Atomos adds Timecode - literally - for multicamera shoots

Newly linked: Atomos and Timecode

Not content with working with Timecode Systems on the upcoming AtomX Wireless Sync module, Atomos has just bought the company and is promising even tighter integrated multicamera workflows.

Timecode is one of those deeply unsexy things that the entire industry depends on, and Timecode Systems has been one of the leading lights in its push into wireless sync units and control modules. Its RF wireless sync effectively replaces Genlock and is thought of as robust enough in the industry that its gear is used pretty much everywhere from Hollywood tentpole productions to TV light entertainment shoots.

The fact that the same technology is now set to appear in the Atomos product range is fairly major news. Essentially it is going to not only feature across the Atomos product range but also be offered as a free SDK for third party camera, smart device and audio manufacturers. All of which means that the acquisition looks set to make multicamera shoots and audio synchronization — or, to be more exact, the editing thereof — simpler and more efficient for a whole variety of users from the prosumer level up.

The forthcoming AtomX Wireless Sync module for the Ninja V 5in HDR monitor and recorder shows a glimpse of what is to come. This enables multiple Ninja Vs to be synchronised to each other, and to other Timecode Systems-enabled devices, with frame accurate precision. It also allows full wireless control of connected Ninja Vs using any unit as a master, or slave.

The press release about the announcement talks of “a broad portfolio of other exciting new developments also in the pipeline,” but there is as yet no indication of how those will be rolled out or, indeed, how backwards compatible it will all be via the ubiquitous firmware updates. But it’s a big one and it repositions both companies quite nicely to take advantage of the growing interest in multicamera production at all industry levels.