-capable display. By adding an additional two bits of data to each channel, we quadruple the total number of values per channel to 1024, which means we can now assign levels 0 – 1023. This results in the ability to record a higher overall range of luminance values, or contrast ratio (dynamic range), and a wider color gamut. A Consumer Shift What makes this different from the last major shift from SD to HD is that it’s being led far more aggressively and quickly by consumer television manufacturers. Prices of UHD HDR capable televisions have dropped and will soon be available to fit almost every budget. UHD HDR televisions are already in many living rooms and home theatres, despite the fact that content creators, broadcasters and technical delivery standards are trailing far behind consumer adoption. Consumer television sales and the associated marketing of UHD and HDR as the next major leap in the home entertainment experience are driving demand ahead of the entertainment industry at large. It could be that we see an adoption of HDR-capable imaging and display in consumer devices such as tablets and smartphones enabling home user generated HDR content on a consumer scale before many professional content creators, their tools, workflow and delivery channels have caught up. Challenges and Solutions Many digital cinema cameras have been shooting files and formats that meet and surpass the requirements for UHD and HDR finishing and delivery for many years. However, the champions of the “DSLR” video revolution, and subsequently mirrorless cameras, as well as prosumer-level video cameras and camcorders have been left behind in an 8-bit H.264 limbo. The challenges facing camera manufacturers are multi-faceted: some are commercial in nature, some technical. Many manufacturers are reluctant to bring what they consider more advanced, professional imaging capabilities to entry or mid-level products that could threaten a higher range, more expensive line of cameras. It is no surprise that Panasonic are the first with the GH5, as they have nothing to lose, no other products to protect. However, all the other big names in our industry will soon have no choice if they want to remain competitive in the market. Some challenges are technical. More image information, whether it is in the form of resolution, color depth, frame rate, or any possible combination of factors means nothing if it is not recorded and reproduced faithfully. This extra information has to be processed, requiring more powerful processing in camera. It must also be recorded, and whether spatial and/or temporal compression is involved or not (raw recording for instance), recorded bit rates must be higher, and recorded files larger. This requires higher bandwidth (faster), and higher capacity recording media. All of this often results in more heat that must be dissipated from the camera, and higher power consumption. Inevitable Compromises Sony have just announced their update to expand HDR production capabilities to existing products implementing HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma). This update also brings the HLG picture profile to the FS5 and Z150 camcorders, though still at only 8-bit color depth with 4:2:0 chroma sub sampling in XAVC at 4K internally. This is the only thing they could do within the internal recording limitations of these cameras, but it’s a compromised transitional solution at best. Using an external recorder will be the best way to take advantage of this HLG workflow. What manufacturers need to do is adopt 10-bit 4:2:2 all-intra encoding at suitably higher bit rates as a minimum for video in all new camera platforms from consumer mirrorless cameras and all camcorders up the entire product range. Keep Your Eyes on Smartphones FiLMiC Pro v6 LOG curve option As unlikely as it may sound, it’s worth keeping your eyes on new camera technology and video features being developed for smartphones. With absolutely nothing to lose, and everything to gain, smartphone manufacturers are fighting harder and more aggressively than ever for a greater share of the mass consumer market. This is already resulting in capabilities matching many dedicated professional video cameras. I would not be surprised if we see more robust 10-bit, high bit-rate, HDR-ready codecs come to mobile devices before some of the big traditional players bite the bullet and increase the internal recording abilities of their camcorders. High-end digital cinema camera manufacturers aside (a different market), the entry-level and mid-level professional large sensor camera manufacturers may lose out by responding too slowly – or not at all – to increasing market demands for even higher resolutions, higher frame rates, advanced high bit-rate codecs, high color bit-depth, and HDR capabilities at consumer friendly prices. If the established players we know and love (or love to hate at times) don’t shift their thinking and act quickly, it’s not impossible to imagine the consumer and prosumer video camera going the way of the digital compact camera, victim to the Darwinian evolutionary dominance of the multi-camera, computational imaging-equipped smartphone.