Blackmagic Design Inc today announced a new software update for Blackmagic UltraScope, the world’s first 3Gb/s SDI waveform monitor that combines broadcast technical accuracy with an elegant design specifically designed for creative video editors and colorists.
Blackmagic UltraScope 1.1 now adds a new composite waveform view and is available to download now free of charge for all Blackmagic UltraScope customers.
The new composite waveform view is digitally synthesized from the SD or HD video input, and allows editors to align video levels in a more familiar and traditional way. Many video professionals have been using composite waveform monitors for decades to align video levels, and now with Blackmagic UltraScope’s latest update to its composite waveform views they can monitor levels in a fast and familiar workflow that’s also technically accurate.
Composite waveform view is also critical for color correction. Blackmagic UltraScope can show luminance, composite, or both luminance and composite displayed side by side. This side by side view allows colorists to see if objects in their images have color simply by comparing the luminance and composite views. If an object in a video image has color on it, then it’s easy to see the chroma on the composite view, compared to the luminance only view. This lets colorists easily see any object in the image, in either blacks, mid grey or whites, and then adjust color to quickly neutralize the color of that object. Then once they have a numeral color starting point they can then add color as they need.
Neutralizing color from objects can be a hard task when color correcting video. RGB parade can be used, but its often hard to see and difficult to use on vector scope displays which show entire picture color instead of specific objects. Only composite and luminance displayed side by side makes it fast and easy to neutralize color in individual objects within the video image. Other waveform products try to use overlaid RGB waveforms, however these displays are so cluttered, it’s often impossible to see objects clearly in the waveform monitor view. Blackmagic UltraScope now solves this problem.
Many color correction suites in post production facilities have three waveform monitors for accurate display of video levels for color correction work. These are normally RGB parade, luma plus composite display and vector scope. Now Blackmagic UltraScope includes all these views.
Video editors will love being able to use a traditional waveform monitor experience for setting video levels, even when using a modern SDI/HD-SDI digital based facility. With the move from composite to SDI, some easy to use workflow’s were lost, however now with digital synthesized composite waveform view, these easy and fast to use composite workflows can be retained, even though composite may no longer be used in the facility!
About Blackmagic UltraScope
Blackmagic UltraScope is a combination PCI Express card and software package designed to work in a low cost PC with 24-inch monitor for display. The large 24 inch monitor allows simultaneous display of 6 waveform monitor displays that can show RGB and YUV parade, luminance, digitally synthesized composite, luminance & composite, vector-scope, histogram, 8 channel audio metering, 2D audio scope, and picture view with video standard display and HD RP-188/SD VITC reader display.
Blackmagic UltraScope is like having 6 independent waveform monitors combined into one product. UltraScope automatically detects between SD, HD and 3Gb/s HD-SDI video standards and includes both traditional copper BNC SDI inputs as well as optical fiber SDI inputs. SDI input is available as a relocked SDI loop through on both optical and copper SDI outputs. Blackmagic UltraScope is the worlds first PC based waveform monitor that’s technically accurate and combined with an elegant design. This combination makes it perfect for master monitoring, quality control, edit suites, color correction, equipment rooms and video engineers.
Availability and Price
This new Blackmagic UltraScope 1.1 software update is available now free of charge from the Blackmagic Design website to all registered Blackmagic UltraScope customers. Download at www.blackmagic-design.com/support/
