Cinedeck Debuts Industry's First Camera-Mountable, Extremely High Quality Recording, Monitoring, Playback and Editing Device

Cinedeck today announced the debut of the world’s first camera-mountable, HDMI/HDSDI recording, monitoring, playback and editing device for the production community. Designed by cinematographers for cinematographers, Cinedeck defines an entirely new category of extremely portable, affordable, platform agnostic, cinema-grade recording and monitoring solutions for anyone with an HDMI or HDSDI camera.
Cinedeck is:

  • Extremely Portable: measuring 5″x8″x3.5″ and weighing less than 4 pounds, Cinedeck is camera-mountable and stores (with all cables and accessories) in a space no larger than a shoe box;
  • Affordable: Cinedeck costs less than a week’s rental of similar quality tape deck and focus monitor;
  • Massively Compatible: Cinedeck records from nearly any HDMI or single/dual link HDSDI camera and source files are platform agnostic: recording media compatible with Mac, PC or Linux; Support for a wide array of codecs and file formats, including CineForm in both AVI/MOV wrappers, and MPG2 MXF.
  • Versatile: it’s an extraordinarily robust cinematographer’s toolkit with complete VTR and monitoring functionality: preview, focus assist, record, play back, downconvert, and transcode, all in the form factor of a standard on-camera monitor.
“Cinedeck was born from years of experience in the field, lugging so-called portable and very expensive tape and direct-to-disk solutions through the Panamanian rain forests, Turkish deserts, and on the back of jeeps hurtling down pot-holed roads of Kazakhstan – we finally said, this is ridiculous- we can do better,” said Charles d’Autremont, founder and creator of Cinedeck. “Cinedeck is a cinematographers dream-come-true, because it was conceived and developed by working Cinematographers. We decided to create a new standard for portability, quality and reliability, and most of all, to make it affordable and accessible to everyone.”

Richard Mills, head of engineering for On Sight, a one-stop production, post production and distribution services firm based in the UK, had this to say about Cinedeck: “We’ve earned a reputation throughout Europe, not only for our creative approach to our clients’ needs, but to also bringing highly innovative, efficient technology solutions to a creative project. Cinedeck is the neatest solution we’ve seen so far for rugged, highly versatile production. It’s an excellent solution!”

cinedeck Key Feature Highlights

  • Record: Cinedeck captures edit-ready, platform agnostic, 10-bit 4:2:2 or 12-bit 4:4:4 CineForm digital intermediaries in MOV or AVI format, as well as other industry standard codecs and formats, via HDSDI or HDMI and records to highly-reliable, rugged solid state drives for maximum compatibility and reliability.
  • Monitor: Cinedeck monitors video in real-time, much like a standard on-camera focus monitor and uses the on-screen histogram for proper exposure. Audio is monitored via on-board headphone jack and recording levels can be viewed on-screen.
  • Review: Cinedeck plays back shots instantly via on-screen transport controls, or via wireless physical transport controls.
  • Edit: Cinedeck is the first device of its kind to enable users to edit dailies on-site. Leveraging a NLE software of choice, as well as an optional dual-boot OS, Cinedeck recommends using an external VGA monitor and pointing devices for optimal workflow.

The first Cinedeck model, Cinedeck/Extreme, offers:

  • 8/10-bit 4:2:2 recording via HDMI/HDSDI
  • 12-bit 4:4:4 recording via dual link /3G HDSDI
  • SD – PAL/NTSC
  • HD – 720P 50/59.94/60 and Varicam
  • HD – 1080 50/60i – 23.98/24/25/29.97/30/50/5994,60 P/PSF

Not all framerates available in all codecs/quality settings, and results may vary depending on recording media.

Cinedeck/Extreme is available immediately in limited quantities and is priced at $7995. For more information: www.cinedeck.com or in the UK/Europe: www.extremefacilities.co.uk

Additional models, including Cinedeck 3D, Cinedeck/2K, Cinedeck/422 and Cinedeck/DSLR, will be announced later this year.