Cineform Gemini 4:4:4 recorder announced.

Discuss any kind of off board video recorder here.
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alisterchapman
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Cineform Gemini 4:4:4 recorder announced.

Post by alisterchapman » March 25th, 2011, 7:04 pm

I've known about this rather amazing device for some time, but have been under NDA. I see this as the perfect companion for Sony's PMW-F3 and with a street price of around $6,000 it's a bit of a bargain. It is both a 4:4:4 uncompressed recorder and a rather handy monitor (it will do 3D recording and monitoring too), all in a single unit that is no bigger than most high end HD monitors. It records to readily available, cost effective SSD's and can even make dual recordings to both drives giving an instant backup. It records uncompressed, so you get the absolute best quality possible. If you need an alternative codec then you simply transcode to your chosen codec when you ingest the material in to the edit system. When will it be available? Well CD are hoping to start shipping at the end of July, but that may slip a little, still it should not be too long to wait. Here are some of the headlines from CD's press kit:

"Gemini enables videographers and cinematographers to capture at the ultimate video quality, in a small, low-power, lightweight package, at a very affordable price. Gemini features a built-in high-brightness 5.0” 800x480 24-bit LCD touch-screen for monitor and playback, and introduces an industry first - the ability to simultaneously record to two removable solid-state drives - creating instant backups; an invaluable insurance against lost footage, as well as, opening new workflow options.

Building on, but not replacing, the highly successful nanoFlash, Gemini records 10-bit uncompressed 4:4:4 / 4:2:2 video in most popular HD/2K/3G formats, including 1080p24 and 1080p50/60, with up to 16-channels of embedded audio and timecode. Gemini has slots for two removable 1.8” solid-state drives (SSDs), enabling recording in either parallel mode (instant backup), or spanning mode (longer record times). Sporting a lightweight milled aluminum case, Gemini is about the same size and weight as the popular SmallHD DP6 monitor, but includes Recording, Playback, Image Processing, Dual HD/3G SDI I/Os, HDMI-Out and consumer level audio I/O; while consuming only 8 to 15 watts of power.

Gemini features S-Log support, with user programmable viewing LUTs, which can be enabled selectively for either HD-SDI output. Flexible recording options, include simultaneously recording native S-Log video to one SSD (for on-line), and the same footage with burned-in LUTs to the second SSD (for faster creation of off-line proxies and/or H.264 video for mobile devices/internet).


Gemini records on to one or two SSD's
A 3D/Stereo (extra-cost) option will also be available, enabling dual-stream recording and playback in a single Gemini unit; creating the world’s smallest, lowest-power, 3D recorder available anywhere. Gemini will record independent left/right channel files, while providing full synchronized playback of two streams as well as side-by-side, 50/50 composite, or anaglyph combinations. Gemini can uniquely output 3D in multiple formats simultaneously (ie side-by-side and 50/50 composite), to aid in camera alignment and monitoring."
darraghsinnott
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Re: Cineform Gemini 4:4:4 recorder announced.

Post by darraghsinnott » May 29th, 2011, 8:39 pm

Alister, I'm very interested in this recorder too but I'm daunted at the prospect of uncompressed 4:4:4 - don't you think (at least for the next while) that it will be very unwieldy? I know it gives maximum flexibility but the files are going to be enormous aren't they?
If only it had an onboard compressor like the CineDeck. What are your thought's about workflow - i.e. what editing codec would you use if (say) you're recording S-Log out of the F3 onto this thing?
alisterchapman
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Re: Cineform Gemini 4:4:4 recorder announced.

Post by alisterchapman » June 13th, 2011, 7:51 pm

The idea with the Gemini is that you transcode to your chosen codec while you copy the data from the SSD to your edit platform. This way you can use just about any codec you wish and always be working first generation. The Gemini will come with an ingest station that should allow for around 4x real time transcode/ingest . While not as fast as SxS which can get up to around 6 to 8x realtime it's a respectable speed. You could even ingest into multiple codec for multiple systems. I think for most projects 4:4:4 will be overkill, 10 bit 4:2:2 will be more than enough for most applications. Recording uncompressed on a low cost device has been a dream for a long time. One big plus of uncompressed material is that any effects take a lot less time to render as there is no un-compress - re-compress required, so while file sizes will be much larger than we are used to there could be some big speed improvements to the workflow. Storage gets cheaper and cheaper by the month.

I'm still trying to work out which codec I'm going to use. I expect I will use different compression ratios for different projects. ProRes is pretty good, but noisy. Cineform is nice and fast to work with, but you need a licence on every machine. Avid DNxHD is another option that I'm looking at.
darraghsinnott
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Joined: March 20th, 2011, 9:31 pm

Re: Cineform Gemini 4:4:4 recorder announced.

Post by darraghsinnott » June 21st, 2011, 10:36 am

Thanks Alister,
Having looked again at the CineDeck I'm now pretty sure the Gemini is the best fit for 'on-camera' use for me based on what's out there at the moment.
The Cinedeck would be awesome if it was smaller, lighter, quieter and didn't need 60+ watts of power. It's not really an option for on-board use in my opinion.
You're right - the file size probably won't mater too much as there is an explosion of speed and capacity (and hopefully a corresponding fall in price) going on right now with SSD technology.

cheers
Darragh.
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