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Tag: 4k

  • GoPro Demos Shaun White’s New Halfpipe Trick

    GoPro camera has posted a clip of U.S. snowboarding champion Shaun White, as he perfects a new halfpipe trick called the frontside double-cork 1440 in preparation for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.

    The frontside double-cork 1440 is similar to White’s Double McTwist 1260, though it adds another half revolution of rotation inside two head-over-heels flips. White commented on the trick earlier this month, “Just that subtle a change, it throws the whole axis of the trick off. It’s a completely different thing.”

    GoPro built a private pipe for the two-time Olympic gold medalist in October, to help him train for his 2014 season. Using the GoPro HD HERO3+ camera and GoPro app, White was able to review his footage onsite and make any adjustments necessary to master a frontside double 1440.

    Here’s the clip:

    During the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games in 2010, White’s most difficult halfpipe maneuver was the McTwist 1260, which he’d landed during his second run, as he’d already had locked in a gold medal during his first run:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak_29sPEMc0

    White said he isn’t weary of anyone seeing his new 1440, and commented, “Just because you can see the trick doesn’t mean it’s easy to duplicate.”

    Commenting on the fact that other riders haven’t been doing any tricks bigger than a double cork 1260, White added, “It’s time to just do those tricks (the 1440’s). If you’re going to do them, do them now. It’s a new one I’m hoping to slide into the run.”

    The $399.99 GoPro HD HERO3+ Black Edition features video resolutions up to 4K, 12MP photos up to 30 frames per second, built-in Wi-Fi, SuperView and Auto Low Light modes. The camera is waterproof to 131’/40m. Other frame rates include 1440p48, 1080p60, 960p100 and 720p120, 4Kp15 and 2.7Kp30.

    This GoPro clip of cyclist Kelly McGarry backflipping over a 72-foot canyon is insane:

    Image via YouTube.

  • ‘House Of Cards’ Season 2 Is Made For 4K Ultra HD

    Last month, Netflix added a handful of videos to its streaming catalogue as part of a test for 4K Ultra HD video content, which the company will launch next year.

    It just so happens that the first real Ultra HD offering from the company will be the second season of House of Cards, which debuts on February 14th.

    Stuff shares some comments from Netflix Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt, who said that the company is working with several major TV manufacturers who will be producing 4K capable TVs, which will be announced at CES. These will be the only way to watch the show in 4K at first.

    In other words, while House of Cards: Season 2 may be available this way, you probably won’t get to watch it that way for a while.

    Hunt told Stuff Netflix is working specifically with David Fincher on the show, and it’s shot and edited for 4K delivery. He says there will be some other “additional pieces,” but just a “set of sample offerings, not a big part of the catalogue.”

    Netflix expects 4K-ready TVs to get much cheaper over the coming years, so while it may take a while, you’ll probably be watching a lot more Netflix content this way somewhere down the road.

    Image: Netflix

  • Apple Updates Final Cut Pro Ahead Of New Mac Pro Launch

    Apple excited many of its more hardcore fans earlier this year with the announcement of a new Mac Pro workstation. The new machine, which starts at $3,000, is being positioned as the work machine video professionals will use to edit 4K video. In anticipation of that, Apple has gone ahead and released a meaty update for its Final Cut Pro software.

    In today’s stealthy Final Cut Pro update, Apple has added over 30 new features and improvements to the software. While the main focus is on its newfound support for 4K video, the new Final Cut Pro also adds a number of new multitasking features that take advantage of the new Mac Pro’s specs.

    Here’s the full list of additions:

  • Optimized playback and rendering using dual GPUs in the new Mac Pro
  • Video monitoring up to 4K via Thunderbolt 2 and HDMI on select Mac computers
  • 4K content including titles, transitions, and generators
  • Libraries allow you to gather multiple events and projects within a single bundle
  • Easily open and close individual libraries to load just the material you need
  • Option to import media to locations inside or outside a library
  • Automatically back up libraries to a user-specified drive or network location
  • Project Snapshots let you quickly capture the project state for fast versioning
  • Audio fade handles on individual audio channels in the timeline
  • Add precise retime speeds by entering them numerically in the timeline
  • Non-rippling retime option
  • One-step Replace and Retime
  • Custom project frame sizes
  • Through edits displayed on all clip types
  • Join Through Edit command removes bladed cuts to clips in the timeline
  • Detach audio from Multicam Clips in the timeline to manipulate audio and video separately
  • Make video or audio-only edits into the timeline with Multicam Clips as sources
  • Blade and move audio in J- and L-cuts
  • Roll audio with J- and L-cut splits open
  • Option to hide the Browser to gain more screen space for viewing
  • Native support for .MTS and .MT2S files from AVCHD cameras
  • Used media indicators on source clips
  • Improved performance with large projects
  • Improved performance when modifying or adding keywords to many clips at once
  • Easily move, copy, and paste multiple keyframes
  • Option for linear animation with Ken Burns effect
  • Improved image stabilization with InertiaCam and Tripod mode
  • Import photos from iOS devices
  • Proxy and playback quality controls accessible in Viewer menu
  • Support for portrait/landscape metadata in still images
  • Effects parameters, fonts, and text size included in XML metadata
  • Improved support for growing media and edit while ingest
  • FxPlug 3 with custom plug-in interfaces and dual-GPU support
  • API for custom Share operations using third-party software
  • Share directly to YouTube at 4K resolution
  • Share directly to Chinese video sites Youku and Tudou
  • Spanish language localization

    • The update to Final Cut Pro is available now to those who already own the software. If you don’t yet own it, you can grab it today for $299.99.

    Image via Apple
    [h/t: Gizmodo]

  • 4K TV Market Predicted to Take Off Next Year

    Now that the 3D TV movement is essentially dead, manufacturers are pushing 4K TV as the next big reason for consumers to buy a new TV. With 4K content almost nonexistent and 4K TV sets priced far higher than similar-sized HDTV units, those manufacturers haven’t had much luck yet.

    Next year could be the tipping point, though, if a new DigiTimes report can be believed. The report predicts that 4K TV panel shipments will hit 26 million by the end of 2014 – nearly ten times as many as are expected to ship this year.

    The report’s unnamed “industry sources” state that prices for 4K TV panels are already expected to fall next year as manufacturers begin to truly expand their 4K TV offerings. Most 4K TV sales are expected to come from China, though most of those will be what DigiTimes is classifying as “entry level” sets (39- to 50-inch displays). However, the report’s sources state that Samsung and Sony are expecting to see “significant increases in shipments” for high-end 4K TVs (those with 55- to 85-inch displays) to established markets in the west.

    Though the fast growth of the industry will be good news for manufacturers, it is also tempered by the realization that content and low prices will have to lead the market. Last week market research firm ABI Research predicted that it will take until 2018 for just 10% of North American households to have a 4K TV. That is when, according to ABI, we can expect 4K content to catch up and 4K TV prices to drop along with manufacturing costs.

    (Image courtesy Samsung)

  • 4K TV Adoption Coming Along Slowly

    With 3D TV a bust, the TV industry now set to contract for the second year in a row. With established markets now content with their current HDTV sets, TV manufacturers are looking for 4K TV to be the next set-selling technology.

    Unfortunately for those manufacturers, it will take years for 4K TV to become a real player in the market. Research firm ABI Research today released a report predicting that it will take until the year 2017 for just 5% of North American households to adopt 4K technology. After that, though, 4K is expected to take off with the firm estimating that 10% of North American households will have a 4K TV in 2018.

    Much of the reason that 4K TV sets are not selling comes down to content and price. There simply isn’t enough 4K content for consumers to consider upgrading their TV sets. This is especially true when mixed with the fact that the least expensive branded 4K TV sets sell for several thousand dollars minimum.

    The uptick in 4K sales that ABI sees coming in four years will be a factor of these situations changing. Video services such as Sony’s Video Unlimited 4K download service are expected to mature in the coming years. Manufacturing costs will also drop quickly, leading to lower, consumer-friendly prices for 4K TV sets. These combined factors are expected to drive 4K TV sales through the end of the decade.

    “Unlike 3D, which required awkward glasses, 4K has the legs to become an industry norm,” said Sam Rosen, practice director at ABI. “This isn’t a sprint, however, and it will take time for the necessary infrastructure, installed base of devices, and content to come together before 4K becomes an integral part of how the typical TV household consumes video content. We expect this could start to happen as early as 2018 in some regions. In the meantime, many consumers will have 4K panels without 4K content, or 4K game consoles without a 4K display, and will claim a superior 4K experience even though the technical merits are not quantifiable.”

    (Image courtesy Samsung)

  • Ultra HD TV Market to Improve Next Year

    Ultra HD TV Market to Improve Next Year

    After the revolution of high-definition television, TV manufacturers began searching for the next big feature that will raise the TV market. 3D-enabled TVs have failed to catch on in a big way, held back by the annoying requirement of glasses and the simple fact that 3D doesn’t add much to a home viewing experience. The smart TV is a newer initiative, with TV manufacturers providing Netflix directly through TVs. Though smart TV features are popular with consumers they are largely viewed as value add-ons, rather than revolutionary features.

    That brings us to 4K TV. Ultra-high definition TV holds the promise of raising visual quality over standard HD in a way HD raised quality over standard-definition televisions. Though sales of the 4K devices are beginning to pick up among enthusiasts, high prices and a dearth of 4K content mean the TVs are seeing slow adoption rates. That could change starting next year, according to market research firm TrendForce.

    TrendForce is predicting that market penetration for ultra-high-definition (UHD) TVs could hit 2% in 2014. That would be more than double the penetration rate of 0.8% predicted for this year. The firm predicts that smaller panel sizes and lower costs could drive adoption in the coming years. It stated that low-priced UHD TVs will need to have lower refresh rates and low-cost components to bring them to the greater TV-buying public.

    If manufacturers are able to hit lower price points, TrendForce is predicting that UHD market penetration could more than double again in 2015, possibly hitting 4.5% and buoying TV sales overall. According to the report, emerging markets such as China will be key to market share in the coming years.

    (Image courtesy Sony)

  • Sony Launches 4K Video Download Service

    As a tech company, a music label, a movie studio, and a variety of other things, Sony often has the luxury of using its hardware to promote its own content. While much of the focus of Sony’s IFA presentation today focused on the new Xperia Z1 smartphone, the company also revealed a bit about its future plans for online video.

    Sony today launched the world’s first 4K resolution online video download service, called Video Unlimited 4K. The store provides 4K TV owners with access to movies, TV shows, and other videos in native 4K Ultra HD. The service can be accessed through Sony’s 4K media player or its 4K TV sets, all of which will receive updates for the store.

    “We have been spearheading the advancement of 4K Ultra HD technology from the start, and have now reached another milestone as promised with the Video Unlimited 4K service going live,” said Phil Molyneux, COO of Sony Electronics.

    So far, the Video Unlimited 4K service is rather limited. It currently has only just over 70 movies and TV shows available, and only 100 are expected to be available by the end of the year. The limited selection does have some quality content, though, including the Spider-Man movies, Ghostbusters, and Breaking Bad. The prices for the service are rather steep, with TV episodes costing $4 and 24-hour movie rentals starting at $8. Current owners of 4K TV sets are unlikely to balk at the prices, though.

  • NASA Shows Off Its 4K Sun Images

    NASA Shows Off Its 4K Sun Images

    There’s a cost associated with being an early adopter, and it’s not just the higher prices. New media formats consistently outpace the rate at which content creators can adapt to the new formats. As a result, early adopters pay exorbitant sums for tech to display boring demo footage for months before ESPN finally updates its broadcast technology, which happens coincide with the release of the second, better generation of devices.

    With HDTV, customers were often left watching nature footage and landscapes. With the 4K TV revolution just starting, TV manufacturers are going to need some content that shows customers what they’re missing with their crappy 1080p displays. Luckily, NASA has a suggestion.

    Astronomers at NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) for some time have been using an Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and Helioseismic Magnetic Imager (HMI) to take ultra high-definition images twice as large as anything seen on the displays at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Every second.

    As of last month, the SDO had taken 100 million images. NASA bragged that if they were watched at 30 frame sper second there would be enough footage to watch eight hours a day for nearly four months. That’s a lot of staring at the sun.

    It’s unclear whether NASA is actually promising 4K content for showrooms or whether the agency just used the excuse of CES to show off its SDO photos. Either way, more SDO images and video, mostly of solar eruptions and flares, can be found on NASA’s SDO website.

    (Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/SDO)

  • PlayStation 4 Rumored to Support 4K Resolutions

    Boy Genius Report (BGR) is reporting that Sony’s next video game console will come with support for 4K resolution. BGR cites an unnamed source as saying the as-yet unannounced PlayStation 4 console will be on the front line of hardware manufacturers pushing 4K technology.

    4K resolution refers to a resolution standard that uses a horizontal resolution of 4,000 pixels.

    BGR also reported earlier this week, citing unnamed sources “close to Sony’s manufacturing partners,” that Sony has plans to release an 80-inch LED 4K TV set. This monster TV could be released as soon as this holiday season, and the cost of such a device would be around $30,000.

    The PlayStation 2’s support for DVD playback meant that console became the first DVD player that many gamers had. As a result, the PlayStation 2 helped push the DVD format to the forefront of video media. Similarly, the PlayStation 3’s Blu-Ray capabilities have propelled the Blu-Ray format, though not with as much success as the PlayStation 2 did for DVD’s. Placing their bets on a new format and supporting it with their new console seems to have become a pattern for Sony, and so rumors of 4K support in the PlayStation 4 make perfect sense.

    Details on Sony’s next console, though, have been sparse. Rumors back in March declared the console’s codename to be “Orbis,” and that the system would use an AMD processor. This is in contrast to Microsoft’s new console, which has seen many leaks in the past few months, including news of an updated Kinect device.

  • Canon EOS-1D C Records 4K Onboard

    Canon just announced the EOS-1D C DSLR, which shares most of the specifications of its flagship cousin the EOS-1D X, except for an enhancement to capture 4K (4096 x 2160-pixel) video. The 1D C is Canon’s first DSLR to offer onboard 4K capture to CF cards, in a typically sturdy, compact package. Worthy of note surrounding the 4K hysterics of the 1D C is it’s price – the enhanced video capability reportedly adds roughly $8,500 to the $6,799 MSRP of the 1D X, coming in somewhere around $15K.

    canon eos-1d c

    The 18.1 megapixel, full-frame 24mm x 36mm CMOS sensor of the 1D C captures 8-bit 4:2:2 4K as Motion JPEG, only in 24p – and 8-bit 4:2:0 Full HD (1920 x 1080-pixel) video is captured as H.264 – and offers more options regarding frame rates, up to 60p. Canon states that the EOS-1D C displays exceptional low-light performance, achieving 25,600 ISO in video mode.

    The 1D C sports the familiar form-factor of Canon’s classic 5D series, and, not forgetting, it shoots 18-megapixel (5184 x 3456) still pictures too. Essentially, the 1D C is a top-of-the-line still camera that shoots 4K video, for $15,000, sans any lenses. Also, not being a standard camcorder, there are no XLR inputs (though there is a headphone jack for monitoring), neutral density filters, SDI, etc.

    Canon’s main pitch appears to be touting the 1D C’s compactness, which should be noted – with the addition of many of Canon’s EF lenses, the rig is petite, as compared to say, a Red One. Without required any sort of external recorder, the 1D C can definitely be dropped into environments that other 4K cameras can’t, making it a relevant addition to certain types of productions. According to Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies & Communications Group, Canon U.S.A., “The Canon EOS-1D C digital SLR camera was designed in response to the needs of filmmakers, television producers, and other high-level motion-imaging professionals. Not only does it combine 4K and Full HD video capture with a convenient design, its use of dual CF cards also offers an efficient workflow compatible with today’s post-production requirements.”

    One comment that stood out in Canon’s specs – If desired, however, captured video (excluding 4K video) can be output from the camera’s HDMI terminal to an external recorder using an uncompressed YCbCr 8-bit 4:2:2 signal. It would appear that 4K footage can only be captured to internal CF cards for the time being.

    In the end, who really needs a 4K ready camera right now? And, with Sony just announcing the FS700, its 4K-ready (assuming Sony delivers on the firmware update) camcorder, for about $10K, a $15K DSLR seems like it will fall into a very niche market.