ARRI announces ProRes 3.2K, a new recording format for its ARRI ALEXA cameras that will become available through a software update scheduled for release early next year. ProRes 3.2K allows the same easy upsampling in post to UHD deliverables as ARRIRAW Open Gate does to 4K. These formats, combined with ALEXA’s dynamic range, make the camera suitable for any type of production with any distribution requirements.
The majority of digital film and television productions continue to capture, postproduce and distribute in HD or 2K, formats for which ALEXA provides a solution. Widespread adoption of UHD/4K post workflows, as well as availability of UHD displays in consumer homes and 4K projection in movie theaters is at least one to two years away–even in the most progressive markets. However, some film and program makers are already concerned about protecting their work for future developments. The ongoing debate regarding high dynamic range (HDR) displays, which have an even greater effect on viewing experience than higher spatial resolution, only adds to these concerns.
ALEXA product manager Marc Shipman-Mueller commented, “Designed from the outset to be adaptable and future-proof, ALEXA can easily accommodate productions that choose to follow a UHD or 4K workflow. The camera’s stellar overall image quality in combination with ProRes 3.2K or ARRIRAW Open Gate allows for simple up-sampling to UHD or 4K in a quality at least as good as other contenders. And because of their unequalled exposure latitude and highlight handling, ALEXA images are already uniquely HDR-compatible. Put simply, ALEXA remains the safest available capture tool for asset longevity, no matter what future standards come to fruition.”
For TV productions looking for a UHD deliverable, ALEXA XT cameras and ALEXA Classic cameras with the XR Module upgrade offer the new and cost-efficient ProRes 3.2K recording option. At data rates far below uncompressed ARRIRAW, ProRes 3.2K provides the benefits of the well-established and efficient ProRes workflow. As an additional benefit, most lenses fully cover the 3.2K image circle that results from the 16:9 ProRes 3.2K image. A straightforward up-sample from ProRes 3.2K using standard post tools delivers UHD images of the highest quality for broadband and broadcast.
Many high-profile movies have been shot in ARRIRAW 2.8K and up-sampled to a 4K DCP with spectacular results, an example being the last James Bond film, Skyfall. To further improve upon this option, ARRI introduced the ARRIRAW Open Gate recording format for ALEXA XT cameras earlier this year. Open Gate records the full 3.4K ALEXA XT sensor area for an optimal up-sample in post to a 4K DCP.
Open Gate has been enthusiastically received by the feature film industry and is in use on numerous productions already, including Warcraft, San Andreas, Pixels, Goosebumps and Sicario, the latest movie lensed by Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC. Other feature films are shooting ARRIRAW 16:9 or ARRIRAW 4:3 and using Open Gate selectively for VFX shots, including Terminator: Genesis, Fantastic 4, Agent 47 and Deus Ex Machina.
Recent demonstrations of high dynamic range (HDR) displays have shown the extraordinary visual impact of increased dynamic range and sparked a debate over how and when they will be introduced. ARRI has been working with Dolby at major trade shows to help showcase Dolby Vision display technology, which is capable of 100 times more brightness than a conventional TV. This has contributed to a spreading awareness in the industry that dynamic range is an even more important factor than spatial resolution in creating a superior visual experience. Recognizing this, other companies such as Thomson, Philips and the BBC are working on their own HDR solutions.
ALEXA’s unrivalled exposure latitude, highlight handling and color science already result in images beyond the capabilities of current display technologies. The Dolby Vision presentations have revealed how much better ALEXA images look when displayed with extended dynamic range, proving the enormous and as-yet untapped potential of ALEXA-originated material to be remastered for future HDR display standards.
