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Filed under: *VIDEO* •compression •Editing •Hardware •

AJA’s new KiPro is the 10-bit, 4:2:2 recorder that many pro videographers really needed

KiPro workflow with Adobe Premiere CS4 on Mac

Apple offers a free “playback-only” ProRes422 and ProRes422(HQ) decoder for any Mac that’s missing ProRes. This allows programs like Premiere and After Effects to read and edit from ProRes422(HQ) files. Even if that’s all you have, you can use the raw material from KiPro as an immediate source in Premiere CS4, and edit either to uncompressed 10 bit, or to some other high-quality códec. If the full ProRes422(HQ) códecs have been installed on your Mac, then you can both read and render to ProRes422(HQ) using Premiere CS4 on the Mac.

If you’re in a real rush, you can drag or import the files directly from KiPro to Premiere CS4, but it is recommended to copy them to your disk array before editing for best results.

KiPro workflow with Windows-based NLEs

Fortunately, Apple offers a free “playback-only” ProRes422(HQ) decoder for Windows, which plays KiPro files in true 10-bit. There have been some grumbling in forums that Adobe Premiere CS4 for Windows misinterprets the file and truncates it to 8-bits, although the consensus at AJA is that this is a simple setting that needs to be fixed by the user in Premiere CS4 for Windows.

In order to read HFS+ formated drives in Windows, just purchase and install MacDrive in your Windows system. On the Windows system, you will be able to use the ProRes422(HQ) files as source material to edit immediately, but at present you’ll have to render to some other high-quality códec (i.e. CineForm) or to uncompressed 10-bit, at least until Apple decides to offer a ProRes422(HQ) encoder for Windows. Some people will say: “When hell freezes over”, but those people should recall that Apple’s own slogan when first offering iTunes for Windows was: “Hell froze over!”. (Interestingly, Apple chose not to translate that slogan for Latin America or Spain.)

If you’re in a real rush, you can drag or import the files directly from KiPro to your Windows NLE that accepts QuickTime files, but it is recommended to copy them to your disk array before editing for best results.

Future variable motion playback?

I foresee using KiPro with a controller like JL Cooper’s ES-SloMo. At present, KiPro does not offer variable motion playback, and KiPro’s RS-422 controller port doesn’t yet work. When asking Jon Thorn (KiPro’s product manager at AJA), he responded: “Once RS-422 is enabled, varied speed playback and a multitude of other playback options may become enabled, but I’d rather not promise anything of that nature right now”. I am optimistic

Pros

• Excellent quality in Apple’s ProRes422 and ProRes422(HQ)
• Excellent physical design in KiPro
• Logical and friendly user interface in KiPro
• Reasonable price for the product and for the KiPro media modules

My wish list for future upgrades to KiPro

• RAID1 media module option, for redundancy
• Time lapse (interval) recording
• Variable motion playback

Bottom line

It should be clear by now that I like KiPro very much for use in the indicated recommended applications. I do not recommend KiPro for comfortable one-person, handheld ENG (Electronic News Gathering), but I do recommend it for all of the other applications I listed, especially if you are looking for higher-quality than what your camera’s inboard recorder offers. On the other hand, if you long for the old days of having a 3/4” U-Matic recorder slung on one shoulder, and your camera perched on the other, then perhaps you should use KiPro even for uncomfortable one-person, handheld ENG! However, for comfortable one-person, handheld ENG, the closest similar device is the nanoFlash from Convergent Design, which offers full-raster HD 4:2:2, but only at 8-bit.

Disclosure, to comply with the FTC’s new rules

AJA is not paying Allan Tépper to do this review, nor is AJA giving Allan Tépper a free unit in exchange for this review. Allan Tépper must return the KiPro evaluation unit. AJA is a sponsor of ProVideo Coalition magazine, but Allan Tépper would have done this review either way.

Allan Tépper’s articles and seminars

Get a full index of Allan Tépper’s articles and upcoming seminars at AllanTepper.com. Listen to his podcast TecnoTur, together with Tanya Castañeda, Rubén Abruña, and Liliana Marín, free via iTunes or at TecnoTur.us.

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Hello Allan.
Where is the setting for 10 bits in Premiere?, because in AfterFX (in Vista64) ProRes is only 8 bits. You can see my post in DVinfo with attached file:  http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/1278097-post109.html

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  10/14  at  03:14 PM

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Manuel,

According to Jon at AJA: “… check how Sequence Settings>Video Previews>Codec is set”.

Allan Tépper.

Posted by Allan Tépper  on  10/14  at  03:43 PM

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