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Codex Digital launches HD2K4K media recording system (11/9/2006)

Soho-based developer Codex Digital will launch its brand new Codex high-resolution media recording system at IBC 2006 in Amsterdam (Stand 7.103). Three years in development, and being shown for the first time in Europe, the new system not only captures moving images and sound from digital motion picture cameras, but it can also be configured as a production server, delivering rushes in a variety of high and low-resolution formats across a virtual private network as required on-set or worldwide.

Codex can record in a variety of formats, from two channels of HD/2K digital film, all the way up to uncompressed 4K for the ultimate digital picture quality available today. At IBC 2006, Codex will be shown capturing 4K from DALSA's Origin(R) camera as well as recording from a Thomson Viper FilmStreamTM camera.

Designed to be compact, portable and rugged, Codex can be used on location or studio shoots, and in post-production machine rooms. Its removable, carbon-fibre and aluminium constructed media DiskPacks use RAID and mirroring for security. The system also has a built-in touchscreen interface and dedicated transport controls, making it an easy to use and totally self-contained recording system.

Codex interfaces with most digital camera system in use today, including the DALSA Origin, Sony HD range, Thomson Viper FilmStreamTM, Panavision GenesisTM and ARRI D-20. Its comprehensive array of industry-standard interfaces and flexible I/O configuration mean that Codex is 'future-proofed' for compatibility with future developments in digital cinematography.

However, Codex is not just a recorder, and can form the core component of a complete workflow system. It can be configured in a number of different ways, providing location digital media recording and shot-logging, or acting as a dedicated 2K 'screening system' and production server on-set. It can also be used as a fast, efficient media/metadata transfer and management system in a post-production environment.

Crucially, Codex's Virtual File System delivers recorded material by network immediately, to whoever needs it, in the formats they specify. In practice this means that anyone on the virtual private network, irrespective of their geographical location, could request the material on Codex in a variety of formats from full-resolution 4K DPX frames, to motion JPEGs and even Quicktimes. Codex Digital is working with Sohonet on these features, with the aim of making global digital cinematography a practical reality for everyone.

Company co-founder Paul Bamborough described Codex as, "blurring the line between production and post-production. Codex was very much designed from the beginning as a complete workflow system, not just a recorder - everything that can be gathered during shooting can be centralised on Codex, and then distributed invisibly and on-demand to whoever needs it. This gives filmmakers the opportunity to work in a faster, more efficient way - any camera, any format, anywhere."

www.codexdigital.com

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