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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Silicon Imaging Announces World's First Digital
Cinema Camera with Direct-to-Disk 10-bit CineForm
RAW™
Recording and Adobe®
Production Studio Integration |
Albany, New York, April 17th, 2006
- Silicon Imaging,
Inc. has unveiled the revolutionary SI-1920HDVR portable
IT-integrated 10-bit digital cinema camera with direct-to-disk
recording and Adobe Production Studio integration. The Silicon
Imaging SI-1920HDVR is a 2/3” 1920x1080P camera recording to a
new version of CineForm’s Visually Perfect™ wavelet codec called
CineForm RAW™, in a dual-core embedded PC architecture under
Microsoft Windows® XP. It delivers unprecedented image quality,
10 f-stop dynamic range, a 7” LCD touchscreen interface, gigabit
connectivity, battery-powered operation, and up to 4-hours of
continuous shooting on its USB2.0 hot-swap 160GB notebook hard
drive.
“We designed the SI-1920HDVR digital cinema camera with the
needs of the independent filmmaker in mind,” said Ari Presler,
CEO of Silicon Imaging, Inc. “It encompasses a new paradigm in
camera acquisition and recording technology. Now, expose and
shoot impressive cinema-quality footage at 1080P in CineForm
RAW™ format. Then, immediately produce dailies, create special
effects, and edit full-resolution HD content using Adobe
Production Studio; all without the need for a time-consuming
ingest process.”
“We’re excited to have worked with Silicon Imaging on this
impressive new camera,” said David Taylor, CEO of CineForm, Inc.
“By extending our CineForm Intermediate codec to work in RAW
mode, we assisted the SI-1920HDVR to achieve visual quality and
features at an affordable price point that is a breakthrough for
digital cinematography. Prior to our collaboration on this
project, comparable features and image quality always required
proprietary recording decks tethered to the camera, resulting in
prohibitive costs for independent projects, even on a rental
basis.
The
SI-1920HDVR’s 16:9 format 2/3” CMOS sensor enables use of wide
aperture optics to achieve a 35mm-like Depth-of-Field, without
the need for ground-glass converters. Its interchangeable
optical assembly supports the use of 16mm PL, F and C-mount
lenses. Integrated support for 15mm lightweight rods and 19mm
bridge-plates make it ideal for cinema-style gear and
accessories. The camera head is detachable and can be remotely
accessed using gigabit Ethernet. Two camera heads can be
mounted side-by-side for shooting 3-D sequences.
The 7” widescreen LCD doubles as a viewfinder and
touchscreen graphical user interface. On-screen menus and
hot-spot zones provide intuitive camera, recorder and playback
controls. These include a false-color exposure meter, 2x
digital zoom for fine focus, safe-zone markers, compression
quality, and SMPTE timecode. In
addition to traditional 1080/24/25/30p frame-rates, special
effects and off-speed shooting capabilities include overcranking
up to 72fps at 720P, undercranking, long exposure and time-lapse
modes.
The
SI-1920HDVR abandons fixed bitrate codecs, such as DVCPRO HD and
HDCAM. Instead, camera sensor data is recorded directly into
CineForm RAWÔ
format, preserving the original pixel data. This gives
cinematographers the flexibility to develop the “digital
negative” in post rather than make non-reversible decisions
on-set.
File-sharing tools in Windows XP creates new possibilities for
collaboration and production. While shooting, begin editing and
compositing with Adobe’s Production Studio and CineForm’s
Prospect-HD over LAN. Or, remove the hard drive magazine and
edit content directly from disc. Play 10-bit CineForm AVI
footage in Windows Media™ Player, add metadata with Adobe
Bridge™, edit in Adobe® Premiere® Pro™ or composite
in Adobe After Effects®.
“We have extended our Prospect HD™ editing software to support
real-time editing of Silicon Imaging’s high-dynamic range
CineForm RAWÔ
files alongside YUV files on the same timeline”, states David
Newman, CineForm CTO. “Using CineForm RAWÔ
ensures multi-generation quality using an online workflow
offering unmatched HD video quality and performance, while
eliminating the need for proxy files, conforming, and
rendering.”
“Adobe is excited by the capabilities the Silicon Imaging
SI-1920HDVR digital cinema camera brings to independent film
makers,” said Simon Hayhurst, director of product management,
Video products for Adobe. "Combined with CineForm RAW™ files and
Adobe Production Studio this efficient workflow with real-time
HD editing in Premiere Pro will give our users the creative
control and productivity they demand."
Edit up to four 1080/24p
streams in real time without expensive RAID arrays. Then select
from a variety of advanced demosaic algorithms to process the
RAW data for output to film, tape, HD-DVD, or Windows Media®
High Definition video format for digital cinema distribution and
Internet streaming.
"After shooting three scenes for our visual
effects intensive movie 'Spoon' with Rutger Hauer on 35mm and
comparing the results to the SI-1920HDVR, we were completely
amazed," states Simon Hansen, Director Atomic VFX. "The
SI-1920HDVR displayed the widest latitude of any digital camera
in its class. The small, high quality files and Adobe
integration make file management and editing a breeze;
incomparable to any other workflow we've found."
Silicon Imaging will be demonstrating the SI-1920HDVR during
NAB2006 in the Adobe booth, #SL3732.
Price & Availability
The
SI-1920HDVR is priced below $20k and will be available for
delivery in Q3 2006.
About Silicon Imaging
Silicon Imaging, Inc. specializes in the design, manufacturing
and marketing of high-definition digital cameras and recording
systems. Silicon Imaging’s products incorporate disruptive
technologies including CMOS imagers, video processing
algorithms, wavelet compression and gigabit connectivity to
deliver a new generation of high definition products
outperforming traditional HD cameras while increasing
flexibility and lowering cost. For more information visit:
www.siliconimaging.com.
About CineForm
CineForm, Inc., located in Carlsbad, California, develops
software products for use by media professionals in
high-resolution acquisition and post-production applications.
Powered by CineForm Intermediate, CineForm's acclaimed products
provide unmatched visual quality and real-time performance –
without the need for specialized hardware – while enabling an
online digital intermediate workflow that runs on affordable
Windows desktop PCs. For more information, visit
www.CineForm.com.
Contact Information:
Steve Nordhauser
Silicon Imaging, Inc.
Phone: (518) 279-9098
HD@siliconimaging.com
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