Our 2023 retrospective continues…RED's lawsuit against Nikon was dismissed, both companies announced new cameras, and Apple started on its long road to spatial computing.
The beginning of May 2023 saw the conclusion of one of the most eagerly awaited legal disputes in the video industry. Users and potential users of Nikon’s flagship Z9 mirrorless camera were waiting to see whether the camera’s NRAW video capability would remain intact, or removed due to ongoing patent infringement claims.
Well, in the end we didn’t exactly get a definitive answer on the subject. The case was dismissed, although the result was that Nikon and RED came to an agreement behind closed doors.
"Plaintiff Red.com, LLC and Defendants Nikon Corporation and Nikon Inc. hereby stipulate and move pursuant to this joint motion, under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(ii), that this action be dismissed without prejudice as to all claims, counterclaims, causes of action, defenses, and parties, with each party bearing their own attorney’s fees and costs.”
What this agreement consisted of we’ll likely never know, but at least it does mean that Nikon camera users can continue to record compressed raw video in-camera.
Mobile video editing received a boost when Apple announced fully fledged versions of FCP and Logic Pro for iPad. Speculation about whether Apple would ever release the software for the iPad had been a subject for discussion for the best part of a decade, but the time finally arrived.
Heath McKnight wrote, “This isn’t some sort of ‘ported’ or stripped-down version of Final Cut Pro appearing on the iPad either. It’s a fairly complete version, giving editors plenty of the features they use on the desktop and laptop version of FCP. It also takes full advantage of the Multi-Touch features of the iPad.
You’ll be able to record, edit, finish, and share your projects, created completely in this version of FCP, without the need for opening up the project on a computer to do the finishing. “
Red confirmed the launch of the rumoured KOMODO-X, bringing the KOMODO line up to A-camera specs with a 6K global shutter sensor capable of 4K at frame rates up to 120fps. RedShark had previously speculated that the price might be around $10k, which turned out to be surprisingly accurate, with the camera gaining a final price of $9995.
Demand for the new camera was such that the initial allocations sold out within hours, “The first model being offered is the white StormTrooper version and that comes out at the end of this month. This is officially listed as a beta, but you might have trouble getting your hands on one as RED’s own allocation sold out within a few hours. The dealer network did get its own allocations though and there might well be some in the distribution chain still if you hunt around. The black production version will be the same price and follow on immediately afterwards.”
On the question of camera development, David Shapton posited the question of where it could go next? Most cameras today produce superb image quality for their respective price points, so it’s a fair question to ask where things could possibly go now.
“The problem for manufacturers is that we've almost reached a hard stop. For ten years, camera sensors have been an almost textbook illustration of Moore's law, doubling in resolution regularly. Alongside that exponential phenomenon, the supporting technology has grown to support moving, processing and storing all those pixels. But now that everyone is still waiting for even higher resolutions, where do camera manufacturers go next? The answer isn't obvious at all.“
Instead of calling for specific ‘shouty’ new technology, David put forward the idea of manufacturer co-operation and discussion to come up with new standards and a vision of where things can head now.
"But perhaps the most helpful direction might be for competing manufacturers to start talking to each other. Figure out what future filmmaking is likely to be like. What would a brilliant camera for the next decade look like?
If this conversation were to take place, my suggestion for the agenda would be to talk about new standards. Standards about style, quality, authenticity, security, AI codecs that use conceptual vectors rather than pixels, and other concepts and dimensions haven't been considered yet.”
One of the most notable technology announcements of 2023 was Apple’s unveiling of its Vision Pro headset and the dawn of what Apple termed “spatial computing”.
The headset looked impressive, and even slightly freaky, given the way it generates virtual eyes so that users can have ‘eye contact’ with people who aren’t wearing one. The sheer number of advanced sensors on the headset demanded a high price tag, although Apple was keen to point out the similarities with buying a high end home cinema setup.
K. Stewart wrote at the time, “In some ways Vision Pro is more like Microsoft’s HoloLens AR headset than Oculus or PlayStation VR2. There was no mention of the ‘metaverse’ or Virtual Reality - this was the dawn of a new product category pioneered by Apple and dubbed Spatial Computing.
Technically speaking, Vision Pro seems most like a VR headset which puts a pair of 4K OLED screens in front of your eyes and everything you see comes through those displays, whether it be a movie or a game or an app. You can’t see through the headset in the way you do with HoloLens with its see-through lenses and projected imagery. However, Apple has put enormous engineering resources to blur the distinction.
When you enter Vision Pro, you’re not onboard a spaceship or a log cabin as you are in Oculus, you’re in your living room with familiar iOS app icons floating in front of you. When someone walks into the living room, you can turn to them and a front facing screen shows your eyes looking back at that person.”
Back to cameras once again, and Nikon announced the Z8, which followed closely in the footsteps of the incredible Z9. The Z8 took many of the best parts of the Z9 and placed them in a more compact, less expensive package. Both cameras feature the same sensor, and the Z8 retained the incredible stills burst frame rates of its pricier sibling. It even retained the ability to record 8.3K resolution N-Raw video footage.
We wrote, “The Nikon Z8 looks to be every bit the powerhouse camera that was predicted. The Z9 is an incredible device, and so the idea of having a camera with the same capabilities, but in a smaller package, is a tempting prospect.”
Marvel stoked the AI fires, igniting intense debate about a title sequence it created for Secret Invasion. The sequence utilised generative AI, and it’s fair to say that it didn’t go down well in some quarters, particularly given the timing with relation to the WGA writer’s strike, for which AI took a central role.
The backlash was such that Method Studios, the creators of the sequence, released a statement stating, “…it is crucial to emphasize that while the AI component provided optimal results, AI is just one tool among the array of toolsets our artists used. No artists’ jobs were replaced by incorporating these new tools; instead, they complemented and assisted our creative teams.”
This is a debate that is only going to become more intense as generative AI becomes better. We posited, “Perhaps more to the point though all this comes at a time when legislators are hurriedly looking at the fast-moving field and wondering whether it needs to be reigned in at the same sort of speed with which it developed. In the UK, regulator Ofcom has written to all broadcasters reminding them of the need to stick to the regulations in the Broadcasting Code and making specific reference to synthetic media’s role in misinformation and disinformation, trust and credibility degradation, and fairness and privacy.”
The Display Week trade shows in Los Angeles revealed the existence of the world’s first single piece 16K display. Not surprisingly, it gained quite a bit of attention and stirred up the debate over whether we need more resolution all over again. The display was made by Chinese company BOE, and was more a demonstration of technology rather than a finished ready to go product. Despite the rare existence of 16K cameras, the technology behind it is more likely to be used in large public displays rather than in the home.
We wrote, “16K cameras do exist, such as Dalsa's Piranha3, but they generally stay firm in the speciality sector rather than as cinema cameras. The closest practical camera on the market right now is Blackmagic Design's URSA Mini Pro 12K, so would-be 16K producers aren't exactly swimming in choice.
In conclusion, this new 16K display has certainly got people talking, and no doubt the various discussions around how much resolution is enough will rage once more. Who knows, it might even settle the debate once and for all.”