Day two of NAB 2019 is gone. I was in the South Hall all day looking in on (mostly) post-production related software and hardware.
Pocket Battery Grip for the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. Allows it to run for two hours using Sony L-550 series batteries. This may seem odd, since the camera takes a very different Canon LP-E6 battery internally. But the Sony batteries have a longer run time, giving you up to two hours of continuous recording. $245
Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard. A new premium keyboard for DaVinci Resolve to speed up editing by allowing the use of two hands. The jog dial is made of machined metal with rubber coating so it feels very nice to use and editors will feel solid. At $995, it is probably the most expensive computer keyboard I have ever heard of, but can you put a price on productivity? Available in August.
DaVinci Resolve 16. Has some new features. Dual timeline to edit and trim without zooming and scrolling, You can view in “source tape” mode to review all clips as if they were a single tape. Trim interface allows you to view both sides of an edit and trim. Intelligent edit modes to auto-sync clips and edit. It now has built in tools for retime, stabilization and transform clips. You can render and upload directly to YouTube and Vimeo. There are direct media import via buttons and a scalable interface for working on laptop screens. You can now create projects with different frame rates and resolutions and apply effects to multiple clips at the same time, along with many more improvements. The beta is available now for free, pricing TBA.
Digital Anarchy Transcriptive. This is a program, with pay-as-you-go service fees, that makes highly accurate transcripts of recordings through Premiere Pro. When it is finished transcribing, it opens in a window in Premiere Pro. Clicking on a particular word there will take you to that point on the time line. This will be extremely handy for documentary film makers, legal video and anywhere you need a transcript. Transcriptive works by analyzing the dialog, then uses the Digital Anarchy server or Speechmatics to process the clip. Transcriptive is $299; transcribing costs $.05-$ .10 per minute of video submitted.
AVID Media Composer. Avid is saying that the core Media Composer look, feel and functionality has been completely and dramatically redone for the first time since I first looked at Media Composer 20 years ago. Avid wanted to attract younger editors, so they are saying it is more intuitive to people used to editing on other NLEs. The new interface includes “bin maps” to better find clips in large bins. It uses 32-bit “full-float color” so you don’t lose color information while editing. The enterprise version allows the administrator to limit codecs, frame rates and picture size. It can look for inactive computers on the network and use them to render while you continue to edit on your current computer. It will be available for a subscription starting at $19.99/month for individuals and up with add-ons. Media Composer First is a limited free version and will have the same enhancements.
Lumantek ez-Pro VS10 Switcher. This 3G switcher was announced last NAB, but this year it is ready to ship, with better specs. Originally it was only going to have scalers on two inputs, but now it has scalers on all 10 inputs. You can transfer still images for use in the still store by transferring them from a computer to a USB stick and plugging it into the VS10. That is a huge improvement over the process in its little brother, the VS4. Additionally it has a touchscreen to assign the stills on the USB to the desired store, as well as control over other switcher set up functions. The ez-ProVS10 ships this May for $2690.
Lumantek ez-SHV+/ez-HSV Converters. These are not just HDMI-to-HD-SDI (and vise-versa) converting from one connector to another. They do much more. It can convert any signal to another between 480i and 1080p at frame rates of 23.98p to 60p, PAL or NTSC. It also has a 3.7-inch built-in monitor, not only for viewing, but with different modes to analyze the signal for problems. It tells you the frame size and frame rate, audio level and video strength. Besides being converters, these are great little signal analyzers. They are shipping for an MSRP of $200 each.
LaCie Rugged RAID Shuttle. This unit offers a different look from any of the other “rugged” products; rather than stacking the drives, they are side by side. This is better for carrying around in a laptop case or putting in a Fed Ex box. It features USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gb/s) technology with USB-C connector (Thunderbolt 3) and is backward-compatible with USB 3.0. A three-year limited warranty and Seagate’s Rescue Data Recovery Services are included. The 8TB LaCie Rugged RAID Shuttle will be available in May with an MSRP of $529.99.
K-Tek Stingray Utility Hip Pack. While I was in the South Hall all day, with a few minutes of the show left I took the scenic route through Central Hall on the way to the buses. There, I found myself in front of the K-Tek booth that was offering this little gem of a bag. The Utility Hip Pack can hold a lot of accessories and/or a small audio mixer or recorder. It has a lot of holders for pens and tools. It was the perfect size to hold my reporter’s notebook, cell phone and external battery. As it goes down and straps to your thigh, it is much deeper than a fanny pack, with more compartments and dividers for organization. Having tried it for a couple hours so far, I like it. It does look like a big gun holster, so wear with caution. MSRP $130
Wednesday I will be exploring the convention’s production area in the Central Hall.
Current swag count:
T-shirt – 4
Hat – 1
Cloth lens wipes – 3
Carabiner – 1
Car USB charger – 1
Hand sanitizer – 1
Mini Bluetooth Speaker – 1
