The range of use cases and workflows within image capture in broadcast production is huge and vendors are busy rising to the challenge. There are a number of key themes and which of them fit with your requirements may well drive your selection of brands to visit.

As with so many aspects of broadcast technology, many camera vendors are moving towards a software defined approach that lends itself to pay for use licensing to bring increased versatility to hardware inventory.

Simultaneous SDR-HDR workflows also remain a key topic – we have a separate article covering up/down/cross conversion post camera HERE – but several vendors are offering new CCU and processing options that allow simultaneous HDR and SDR output. Common LUT settings are also being employed for camera shading in the CCU.

Expect the drive to ever higher resolution to continue, especially where it facilitates zoom and crop features as part of production replay workflows. For those seeking the cinematic look there are plenty of innovations to explore. Ground to cloud remains a growing topic both for live and drama production of all scales.

Vendor Focus

Atomos (Stand 11.D25), will show its new Shinobi II monitor. It’s a slim, lightweight, 5-inch HDR monitor with a USB-C port for camera control connectivity. At 1500 nits peak brightness it is 50% brighter than its predecessor and supports 10-bit HDR video and photo monitoring with zero latency.

At launch, Shinobi II will control most Canon, Panasonic, and Sony mirrorless cameras over USB-C, and Z CAM E2 models through a separate serial cable. With future firmware updates Atomos plans to support cameras from Fujifilm, Nikon, OM System and SIGMA. The camera control interface is focused on common settings that need to be adjusted on a shot-by-shot basis. Shinobi II has sliders for adjusting lens aperture, shutter speed and ISO. Other monitoring tools include histogram, waveform, false color, zebra, focus peaking and zoom. The camera white balance can also be adjusted via a slider. Shinobi II triggers camera recording from its screen, and recording status is shown by a red edge display.

Atomos will also show its latest generation of Shogun camera-mounted monitor-recorders: Shogun and Shogun Ultra. Both devices incorporate a new operating system called AtomOS 11, that delivers new features like EL Zone exposure referenced colorized image, ARRI False Color, and new scheduled playback and recording tools. The new Shoguns include more codecs as standard: 6K Apple ProRes RAW (8K with Shogun Ultra), Apple ProRes, DNxHD as well as H.265 as standard.

The key differences between the new Shogun and Ninja lines is the screen size and brightness—5-inch, 1000 nit versus 7-inch, 2000 nit – and cloud connectivity (modular or integrated). Because Shogun has both 12G-SDI and HDMI inputs and outputs, it can be used for cross-conversion. Shogun also now has more power options, with an NP battery slot and an integrated 2.1mm locking jack DC input socket.

The Shogun has the company’s new 4K camera-to-cloud mode that lets users record and upload much higher quality bitrate H.265 video with higher framerates and customized parameters.

Blackmagic Design (Stand 7.C49) have a long tradition of making their new product announcements on the first day of the show, so time will tell if there are any new camera announcements. 

Hopefully we will all be able to get a closer look at Blackmagic Cine Immersive – an end-to-end workflow for producing cinematic Apple Immersive Video for Apple Vision Pro, announced in June. Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive is positioned as the world’s first commercial camera system designed to capture Apple Immersive Video. Apple Immersive Video is a brand-new storytelling format that leverages 8K, 3D video with a 180-degree field of view, and Spatial Audio. Blackmagic Design also announced updates to DaVinci Resolve, the industry-leading post-production software, that will give professional filmmakers the ability to edit Apple Immersive Video for the first time. Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive and a new version of DaVinci Resolve that supports Apple Immersive Video for Apple Vision Pro will be released ‘later this year’.

Also announced in June is Blackmagic Cloud Sync, a new feature of Blackmagic Cloud storage that allows a camera to sync media into a DaVinci Resolve bin while the camera is recording. Within seconds editors can see media arriving in real time and start editing, even while the camera continues to record. The secret to Blackmagic Cloud live sync is the ability of the latest Blackmagic cameras, such as the Cinema Camera 6K, PYXIS, URSA Cine and URSA Broadcast G2, to record a full resolution HD proxy in H.264. These files are live synced to Blackmagic Cloud as they are recorded, and then also live synced down to all DaVinci Resolve workstations that are connected to the same cloud project.

IBC will also be your chance to investigate the Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K – announced at NAB. It’s an impressive new digital film camera that introduces new advanced technologies with total integration into the post production workflow. This new model includes a new large format RGBW 36 x 24mm sensor with larger photo-sites for 16 stops of dynamic range, interchangeable PL, LPL and EF lens mounts, and industry standard Lemo and Fischer connections. Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K comes with 8TB of high-performance storage built in and also includes high speed networking for media upload and syncing to Blackmagic Cloud.

At NAB they also announced the Blackmagic PYXIS 6K a hugely versatile digital film camera that features a customizable box or cube design so you can rig up the perfect camera for your production. This new model features a massive 36 x 24mm 6K sensor with 13 stops of dynamic range and dual CFexpress media recorders. Blackmagic PYXIS 6K is available in three models, with L-Mount, PL or Locking EF lens mounts.

Grass Valley, Stand 9.A01, will show new versions of the LDX135 and LDX 150 cameras with integrated 5G or RF transmitters.

Sony Electronics, Stand 13.A10, is releasing two new 4K handheld camcorders, the NXCAM™ HXR-NX800, and XDCAM™ PXW-Z200 with SDI and MXF wrapper. Both models claim AI recognition capabilities, high-precision autofocus (AF), a newly designed20x optical zoom lens, a variable neutral-density (ND) filter, and assignable lens ring.

Virtual Production

The world of virtual production will also be everywhere at IBC. The creative advantages, immediacy, and simplicity of using LED walls as backdrops, is self-evident in the sheer quantity of LED walls used as an integral story telling tool for product demonstration for so many brands at trade shows like IBC.

It is an area that is still evolving within studio production but stepping beyond the use of LED walls as backdrops into the realm of image-based lighting, camera motion tracking and bringing together the virtual and real-world, bring efficiency, flexibility, and creative freedom that mean it is an approach that is growing steadily in adoption.

Expect to see technology innovations in key areas: To investigate new technologies in motion tracking visit Vinten, MRMC, MoSys, OptiTrack and Stype. Signal processing vendors supporting color management and virtual tracking in this space include Arri, disguise, Ghost Frame, Grass Valley, Maxon, Rosco RDX Lab, Ross Video, Sony and Vizrt. They will all be on the IBC show floor with their latest technology. We will be visiting Aputure, Kino Flo and Quasar Science to catch up on all things image based lighting.

In the area of LED displays, Roe Visual (Stand 7.B26), will show its Ruby LED series, featuring the Ruby RB1.2, RB1.5, and RB1.9BV2-C panels alongside the Black Marble LED floor, the BM2.

The Ruby RB1.2 is a fine-pitch, broadcast-grade HD-LED panel delivering high-performance visuals. The Ruby RB1.9BV2-C, a curved LED panel fully compatible with the regular RB1.9BV2, promises seamless integration for broadcast and virtual production applications. Designed with cutting-edge LED technology and high-speed components, the RB1.2 and RB1.9BV2-C panels offer true-to-content color representation and unrivaled in-camera performance with high frame rates, refresh rates, and minimal scan lines.

ROE Visual will also show its new Coral, a fine-pitch COB LED panel. The Coral's Chip-on-Board technology delivers high contrast, wide color gamut, and color accuracy for a high-definition viewing experience. Its energy-efficient common cathode design saves costs and extends the panel's service life.

Other articles in this IBC 2024 'Show Focus' series:

The Broadcast Bridge will be at the IBC Show – on stand 8.A52. Please come and see us and share your thoughts on what we do and what you would like to see from us in the coming year.