14

Opening Up 4K: Sony Expands Consumer 4K Market Compatibility with XAVC S

04.16.13 @ 8:24PM Tags : 4k, codec, consumer, encoding, f5, f55, format, fs700, h264, prosumer, shooting, sony, sonyf5, sonyf55, sonyfs700, xavc

Sony’s tight cluster of NAB 2013 4K-centric announcements featured some of the most affordably priced UHD TVs yet seen all the way over to the external recorder-enabled 4K shooting capabilities of its FS700. The latter announcement also made it clear that Sony is looking to put a wide variety of encoding and format options into the hands of shooters — and beyond, potentially. Aside from external and third-party recording expansion, Sony is opening up its efficient 4K XAVC codec — native to the F5 family — to the consumer as well as the prosumer. Read on for some details regarding these new ‘lite’ encoding/wrapper options, dubbed XAVC S. More »

159

Apple Sets Sights on Professionals, FCPX Version 10.0.8 Adds Support for Sony XAVC and Alexa Log C

03.28.13 @ 5:28PM Tags : alexa, apple, fcpx, finalcut, finalcutpro, finalcutprox, nle, xavc

Apple has been losing its grip on the professional editing market ever since Final Cut Pro X was launched in 2011 to much skepticism. With Avid and Adobe welcoming a lot of FCP7 refugees, Apple is now once again targeting those customers with its latest free update to FCPX. The major features include support for Sony’s new XAVC codec up to 4K resolution, and the option to display ProRes Log C files from the Arri Alexa in Rec. 709. Also included in the free update are various fixes to both Compressor and Motion. Get the full details after the jump. More »

66

Shoot 8K on the Sony F65 with a Future Firmware Update, Plus More Details on Sony's XAVC Codec

11.2.12 @ 7:15PM Tags : 4k, raw, sony, sonyf5, sonyf55, sonyf65, sonyfs700, xavc

As you likely already know, Sony has made some pretty major announcements recently, which we’ve been hard at work following, though pricing details are currently still under-wraps (likely because of a major price cut by RED). We do know that the F55 will be capable of on board 4K compressed shooting and 4K RAW with an external recorder, while that recorder will also enable 4K RAW capabilities with the on board 2K-capable F5, and bring a 2K RAW recording option to the FS700. Plus, further RAW resolution abilities are down the road for the F65, to be activated in conjunction with an upcoming firmware update. As far as handling some of this media goes, Sony has developed new AXSM media cards (for use in the external recorder module) as well as new XAVC codec technology for 4K shooting (among other things) — a lot to take in all told, we know. With all these details (and X’s, and A’s) flying around, it can be tough to see the importance of each one. Rest assured, though, that this new codec marks an important new step for Sony and its shooters. Read on to find out why, with some discussion of the F65′s future as well. More »