BEYOND 4K | GEAR
On laptops and workstations, solid state storage has long since made higher performance easier. When the sheer space demands start to test the limits of that kind of approach, though, we can look to companies such as Quantum, which has been supplying serious storage for a while. To date, most have been 4K set-ups, but they give us an idea of the sheer workload. One installation, designed to drive a 4K LED video display at the stadium of the Sacramento Kings basketball team, is expected to handle up to 3Tbs per game for over 41 home games per year, on top of the 50,000 hours of material already at the organisation’s disposal when the system went in. So, 8K is increasingly possible, and while we may still think of it as a nascent field with a limited number of outlets, it’s also something that has specific use cases that brook no compromise. Whether we’re likely to see an 8K display in every lounge over the next few years is another matter, but it seems quite possible that at least some distributors might start to worry that perhaps, one day, there might be – and if that happens, it’s hard to predict what sort of deliverables might suddenly become the norm.
using the Raw files,” he explains. “Since I used an ACES colour journey, I was able to convert the grade into HDR Rec2020 PQ, and Rec. 709 at 2.6 gamma, by switching the ODT. Then, I did a quick trim pass in the new colour space. Grading in HDR was done on a Sony BVM-X300 in 4K; I didn’t have access to an 8K display. After grading, I rendered 7680 by 4320 16- bit TIFFs in Rec. 2020 PQ, matted at 2.39.” BIG DELIVERY As straightforward as Bernstein makes it sound, the technical demands of handling so many pixels put a load on hardware. Even transporting 8K signals between pieces of equipment can require a bundle of four SDI cables, and capturing or converting those signals might require some new hardware, too. AJA has been quick off the mark with the Kona 5 input- output card, supporting both SDI and HDMI connections, though there is a fairly short list of compatible workstations with sufficient brawn to handle the job. For example, there’s a version of the HDR Image Analyzer with 12G SDI for 8K work. 8K precision reference displays are thin on the ground, but converting between potentially multiple-link SDI and HDMI 2.1, with 8K support, is now possible with the Hi5- 12G converter – or even several converters, to handle separated links, simultaneously.
pursuing independent feature content to showcase 8K technology.” Most of Bernstein’s workflow was conventional. “I conformed the project on my Baselight Two system, using the R3D files in their native resolution and colour space as my input source. Initially, my working format in Baselight was 4096x1716 for 2.39 projection.” Having decided to finish an 8K version of the trailer, Bernstein cut and pasted the shots he needed into a new timeline. “As the trailer was cut from a 4K ProRes render of the film, I had to rebuild it in Baselight THERE’S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO MAKE GOOD USE Where will your kit go next? Inspire others, make some extra cash and make a difference. Sell your used kit and let someone else love it as much as you have. Make good use of your used gear. Sell yours today at mpb.com/sell.
TOP RIGHT The Kona 5 from AJA is one of the few systems capable of transporting 8K pixels
DECEMBER 2020 | DEF I N I T ION 29
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