SMPTE 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 at 11:37AM Went to the first day of the SMPTE 2011 show yesterday. Shot some video interviews with some of the stallhollders and a lengthy one with Cinematographer and friend Pieter DeVries. Will get this video up as soon as I have something cut together, but it will also appear on the November PC User 2011 cover DVD.
First impressions of the show - lots of 3D. Both JVC and Sony were showing off very small professional quality 3D cameras. Small as in the-palm-of-your-hand small. JVC also had some impressive new 3D monitors, and a box that would convert 2D images into 3D on the fly. They were spruiking it more as a post-production tool where you could adjust the stereoscopic settings suitable for each scene or shot - but even just on a default setting converting The Fifth Element in real time it looked pretty impressive. Don't know how it would hold up on long-term viewing but I can imagine a possible consumer product there as a 3D conversion set-top box.
The two new top of the range cameras that most impressed were the Arri Alexa, and the prototype for the new Sony 8K digital camera - the F65 CineAlta. Both sport a simplified menu interface and button controls, solving the one of the biggest bugbears of DOPs that the camera are just getting too complicated. A DOP wants to shoot not mess with menus.
The Lemac stand was very busy showing off the range of gear they have to offer - including the Red Epic, a Canon 5D with all attachments and peripheral looking like some digital Frankenstein monster; and the new Steadicam Tango - a jib arm that you wear with a vest which opens up a whole new range of fluid shots in awkward places. Intended for lightweight HD cameras around 3Kg. Wait till you see the video demo of that one!
Had a look at the new Newtek Tricaster, $49k for the full system, but this is a compelte production studio in a box for 8 camera recording and streaming. This is the system that the new TWiT studios are going to use and it would be great is film schools started teaching this process - IP-TV - as this is where the future of broadcasting is.
On the lighter side we ran into a fellow showing off some old tech from his personal collection. Great stuff - Laser discs, old reel-to-reel VTRs, a microbee. Ahh the memories....
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