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 (Page 1 of 3 pages for this article 1 2 3 >) Filed under: *VIDEO* •compression •Editing •Hardware • AJA’s new KiPro is the 10-bit, 4:2:2 recorder that many pro videographers really needed
Many of our readers may have first heard about AJA’s KiPro back on April 20, 2009, when I published a “first look” after AJA’s announcement at NAB. A few months have passed, and KiPro is now available for purchase. I received an evaluation unit from AJA and found it to work flawlessly with its current feature set. Following are the details of the product, my observations, target market, and wish list.
What is KiPro?KiPro is a US$3,995 tapeless, standalone audio/video recorder for very high-end production, since it uses Apple’s revered ProRes422 or ProRes422(HQ) códec. All of KiPro’s currently available recording modes are 10-bit, full-raster, and 4:2:2. (More info about the recording modes are ahead in this article.) In addition to all of the video inputs we could possibly want in this type of recorder, KiPro also has both unbalanced RCA inputs and balanced XLR audio inputs, and the balanced inputs are selectable among line level, microphone level, and microphone level with 48-volt phantom power.
KiPro’s front panelSome KiPro applicationsHere are some applications where I believe KiPro is very well suited:
KiPro’s video inputs allow for the connection of almost any professional SD or HD camera, or almost any HD video mixer (commonly yet imprecisely known as a “switcher” in the USA).
Video inputs include SDI, HDMI, and component analog (in that preferred order, if and when you have the option), and all can accept either SD or HD signals. To get full-raster, 4:2:2 recording on an HD tape recorder, you would need to spend either US$74,500 for a D5-HD recorder from Panasonic or US$55,125 for a portable HDCAM-SR recorder from Sony. (The DVCPRO-HD format is not full-raster in any mode; The HDV 720p format is full-raster but always 4:2:0; and the HDV 1080 format is always subsampled at 1440x1080 at 4:2:0.) With a savings of at least US$51,130 between the US$3,995 KiPro and the US$55,125 for a portable HDCAM-SR recorder, you’ll be able to buy quite a few media modules, as you will see in the next section. Cost of KiPro’s media modulesAlthough eventually KiPro users will have the option of recording either to SxS ExpressCard34 media or to AJA’s media modules, the first revision of KiPro’s firmware only supports the latter (which are much less expensive per GB anyway). Here are the list prices for AJA’s media modules for KiPro as of the publication of this article:
The HDD versions incorporate a SATA drive, while the SSD incorporate solid-state memory. AJA recommends the use of the SSD (solid state) modules for applications where KiPro may be in motion during recording. The modules have both a SATA connection (for use when connected to KiPro), and a FireWire800 port (for use when connected to a computer). If the computer has a powered FireWire port, then the module can be powered via FireWire. Otherwise (i.e. some non-Apple computers), a separate power supply can be used to power the module. Regarding 10-bit field recordingAll current KiPro recording modes are 10-bit, 4:2:2, and full-raster. This “triple play” of features beats any current onboard HD camera códec, with the possible exception of Panasonic’s AVC-Intra códec (and only in its 100 megabit/second mode), which comes standard in some current Panasonic cameras, and is optional in another. Although the HD-SDI standard is by definition a 10-bit signal, I know at least one camera (the JVC GY-HD250) which delivers an HD-SDI output which is actually derived from an 8-bit signal, even when the camera is live. According to JVC, when the GY-HD250’s signal is output live via HD-SDI: “...the lower order 2 bits are set to 0”. Most other HD cameras with HD-SDI output, like Sony’s EX1 and EX3, do deliver a true 10-bit signal when in live mode. Despite the GY-HD250’s HD-SDI output being derived from an 8-bit signal, it will still benefit from the improved encoding of ProRes422 or ProRes422(HQ) offered by KiPro. If you are in the market to rent or purchase an HD video mixer (“switcher”) to feed KiPro, choose one that offers at least 10-bit internal processing to take full advantage of true 10-bit camera outputs. Although recent revisions of HDMI support 10-bit (often expressed as 30-bit, since it is 10-bit per channel) or even better, I haven’t yet seen any camera that puts out a 10-bit signal over HDMI. However, the same advantages that apply with an 8-bit HDMI camera source also apply here as they do with the GY-HD250. KiPro will still record a much better signal from a live camera with an 8-bit HDMI output than the inboard camera can… and that signal will be immediately editable in Final Cut Pro, unlike an AVCHD or other long-GOP H.264 camera, which currently needs to be converted before realtime editing in FCP 6.06 or 7.0. This means that KiPro gives better quality with one of these cameras in live mode, while it saves time in post. See page 2 for:
See page 3 for:
(Page 1 of 3 pages for this article 1 2 3 >) 
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