AT NAB 2017, Blackmagic announced all URSA Mini Pro cameras feature built-in Bluetooth, but it hasn’t been enabled until now. The built-in Bluetooth allows shooters to send/receive commands from up to 30 feet away. To make the new Bluetooth support even more flexible, Blackmagic Design has developed a new open protocol and is publishing a developer API, along with sample code, for customers that wish to build their own camera control solutions.

With a fully open API and developer support for URSA Mini Pro Bluetooth, owner/operators can go beyond the basic idea of the app. They can also build an iPad application to remotely adjust camera settings and motorized lenses while the camera is mounted on a crane. Even more, computer savvy shooters could even build an application that uses the camera’s built-in DaVinci Resolve color corrector so that images can be graded live during a shoot.

Bluetooth Multi-cam Workflow

With the new Bluetooth feature to be enabled in the URSA Mini Pro new workflows are also possible. An example of this is that multi-cam shooters can mount Blackmagic URSA Studio Viewfinders on multiple URSA Mini Pro cameras to create a live multi-camera shooting scenario, however, instead of connecting to a switcher, an iPad can trigger all cameras to record to their internal media with matching metadata. This means the media can be later edited using DaVinci Resolve 14 multi-cam editing to work as fast as live production yet end up with a more refined finished piece.

Availability and Price

Camera 4.4 update, which will support the URSA Mini Pro Bluetooth API and sample code will be available in June 2017 as a free download from the Blackmagic Design website for all existing URSA Mini Pro customers.

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post-production, and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com