Full ARRIRAW Certification for Gemini 4:4:4

[Dan Keaton]

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, we received full ARRIRAW Certification, from ARRI, for our Gemini 4:4:4 recorder.

We wish to publicly thank ARRI as they were wonderful to work with during this process. This certification program is great as it provides potential customers assurance that our recorder will work as expected with the ARRI ALEXA and deliver the ultimate in image quality.

We are in final reliability testing, and as soon as that is complete, we will be releasing our new firmware. This is expected within two weeks.

While the ARRIRAW Option is an extra cost option for the Gemini 4:4:4, a demo mode is built into the firmware so that anyone with a Gemini 4:4:4 and an ALEXA can fully test our ARRIRAW Option, and check out the workflow, prior to purchasing it.

However, in demo mode there will be a watermark in the images until the ARRIRAW option is purchased and activated.

Activation is an easy process. The customer purchases the ARRIRAW Option from their dealer, the dealer notifies us, and we provide a key code to activate the unit.

Our ARRIRAW Option supports recording in ARRIRAW, up to 60 frames per second, which is the highest ARRIRAW frame rate.

This firmware release will work with all Gemini 4:4:4's, no additional hardware is necessary, as the original Gemini 4:4:4 was designed with dual 3G inputs for recording 60 frames per second.

High Quality Confidence Monitoring is an integral part of the ARRIRAW certification. This allows one to monitor the ALEXA's image, in real-time, live or during recording and in playback. Our images can be displayed on both the Gemini 4:4:4's internal monitor and full size,1920 x 1080 on external HD-SDI monitors.

Of course full support for ARRI Log-C is provided. Our Confidence Monitoring matches the HD-SDI output of the ALEXA.

If one has an ARRI ALEXA, recording in ARRIRAW is very desirable as it provides the ultimate in image quality from the camera, and preserves all options and image quality for post, as no image decisions made on-set are baked in. And ARRIRAW is ideal for archiving.

All ALEXAs can record in ARRIRAW using a proper recorder; no extra features need to be purchased as the ability to record in ARRIRAW is built in.

Our ARRIRAW Option will work with any ALEXA in 16 x 9 mode, 4 x 3 mode is not supported in the Gemini 4:4:4, nor promised at this time.

But, just as importantly, we are adding significant other non-ARRIRAW features in this release:

1. The ability to trigger the Gemini 4:4:4 via the HD-SDI Record Trigger Packet.

This allows one to press the record button on a camera, (ALEXA, Sony F3 (and some other Sony Cameras) and Canon C300/C500), to start or stop the Gemini 4:4:4.

The important part as this allows the camera to be in 24/hour timecode or continuously running timecode, while still triggering the Gemini 4:4:4 from the camera. This facilitates multiple camera shoots, as well as whenever the timecode is provided from an external source, such as from the Sound Department.

2. The ability to record full uncompressed 1080p23.976 (23.98), 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, and 60, all in 4:4:4, even from a 4:2:2 camera.

This is a major step forward for the Gemini 4:4:4.

1080p29.97 and higher requires two SSD’s to be inserted in the Gemini 4:4:4.

1080p60 enables slow-mo, while remaining in 1080p, as opposed to having to use 720p60 for slow-mo which has been a major problem for years.

3. And other important features have been added to this important firmware release.

4. Many more features will be released in the upcoming months, including the ability to record in Avid DNxHD. This allows one to use a great compressed codec whenever desired, while recording in the ultimate in image quality, full uncompressed or in ARRIRAW for certain projects, all in one compact size, low power video recorder. Thus the Gemini 4:4:4 becomes two recorders in one.