Blackmagic URSA Mini Has a B4 Mount Now, Plus More Updates from IBC 2015
As with every major industry trade show event such as NAB, Blackmagic Design had a massive booth at IBC 2015 in Amsterdam, which was packed with visitors eager to try the latest gear from the innovative Australian company. The company also announced a few new products and gave us some updates on upcoming kit.
At IBC 2015, Blackmagic Design introduced the Blackmagic URSA Mini B4 Mount, which is a B4 lens mount modification for its new Blackmagic URSA Mini PL camera. This new mount enables camera professionals to use broadcast HD zoom lenses, which have been the staple of the broadcast industry for decades.
Unfortunately, most of these lenses are HD rated at maximum, so to get the best of them, URSA MINI users are urged to use them in HD mode only, as the results in 4K would not be satisfying due to the optical design of the lenses themselves. The adapter itself has optics inside and is an easy swap onto the PL mount, which can be unbolted with 4 screws and the B4 mount attached in lieu of it.
The new adapter magnifies the smaller image circle of the 2/3 type inch B4 lenses to fit onto the HD portion of the sensor, hence why users are advised to use such lenses only in HD mode. According to Blackmagic Design, since URSA Mini’s launch at NAB, feedback from broadcasters has been overwhelmingly positive, and now they will also be able to use their existing high definition B4 broadcast lenses with Blackmagic URSA Mini.
We visited the Blackmagic Design booth at IBC and put together a short video on the updates from the show floor.
The B4 mount for URSA Mini PL is currently priced at 279 Euros and is expected to ship in November.
In addition, Blackmagic Design announced three new Teranex Mini video converter models, allowing users to convert from 12G-SDI to Quad SDI, from Quad SDI to 12G-SDI, and to distribute a single SDI source to eight SDI outputs.
Teranex Mini 12G-SDI to Quad SDI converts 12G-SDI to Quad Link SDI so customers can connect the latest 12G-SDI Ultra HD equipment with Quad Link Ultra HD equipment. This model also allows Ultra HD SDI to be separated into four HD SDI outputs for using regular HD displays for creating video wall style displays.
Teranex Mini Quad SDI to 12G-SDI converts Quad Link SDI to 12G-SDI so customers can connect Quad Link Ultra HD equipment to the latest 12G-SDI Ultra HD equipment. This model allows equipment that uses four BNC cables to be connected using a single 12G-SDI BNC cable for connecting to the latest routers, switchers, projectors and more!
Teranex Mini SDI Distribution distributes a single SDI video input to up to eight SDI outputs. This model features the latest multi rate 12G-SDI connections with full SDI re-clocking allowing the converter to automatically switch between all SD, HD and Ultra HD formats up to 2160p60. This is perfect for distributing a single SDI signal to multiple devices such as monitors, switchers and encoders.
All these new models include support for both Level A and Level B 3G-SDI equipment.
Another new product from Blackmagic Design at IBC 2015 was the new DeckLink Quad 2, a new high performance capture and playback solution that puts the power of 8 DeckLink cards onto a single circuit board that plugs into a single PCI Express slot. Designed for developers and OEMs, DeckLink Quad 2 is the ideal solution for media play-out servers, multi screen digital signage servers, real time processors and more.
This new model of DeckLink Quad 2 features 8 independent 3G-SDI connections so it can now work in high HD frame rates and it supports SDI formats in SD and HD up to 1080p60. Each SDI connection is completely independent, meaning that each of the 8 connections can input or output entirely different video standards and content streams, all at the same time. DeckLink Quad 2 can also capture and playback at the same time, and also includes a reference connection for black burst/tri-sync. Developers can use the SDK to configure the eight SDI connections to be any combination of inputs and outputs.
There was also good news for those awaiting updates on the latest developments around DaVinci Resovle 12 - the company's professional editing and colour grading suite, which is now available for download from the Blackmagic Design website. The latest version of Resolve is available for £645 and also comes bundled for free with the purchase of the URSA, URSA Mini, and Production 4K cameras.
Unfortunately, most of these lenses are HD rated at maximum, so to get the best of them, URSA MINI users are urged to use them in HD mode only, as the results in 4K would not be satisfying due to the optical design of the lenses themselves. The adapter itself has optics inside and is an easy swap onto the PL mount, which can be unbolted with 4 screws and the B4 mount attached in lieu of it.
The new adapter magnifies the smaller image circle of the 2/3 type inch B4 lenses to fit onto the HD portion of the sensor, hence why users are advised to use such lenses only in HD mode. According to Blackmagic Design, since URSA Mini’s launch at NAB, feedback from broadcasters has been overwhelmingly positive, and now they will also be able to use their existing high definition B4 broadcast lenses with Blackmagic URSA Mini.
We visited the Blackmagic Design booth at IBC and put together a short video on the updates from the show floor.
The B4 mount for URSA Mini PL is currently priced at 279 Euros and is expected to ship in November.
In addition, Blackmagic Design announced three new Teranex Mini video converter models, allowing users to convert from 12G-SDI to Quad SDI, from Quad SDI to 12G-SDI, and to distribute a single SDI source to eight SDI outputs.
Teranex Mini 12G-SDI to Quad SDI converts 12G-SDI to Quad Link SDI so customers can connect the latest 12G-SDI Ultra HD equipment with Quad Link Ultra HD equipment. This model also allows Ultra HD SDI to be separated into four HD SDI outputs for using regular HD displays for creating video wall style displays.
Teranex Mini Quad SDI to 12G-SDI converts Quad Link SDI to 12G-SDI so customers can connect Quad Link Ultra HD equipment to the latest 12G-SDI Ultra HD equipment. This model allows equipment that uses four BNC cables to be connected using a single 12G-SDI BNC cable for connecting to the latest routers, switchers, projectors and more!
Teranex Mini SDI Distribution distributes a single SDI video input to up to eight SDI outputs. This model features the latest multi rate 12G-SDI connections with full SDI re-clocking allowing the converter to automatically switch between all SD, HD and Ultra HD formats up to 2160p60. This is perfect for distributing a single SDI signal to multiple devices such as monitors, switchers and encoders.
All these new models include support for both Level A and Level B 3G-SDI equipment.
Another new product from Blackmagic Design at IBC 2015 was the new DeckLink Quad 2, a new high performance capture and playback solution that puts the power of 8 DeckLink cards onto a single circuit board that plugs into a single PCI Express slot. Designed for developers and OEMs, DeckLink Quad 2 is the ideal solution for media play-out servers, multi screen digital signage servers, real time processors and more.
This new model of DeckLink Quad 2 features 8 independent 3G-SDI connections so it can now work in high HD frame rates and it supports SDI formats in SD and HD up to 1080p60. Each SDI connection is completely independent, meaning that each of the 8 connections can input or output entirely different video standards and content streams, all at the same time. DeckLink Quad 2 can also capture and playback at the same time, and also includes a reference connection for black burst/tri-sync. Developers can use the SDK to configure the eight SDI connections to be any combination of inputs and outputs.
There was also good news for those awaiting updates on the latest developments around DaVinci Resovle 12 - the company's professional editing and colour grading suite, which is now available for download from the Blackmagic Design website. The latest version of Resolve is available for £645 and also comes bundled for free with the purchase of the URSA, URSA Mini, and Production 4K cameras.