AJA has introduced the Ki Pro Quad, the first Ki Pro portable device to offer 4K (4096 x 2160) and QuadHD (3840 x 2160) recording and monitoring. Literally a double-wide version of the popular Ki Pro Mini, the Ki Pro Quad also records 2K (2048 x 1080), and HD (1920 x 1080) and supports both 10-bit 4:4:4 and 10-bit 4:2:2 color space. It can share accessories with its Ki Pro product siblings but blazes ahead of them, thanks to built-in Thunderbolt connectivity.
The Ki Pro Quad arrives at a momentous time in the evolution of 4K camera technology, pairing perfectly with new products like Canon's new EOS C500, which needs an external recorder like the Ki Pro Quad to record or monitor uncompressed 4K via its dual 3G-SDI output. "We're taking the uncompressed RAW files off the camera and doing a hardware debayer inside the Ki Pro Quad," AJA's President Nick Rashby told us during NAB. "You can record a full-resolution 4K ProRes QuickTime file on media, or move those RAW files directly to your Mac via Thunderbolt and start editing. The Ki Pro Quad can also drive Canon's new 4K display directly from the camera for monitoring on set." To show NAB attendees how this might work, AJA had set up a full 4K workflow with the Canon EOS C500 under glass at its booth in South Hall. A chart approximating that workflow appears below.
Following the release of Canon's new cinema camera in November (and the behind-the-scenes development of the 4K-out C500), AJA had set NAB as its goal to bring its new 4K recorder to market. In recent months, engineers worked directly with Canon headquarters in Japan to optimize performance between the recently released EOS C500 and the Ki Pro Quad. AJA's Ki Pro product line manager Jon Thorn told us, half-jokingly, "They literally had us locked away in a closet until we finished this thing."
For more information: www.aja.com
