Pro Moviemaker Spring 2019

MOBILE STREAMING ACADEMY

ARed in your pocket Is Red’s Hydrogen One phone a part of mobile cinematography’s future?

WORDS AND IMAGES GARY ADCOCK

“It’s not just a juiced-up phone – it’s the basis for what will be needed in the future” In the current technologymarket, it is difficult to deliver a product sufficiently advanced enough to wow. But when production issues and certification delays push your launch almost a year beyond the earliest projected release date, it can hurt. Especially when products are delivered amere 15months after spending £997 ($1295) on the Red Hydrogen One (RH1) smart device. As an iPhone user, jumping into Androidwasmildly painful, but I did not sync the data betweenmy RH1 andmy iPhone X, keeping the discomfort to aminimum. The first taskwas to update the software and apps before any testing began. As I later found out online, it was a habit that ensured I had a better first experience than others. There are two things that stand out with this device. One is the 3D display via Leia Inc’s screen technology, which is a huge step forward. It’s a holographic, 3D-style display you don’t need towear glasses for. It’s not like a fully immersive 3D cinema experience, but is very good. The second is the associated A3D audio. If anyone thought about the RH1 as a camera phone only, you should hear the undeniable quality of the A3D audio output, which is nothing short of unbelievable. The RH1’s front and rear-facing dual-lens cameras offer the user 2D with ‘bokeh’ mode and the ability to capture true 3D content inH4V

format. Due to the nature of shooting 3D, the cameras are only capable of recording 3Dwhen the dual lens configuration is oriented in side- by-sidemode, so the 3D from the rear camera is in landscape and the 3D from the front-facing camera is always in portrait mode. H4V’s readability is based on the device used, delivering 2Dwhen not viewing on a Leia-enabled device. I unsuccessfully tried to see if the content was externally viewable on a 3D-compatible TV, but I was not able to display the content correctly withmy LG set while using an Apple USB-C toHDMI adaptor. Hopefully this is a software-only issue. Editing is problematic at this time, too. There is no included software to edit the images or videos. While Premiere Pro can open the files, it can only do so after changing the suffix from .h4v to.mp4. I found the images and video in 2D undersaturated and a touch soft compared tomy iPhone. The low- light images look astounding, with texture in the out-of-focus areas resembling the grain of film. The 3D images leap out in the right context – when shooting an object close to the screen. Wide shots and vistas do not handle the 3D treatment well. While somewhat larger and noticeably heavier thanmy iPhone X, the aluminiumRH1 is substantially built, with a textured grip and scalloped edges giving it a secure, tactical feel in the hand. There is a headphone jack, volume control

buttons, a fingerprint scanner and a shutter button for the camera. Little is known about what might become available to turn it into a more capable filmmaking device, apart froma bigger battery pack and different lens options. I purchased the RH1 for a glimpse into amobile-centric cinematic future. Since the RH1 hasn’t evolved beyondwhat I ordered 15months ago, it’s nearly out of date as a phone. But it’s not just a juiced-up phone – it’s the basis for a truly portable device designed aroundwhat will be needed in the future.

ABOVE The low-light images are astounding, with texture in the out-of-focus areas resembling the grain of film

More information

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PRO MOVIEMAKER SPRING 2019

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