Atomos’ Infernos Get Free Firmware Update
By Adam Noyes
Anything given away free is generally good. In the media world, free is really good cause just about anything you would need is pretty expensive. Even some things like software, license renewals and upgrades aren’t even physical items but still can be a hefty price. Free being as good as it is gets everyone’s attention. In that spirit, Atomos has issued a firmware update that unlocks features of their own monitors and also enhances some major camera brands when used together. Most firmware updates are free but not all, and an update like this could have easily been monetized if Atomos wanted. But they didn’t, Atomos wants their products to keep up with the technological advancements as long as possible. With their Sumo monitors proving to stay ahead of the curve and by getting into the converters market with their “Space Invader” line they’re showing no slowing down in creating the products and with firmware updates like this giant one, Atomos is proving once again how their consumers are their number one concern and that they are in fact listening.
The release of the new firmware update for Shogun Inferno and Ninja Inferno 4K monitor/recorders brings key features that make capturing and delivering in HDR as seamless as in standard dynamic range (SDR). It also brings 2K 240fps Raw-to-ProRes and 4K 12-bit CDNG Raw recording to the Panasonic Varicam LT, when coupled with the Shogun Inferno. This adds to the existing Raw support for several Sony and Canon cinema cameras, as well as improving support and enhancements for many more cameras.
The new release helps to make HDR simple to use, as the Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) HDR output of cameras like the Sony FS5, Z150 and Panasonic GH5 can now be recorded directly to the Inferno series recorders with the correct metadata flags embedded into the Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHR .MOV files. With this metadata the recorded clips can be used seamlessly in an end-to-end HLG workflow, just like Rec709.
Furthermore, these HLG clips can be natively edited in NLEs that support HLG, or uploaded directly to YouTube HDR in HLG to be seamlessly played back on any SDR TV for stunning improvements using the current SDR infrastructure. This is achieved with the metadata flag from the Atomos recording following the file through the NLE, then on through to YouTube HDR upload. Finally, it is then played out from HDR supported devices like the Google’s ChromeCast Ultra and Amazon’s Fire TV with 4K Ultra over HDMI correctly to any SDR or HDR TV – Atomos makes it simple to produce HDR in HLG today. …[continue reading]