By Daniel Rodriguez
With its NAB offerings, Sony once again showed that they have a firm presence in nearly every stage of production, be it motion picture, broadcast media or short form. The company continues to keep up to date with the current demands while simultaneously preparing for the inevitable wave of change that seems to come faster and faster each year. While the introduction of new hardware was kept to a short list this year, many improvements to existing hardware and software were released to ensure Sony products — both new and existing — still have a firm presence in the future.
The ability to easily access, manipulate, share and stream media has always been a priority for Sony. This year at NAB, Sony continued to demonstrate its IP Live, SR Live, XDCAM Air and Media Backbone Hive platforms, which give users the opportunity to manage media all over the globe. IP Live allows users to access remote production, which contains core processing hardware while accessing it anywhere. This extends to 4K and HDR/SDR streaming as well, which is where SR Live comes into play. SR Live allows for a native 4K HDR signal to be processed into full HD and regular SDR signals, and a core improvement is the ability to adjust the curves during a live broadcast for any issues that may arise in converting HDR signals to SDR.
For other media, including XDCAM-based cameras, XDCAM Air allows for the wireless transfer and streaming of most media through QoS services, and turns almost any easily accessible camera with wireless capabilities into a streaming tool.
Media Backbone Hive allows users to access their media anywhere they want. Rather than just being an elaborate cloud service, Media Backbone Hive allows internal Adobe Cloud-based editing, accepts nearly every file type, allows a user to embed metadata and makes searching simple with keywords and phrases that are spoken in the media itself.
For the broadcast market, Sony introduced the Sony HDC-5500 4K HDR three-CMOS sensor camcorder which they are calling their “flagship” camera in this market. Offering 4K HDR and high frame rates, the camera also offers a global shutter — which is essential for dealing with strobing from lights — and can now capture fast action without the infamous rolling shutter blur. The camera allows for 4K output over 12G SDI, allowing for 4K monitoring and HDR, and as these outputs continue to be the norm, the introduction of the HDC-5500 will surely be a hit with users, especially with the addition of global shutter.
Sony is very much a company that likes to focus on the longevity of their previous releases… cameras especially. Sony’s FS7 is a camera that has excelled in its field since its introduction in 2014, and to this day is an extremely popular choice for short form, narrative and broadcast media. Like other Sony camera bodies, the FS7 allows for modular builds and add-ons, and this is where the new CBK-FS7BK ENG Build-Up Kit comes in. Sporting a shoulder mount and ENG viewfinder, the kit includes an extension in the back that allows for two wireless audio inputs, RAW output, streaming and file transfer via Wireless LAN or 4G/LTE connection, as well as QoS streaming (only through XDCAM Air) and timecode input. This CBK-FS7BK ENG Build-Up Kit turns the FS7 into an even more well-rounded workhorse.
The Sony Venice is Sony’s flagship Cinema camera, replacing the Sony F65, which is still brilliant and a popular camera. Having popped up as recently as last year’s Annihilation, the Venice takes a leap further in entering the full-frame, VistaVision market. Boasting top-of-the-line specs and a smaller, more modular build than the F65, the camera isn’t exactly a new release — it came out in November 2017 — but Sony has secured longevity in their flagship camera in a time when other camera manufacturers are just releasing their own VistaVision-sensored cameras and smaller alternatives.
Sony recently released a firmware update to the Venice that allows X-OCN XT — their highest form of compressed 16-bit RAW — two new imager modes, allowing the camera to sample 5.7K 16:9 in full frame and 6K 2.39:1 in full width, as well as 4K signal over 6G/12G SDI output and wireless remote control with the CBK-WA02. Since the Venice is smaller and able to be mounted on harder-to-reach mounts, wireless control is quickly becoming a feature that many camera assistants need. Newer anamorphic desqueeze modes for 1.25x, 1.3x, 1.5x and 1.8x have also been added, which is huge, since many older and newer lenses are constantly being created and revisited, such as the Technovision 1.5x — made famous by Vittorio Storaro on Apocalypse Now (1979) — and the Cooke Full Frame Anamorphics 1.8X. With VistaVision full frame now being an easily accessible way of filming, new forms of lensing are now becoming common, so systems like anamorphic are no longer limited to 1.3X and 2X. It’s reassuring to see Sony look out for storytellers who may want to employ less common anamorphic desqueeze sizes.
As larger resolutions and higher frame rates become the norm, Sony has introduced the new Sony SxS Pro X cards. A follow up to the hugely successful Sony SxS Pro+ cards, these new cards boost an incredible transfer speed of 10Gbps (1250Mbps) in 120GB and 240GB cards. This is a huge step up from the previous SxS Pro+ cards that offered a read speed of 3.5Gbps and a write speed of 2.8Gbps. Probably the most exciting part of these new cards being introduced is the corresponding SBAC-T40 card reader which guarantees a full 240GB card to be offloaded in 3.5 minutes.
Sony’s newest addition to the Venice camera is the Rialto extension system. Using the Venice’s modular build, the Rialto is a hardware extension that allows you to remove the main body’s sensor and install it into a smaller body unit which is then tethered either nine or 18 feet by cable back to the main body. Very reminiscent of the design of ARRI’s Alexa M unit, the Rialto goes further by being an extension of its main system rather than a singular system, which may bring its own issues. The Rialto allows users to reach spots where it may otherwise prove difficult using the actual Venice body. Its lightweight design allows users to mount it nearly anywhere. Where other camera bodies that are designed to be smaller end up heavy when outfitted with accessories such as batteries and wireless transmitters, the Rialto can easily be rigged to aerials, handhelds, and Steadicams. Though some may question why you wouldn’t just get a smaller body from another camera company, the big thing to consider is that the Rialto isn’t a solution to the size of the Venice body — which is already very small, especially compared to the previous F65 — but simply another tool to get the most out of the Venice system, especially considering you’re not sacrificing anything as far as features or frame rates. The Rialto is currently being used on James Cameron’s Avatar sequels, as its smaller body allows him to employ two simultaneously for true 3D recording whilst giving all the options of the Venice system.
With innovations in broadcast and motion picture production, there is a constant drive to push boundaries and make capture/distribution instant. Creating a huge network for distribution, streaming, capture, and storage has secured Sony not only as the powerhouse that it already is, but also ensures its presence in the ever-changing future.
Daniel Rodriguez is a New York based director and cinematographer. Having spent years working for such companies as Light Iron, Panavision and ARRI Rental, he currently works as a freelance cinematographer, filming narrative and commercial work throughout the five boroughs.
