RED Digital Cinema® has announced the availability of the RED Connect Module for RED’s V-Raptor and V-Raptor XL cameras. The new module allows users to unlock the capabilities of up to 8K live cinematic streaming via the RED Connect solution. RED Connect enables users the ability to real-time stream RAW R3D files direct from the V-Raptor and V-Raptor XL camera systems over IP to a camera control unit (CCU), opening a range of creative applications from live broadcast to virtual production to true 8K VR.
The RED Connect Module is a turn-key solution for customers to access the wide-ranging capabilities of RED Connect. With a compact form-factor and easy connectivity, the module attaches securely to the back of the V-Raptor or V-Raptor XL via the camera’s V-Lock battery mechanism. The high-speed data connection is created by connecting the module to the camera’s CFexpress media slot.
The module allows for live streaming of up to 8K at 120FPS or 4K at 240FPS, as well as all other frame rate and resolution combinations offered by the camera. It also supports simultaneous streaming and recording from the CCU. The module offers Genlock and timecode synchronization of multiple cameras using PTP (SMPTE ST 2059-2) and up to 10 Gbps connection via a single-mode LC connector.
“We are extremely excited to officially launch RED Connect and the new module,” said Jeff Goodman, RED Digital Cinema VP of product management. “Live streaming of full-quality R3Ds over IP at every resolution and framerate, combined with RED’s sensor capabilities, creates an entirely new paradigm for content creation and broadcast. In early release testing, our customers have been blowing us away by what they have been able to produce. We’re excited to see what’s next creatively now that RED Connect’s flexible, open ecosystem is available to take content creation to the next level.”
The RED Connect system extends the camera’s capabilities in virtual productions and new production environments such as live XR. Users can simplify their camera setup by reducing SDI cables, timecode and genlock devices, and other connections to a single ethernet cable to reduce points of failure. In the world of XR, users can stream 8K 60p content straight from the camera to any end device. The increased resolution pushes the visual experience into an entirely new immersive world, especially when viewed in a VR headset environment.
RED’s innovative partners, including COSM, Media.Monks, and NVIDIA, have been deploying and testing RED Connect and the module in real-world applications over the past 18 months.
“The opportunity to leverage uncompressed 8K end-to-end presents a tremendous opportunity for broadcasters, filmmakers and immersive video in particular,” noted Lewis Smithingham, Media.Monks SVP of innovation. “Uncompressed 8K delivers on the promise of VR, and when combined with stereo lensing, produces a sense of presence never experienced before.”
For varying use cases, the RED Connect Module can be deployed by adapting the CCU design. The flexibility of the CCU allows for real-time AI processing using RED’s SDK and NVIDIA professional GPUs for graphic intensive workflows with complete SMPTE 2110 implementation or options for one to two frames of latency for 8K and 4K IP broadcast and everything in-between.
The RED Connect Module is priced at $14,995, with RED Connect licenses available for one year or as a perpetual license. A one-month option will be available soon. Pricing for the RED Connect feature varies based on the length of licensing agreement. RED will showcase RED Connect with the module at the 2023 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show, including demonstrations of live streaming of 8K60P to VR headsets enabled by Microsoft and Meta at the Microsoft booth (#W1529).
Jennifer Kent On Why Her Feature Directing Debut, “The Babadook,” Continues To Haunt Us
"The Babadook," when it was released 10 years ago, didn't seem to portend a cultural sensation.
It was the first film by a little-known Australian filmmaker, Jennifer Kent. It had that strange name. On opening weekend, it played in two theaters.
But with time, the long shadows of "The Babadook" continued to envelop moviegoers. Its rerelease this weekend in theaters, a decade later, is less of a reminder of a sleeper 2014 indie hit than it is a chance to revisit a horror milestone that continues to cast a dark spell.
Not many small-budget, first-feature films can be fairly said to have shifted cinema but Kent's directorial debut may be one of them. It was at the nexus of that much-debated term "elevated horror." But regardless of that label, it helped kicked off a wave of challenging, filmmaker-driven genre movies like "It Follows," "Get Out" and "Hereditary."
Kent, 55, has watched all of this — and those many "Babadook" memes — unfold over the years with a mix of elation and confusion. Her film was inspired in part by the death of her father, and its horror elements likewise arise out of the suppression of emotions. A single mother (Essie Davis) is struggling with raising her young son (Noah Wiseman) years after the tragic death of her husband. A figure from a pop-up children's book begins to appear. As things grow more intense, his name is drawn out in three chilling syllables — "Bah-Bah-Doooook" — an incantation of unprocessed grief.
Kent recently spoke from her native Australia to reflect on the origins and continuing life of "The Babadook."
Q: Given that you didn't set out to in any way "change" horror, how have you regarded the unique afterlife of "The... Read More