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Filed under: Production •

AJA KiPro: More Than Just a Field Recorder

While we’re on the subject of ProRes, the KiPro records a single-stream of ProRes 422 at a data rate similar to HDCAM’s 147Mb/s, or at ProRes 422HQ is close to D5’s 220Mb/s. As far as recording formats, it is capable of a wide range of standard def or high def formats at multiple sizes and frame rates including 525i, 625i, 720p, 1080i or 1080PsF.

One of the big plusses about the KiPro is that it makes an excellent cross conversion box. I plugged my Sony J3 “DigiBeta” deck playing standard def anamorphic video through SDI into the KiPro and converted it as it was being recorded to 1080i. It did a beautiful real-time job of these conversions, with the high-quality conversions ready to edit immediately.


Because of the large number of “spigots” on the KiPro, it’s very useful for playing back footage in the field. It can play back through HD-SDI to a nice LCD field monitor, like the Panasonic BT-LH1700WP that I use, or it can use the HDMI taps to go out to a nice consumer HD set.

I tried several experiments where I was playing back earlier takes from the KiPro to a monitor, then hit the record button to see what would happen. The KiPro instantly went into record on a new clip without harming the currently viewed clip or any of the later clips. I’ve been on shoots where an operator rolled back a tape to show a client something and then accidentally recorded over later takes. The KiPro won’t allow that. Very foolproof, and we all know that there are plenty of fools on shoots, so that is a good thing.

One of the cool things that I really liked about the KiPro is that it can connect via an Ethernet cable or WiFi. I was especially impressed to see the built-in WiFi. I am a total networking moron and I was able to set it up very easily, connecting the KiPro to my office network and controlling and monitoring it through my MacBookPro. The IP address of the unit just needs to be entered into any web browser as the web address and you can see and edit the KiPro menus in the browser.

The KiPro front panel is very straightforward. I was up and running with it without ever looking at the user manual, but being able to edit the settings in a browser with a real keyboard makes it even easier. I was a little put off by the fact that I couldn’t change clip names with custom names using the browser. To be a really great production device, you should really be able to have a production assistant or script supervisor or data wrangler be able to type in specific clip names and other metadata. The clip names are not bad. They’re much better than some of the other naming schemes of things like P2 clips, but having the ability to type custom metadata, including clip names, really needs to be implemented. Just as manufacturers seem to have abandoned tape-based recording this year, it is also the Year of Metadata. But the KiPro seems to have missed the bus on this trend. Maybe this can be implemented in future software or firmware releases.

One cool aspect of the WiFi radio built-in to the device is that you can use WiFi devices, like an iPhone to act as a remote control to initiate recording and other key features. I was able to do everything that the front panel can do – fast forward, rewind, play, record, skip to clips – all from my MacBookPro. Very cool. It would be even cooler if you could actually see a small proxy of the clip play through the network.

There are several tutorial videos up on AJA’s website if you want to see the thing in action, or to get an idea of how the menus work and the basic operation and setup. Click here and scroll about half-way down the page on the right side for three tutorial videos under “kipro related links.”

The KiPro has an optional Exoskeleton with rail system (rails not included). I can’t imagine NOT owning the exoskeleton. It allows the KiPro to be mounted on a tripod under the camera. Without it, I think that recording would be a complete hassle. I suppose you could buy a softcase, like for an audio mixer, that you’d sling around your neck, but I started my shooting days as a news cameraman with a U-Matic deck strapped to me with a bulky and bothersome cable to the camera, and going this way would seem like a huge step backward to me. The Exoskeleton is built like a tank. The flip side of that is the weight factor.

On that note, the unit is fairly compact, but it’s bigger than I thought it would be and – with the Exoskeleton – weighs quite a bit more than I expected as well. Here, you can see it within the Exoskeleton on a tripod. The unit is about the same size as the camera itself, if not a little bigger. Using the KiPro to do handheld would require the Exoskeleton and probably some kind of specialized rig from Zacuto or Red Rock to allow the device to sit on or behind your shoulder, counter-balancing the camera out in front of you. Or you’d be back to the over-the-shoulder softpack rig like an audio mixer. Obviously, if the thing is sitting on a tripod, you’re not going to notice the weight of it, but in the Exoskeleton, you are definitely going to know you are lugging around some extra pounds. It’s probably heavier and almost as bulky as your camera, unless you’ve got a Sony F900 or something.

One of the issues with testing the device at this point is that some features haven’t been implemented yet, like that camera-based recording function. But for me, the biggest disappointment was that the RS-422 port is not ready to go yet, because I think it opens up a really interesting use of the device, and that is to use it in post-production instead of in the field or studio.

As I mentioned, I recorded and transcoded footage from my J3 deck. One of the ways that I can see myself using the KiPro is as a substitute for a costly HD deck. I have a small number of standard definition decks in my post-production suite, but I haven’t pulled the trigger yet for an HD deck, and I don’t see one in my future. However, I can see using the KiPro to allow me to bring HD “dubs” into my Final Cut System – and even my Avid – and to allow me to lay off high quality HD recordings to it that I could then easily transport to another facility for dubbing to HD tape. Currently, my workflow is to export large HD files to hard drives that I carry to facilities to have them laid to tape if I need HD tape deliverables. However, this is a costly proposition both on my end in time spent and at the facility end where it takes a while to output the exported files. With the KiPro, it would be essentially only a dubbing cost to record to HD tape. But for this to be really practical – using the KiPro as a deck – the RS-422 needs to work. I think this is coming VERY soon, but for now it is vaporware.

The KiPro could also be used as a playback device for large or small corporate meetings, trade shows or conference, with a large library of clips that are easily selected and played from a simple web browser instantaneously. No roll time. No searching for the right clip. No worries about computer-based playback hanging or skipping. One interesting thing to note for this application is that if you export files and transfer them to the KiPro’s FireWire drive, the clip names of the exported files are properly maintained – even in the front panel display of the KiPro, making it very easy to playback the correct videos at the proper point of the show.

So, my review is a bit of a mixed bag. Basically I really like the unit and I can see many uses for it. It seems well designed, simple, and foolproof. But the main issues are that many of its most intriguing features aren’t implemented yet, it’s a little bigger and heavier than I would want it to be and it is restricted to recording in ProRes 422 and ProRes 422HQ, which means that it is really most useable with Final Cut Pro.

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Steven: Understand MagicLantern is working on a solution to unlocking the full HDMI output.

Thanks for the review on the KiPro.

Convergent Design also is a good source for a compteting 2 products that is not tied to FCP. Both their XDR Flash and smaller nanoFlash record either mov or mxf in all kinds of data rates and either LongGop or I-frame. I would suggest they be a part of any consideration of these type recorders. They are all 3 fantastic tools.

Posted by lightprism  on  11/28  at  08:44 AM

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Thanks, yes, I’m also looking at the CD products—I’m an FCP user, but the size of the units is attractive.  And the MagicLantern project is amazing.

Posted by Steven Bradford  on  11/28  at  01:00 PM

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