While we were supposed to see the URSA Mini during the summer at least in small numbers, they've hit a few snags. Blackmagic has updates on the Mini, as well as new product announcements, including a B4 adapter. Here is Blackmagic CEO Grant Petty with all of those:

URSA Mini Updates

One of these snags is apparently with the body of the camera. This isn't actually all that surprising, considering the body is made of magnesium, which, while being lightweight and strong, isn't the easiest metal to work with. The goal at the moment is for them to start truly delivering these in September, with likely more rolling out through the rest of the fall. This, again, isn't all that surprising, and when we first talked to Grant at NAB, we assumed people wouldn't really get their hands on these until the fall.

Grant had a few more announcements to make regarding the URSA Mini, and the delay actually helped them add some new features, including an SDI input, that let's you use the URSA Mini as a studio camera. Unfortunately one removal is built-in GPS:

We have included the reference video input and the timecode on the same connector so we now have a free connection for adding 12G-SDI input. This will let us use the URSA Mini with an external recorder better but also means we can use URSA Mini as a live production or studio camera!

There is a program button that lets you select to see the 12G-SDI input on the fold out screen or the viewfinder. Both the EF and PL models of URSA Mini will have this 12G-SDI input and we think they will make fantastic studio cameras!

Another new feature we have added is a B4 lens control connector to the URSA Mini PL models. This will let the camera power the lens and it also means the camera can control the IRIS and the record button on the lens will start and stop camera recording.

URSA Mini B4 Lens Adapter

Blackmagic URSA Mini B4

This is one of the biggest updates for the IBC show. Since many people have a lot of these B4 lenses laying around that were designed for old shoulder mount ENG cameras, the company has decided to make a B4 lens adapter that fits right on the PL version of the URSA Mini (with the removal of a few screws, this pops right on). With the addition of the lens controller right on the body of the URSA Mini PL, you can use this camera just like you would any other shoulder camera, and with a slight magnification, you're recording onto a 1920 x 1080 area of the sensor.

This B4 mount is going to cost $300 and will be available in October, and works on both the 4.6K and 4K versions of the URSA Mini.

Here are some of the other hardware announcements:

Decklink Quad 2 — $995, Available Q4 2015.

A new high performance capture and playback solution that puts the power of eight DeckLink cards onto a single circuit board that plugs into a single PCI Express slot. Designed for developers and OEMs, DeckLink Quad 2 is the ideal solution for media play-out servers, multi screen digital signage servers, real-time processors and more.

MultiView 16 Update — Free to MultiView 16 customers, Available November 2015

This is a major update for its Blackmagic MultiView 16 that features new audio meters, enhanced on screen labels, RGB output over HDMI and more.

With the update, customers can now view audio meters independently for each video input. The meters are superimposed over the video in all layouts including 2 x 2, 3 x 3, 4 x 4 and solo view; and they feature correct VU ballistics that accurately conform to the VU meter standard. This means broadcasters can rely on the on-screen meters and use them as an accurate tool since they are designed to adhere to professional specifications and behave in the same way as a mechanical VU meter. In addition, on-screen view labels now resize proportionally based on the selected layout so they better match the view size. Both audio meters and labels can now be turned on and off independently using the on screen menus.

SD anamorphic support is also added to let customers view 16 x 9 anamorphic SD video sources in widescreen. This update adds support for RGB output over HDMI for greater compatibility with even more Ultra HD displays or televisions, and improves the clarity of output when MultiView 16 is used with regular HD displays.

Teranex Mini Video Converters — $995, Available Q4 2015

Three new Teranex Mini video converter models are now available, allowing customers to convert from 12G-SDI to Quad SDI, from Quad SDI to 12G-SDI, and to distribute a single SDI source to eight SDI outputs.

Teranex 4.2 — Available Now

Teranex 4.2 Update adds advanced noise reduction algorithms, Level A SDI support, audio metering and more to Teranex Express. With this new software update customers can dramatically improve the picture quality of noisy source footage, as well as convert between 1089 different SD, HD and Ultra HD video formats up to 2160p60, all in real time.

Source: Blackmagic

blackmagic URSA Mini Blackmagic Ursa Mini ibc IBC 2015

What's the Hype With 'Interstellar' Revisiting Cinemas After a Decade in 70mm IMAX?

Here's Why You Need to Revisit 'Interstellar' in 70mm IMAX

Celebrate the love and hope at the center of Nolan's space epic in the format it was meant to be seen.

If we know anything about Christopher Nolan, he likes to go big. Nolan started with smaller-scale stories (as many of us do) with early noir adjacent works like Following, Memento, and Insomnia, then started going and staying big with his illusionist drama The Prestige. Since then, the scale has been various degrees of massive, with the biggest scope in his time-and-space sprawling epic, Interstellar.

While Interstellarmight not be everyone's favorite Nolan outing, there's no denying it's an impressive feat of filmmaking and his most emotional—if watching Matthew McConaughey's Cooper desperately try to reach his family through quantum space-time doesn't make you cry at least a little bit, what's going on, dude?

With Interstellar'sIMAX release, it's a great time to shed some tears in a public setting in one of the most prestigious film formats around. As we mentioned in our film gauge piece, Nolan loves shooting on film and utilizes 65mm intentionally to provoke a tone of massive scale. In that regard, Interstellar was made for 70mm IMAX. That goes without saying, dawg. That being said, other factors make Interstellar a perfect movie to revisit in theaters while you can.

Let's break down the release further below.

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