Cinematographers got sick of lugging around bulky and anvil-heavy recording gear, so they designed the "extremely portable" Cinedeck, a hotshot digital video recorder that's 8 inches wide and weighs 4 pounds. It digitally records HD footage from any camera that outputs HDMI or HDSDI onto its off-the-shelf solid-state drives.
Besides functioning as a digital recorder and high-rez playback unit, this versatile box's on-board Intel Core2 Extreme quad qx9300 processor powers a fast Windows PC inside, letting you hook up a mouse, keyboard and a larger monitor to edit together your shots using whichever Windows editing software you prefer.
Shipping next month is the first Cinedeck/Extreme model, capable of handling resolutions up to 1080p. Later this year, the company will roll out versions for 3D shooting, higher-rez 2K film work, and even a model that handles footage from those sweet 1080p-shooting digital SLR cameras. Pricing starts at $7995, so you can see it's intended for pro use on film shoots.
Here's the press release with more details:
Cinedeck Defines New Category, New Standard for Ultra-Portable, Cinema-Grade DDR Systems for Production Community
Cinedeck Debuts Industry's First Camera-Mountable, Extremely High Quality Recording, Monitoring, Playback and Editing Device
NEW YORK, NY (February 9, 2010) -- Cinedeck (www.cinedeck.com) today announced the debut of the world's first camera-mountable, HDMI/HDSDI recording, monitoring, playback and editing device for the production community. Designed by cinematographers for cinematographers, Cinedeck defines an entirely new category of extremely portable, affordable, platform agnostic, cinema-grade recording and monitoring solutions for anyone with an HDMI or HDSDI camera.
Cinedeck is:
Extremely Portable: measuring 5"x8"x3.5" and weighing less than 4 pounds, Cinedeck is camera-mountable and stores (with all cables and accessories) in a space no larger than a shoe box;
Affordable: Cinedeck costs less than a week's rental of similar quality tape deck and focus monitor;
Massively Compatible: Cinedeck records from nearly any HDMI or single/dual link HDSDI camera and source files are platform agnostic: recording media compatible with Mac, PC or Linux; Support for a wide array of codecs and file formats, including CineForm in both AVI/MOV wrappers, and MPG2 MXF.
Versatile: it's an extraordinarily robust cinematographer's toolkit with complete VTR and monitoring functionality: preview, focus assist, record, play back, downconvert, and transcode, all in the form factor of a standard on-camera monitor.
"Cinedeck was born from years of experience in the field, lugging so-called portable and very expensive tape and direct-to-disk solutions through the Panamanian rain forests, Turkish deserts, and on the back of jeeps hurtling down pot-holed roads of Kazakhstan - we finally said, this is ridiculous- we can do better," said Charles d'Autremont, founder and creator of Cinedeck. "Cinedeck is a cinematographers dream-come-true, because it was conceived and developed by working Cinematographers. We decided to create a new standard for portability, quality and reliability, and most of all, to make it affordable and accessible to everyone."
Richard Mills, head of engineering for On Sight (www.onsight.co.uk), a one-stop production, post production and distribution services firm based in the UK, had this to say about Cinedeck: "We've earned a reputation throughout Europe, not only for our creative approach to our clients' needs, but to also bringing highly innovative, efficient technology solutions to a creative project. cinedeck is the neatest solution we've seen so far for rugged, highly versatile production. It's an excellent solution!"
cinedeck Key Feature Highlights
Record: Cinedeck captures edit-ready, platform agnostic, 10-bit 4:2:2 or 12-bit 4:4:4 CineForm digital intermediaries in MOV or AVI format, as well as other industry standard codecs and formats, via HDSDI or HDMI and records to highly-reliable, rugged solid state drives for maximum compatibility and reliability.
Monitor: Cinedeck monitors video in real-time, much like a standard on-camera focus monitor and uses the on-screen histogram for proper exposure. Audio is monitored via on-board headphone jack and recording levels can be viewed on-screen.
Review: Cinedeck plays back shots instantly via on-screen transport controls, or via wireless physical transport controls.
Edit: Cinedeck is the first device of its kind to enable users to edit dailies on-site. Leveraging a NLE software of choice, as well as an optional dual-boot OS, Cinedeck recommends using an external VGA monitor and pointing devices for optimal workflow.
Cinedeck/Extreme:
8/10 bit 4:2:2 recording via HDMI/HDSDI
12bit 4:4:4 recording via dual link /3G HDSDI
SD - PAL/NTSC
HD - 720P 50/59.94/60 and Varicam
HD - 1080 50/60i - 23.98/24/25/29.97/30/50/5994,60 P/PSF
*Not all framerates available in all codecs/quality settings, and results may vary depending on recording media.
Cinedeck/Extreme will be available in March in limited quantities and is priced at $7995. For more information, or to purchase Cinedeck please visit www.cinedeck.com. In the UK/Europe please contact Extreme Facilities at www.extremefacilities.co.uk
Additional models, including Cinedeck 3D, Cinedeck/2K, Cinedeck/422 and Cinedeck/DSLR will be announced later this year. Details will be formally announced at that time.
About CineDeck
Created by cinematographers for cinematographers, cinedeck is redefining mobile, digital cinematography by delivering the industry's first extremely portable, affordable camera-mountable cinema-grade DDR and editing system. For more information, please visit www.cinedeck.com.
Via Cinedeck
