Final specs for Grass Valley Infinity - WOW! 1920x1080 2.4m/pixel 3-CMOS
by Peter Corbett
on
Feb 13, 2007 at 10:58:30 pm
Over on the Grass Valley Cow forum is some great news about the new Infinity camera. One of the product managers just posted the final specs for the Infinity. The camera will be full raster 1920 x 1080 2.4 million pixel 3 x CMOS which recording to 10-bit 100mbs JPEG2000 codec should look excellent. Cost is in the mid-20's.
I'm Grass Valley's Infinity Product Range Specialist, based in the UK. So hopefully I'll be able to fill you in on most technical queries. Now that we're very close to first shipment I'll be keeping an eye on the Infinity threads to see if I can help out.
There's been a lot of chatter about our new sensors, so here's the real deal...
Infinity DMC uses three 2/3 inch, 2.4 million pixel, Xensium CMOS sensors. The Xensium has a full 1920 x 1080 active pixel matrix. It captures natively in progressive and interlaced formats. This gives the Infinity DMC a very high-performance front-end.
First public showing will be on the GV stand at NAB in April.
Hope this clarifies things.
Best regards,
Tim
Infinity Product Range Specialist
NEWS>>>>> Thomson Develops New Xensium CMOS Sensor For Grass Valley High Definition Cameras (12/2/2007)
Thomson's Award Winning High Resolution Imager Offers Superior Performance Using Next-Generation CMOS Technology
Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453; NYSE: TMS) continues to raise the bar for high resolution image capture with the introduction of the Grass Valley(tm) Xensium(tm), an innovative new high performance CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensor. The new, native high definition sensor has an array of 2.4 million pixels.
Xensium offers a wider dynamic range, lower power consumption and improved signal-to-noise performance when compared to current CCD and CMOS imagers. It was developed and designed by Emmy(r) Award-winning Grass Valley engineers in close collaboration with colleagues at Thomson Technology's Silicon Components division and within a European Union Medea+ programme, where it won the highly prestigious Jean-Pierre Noblanc Award for the most innovative project of 2006.
The imaging chip is at the heart of professional camera design, and Grass Valley has continually worked to achieve high resolution, wide contrast handling and low noise. The first application of Xensium technology is an imager designed specifically for full resolution high definition capture. The chip also includes control electronics which allow pixels to be read in any order, meaning it can capture natively in progressive or interlaced formats. The sensor also incorporates on-board analog to digital conversion, further reducing noise and improving performance by eliminating a separate processing stage.
This marks the first time Grass Valley has moved from CCD to CMOS in its cameras. Coupled with Grass Valley's broad spectrum digital signal processing it is set to deliver remarkable pictures in uncompromised HD resolution. The 2/3-inch 1920 x 1080 active pixel Xensium HD sensor will first be used in production models of the Grass Valley Infinity(tm) Digital Media Camcorder, and the Xensium line of imagers will become a standard in future generation Grass Valley camera products across a broad range of applications.
"Unlike other manufacturers, who have to source their sensors from a third party and then integrate it with their own camera design, our engineers develop both the sensor and image processing architecture in parallel, ensuring that the whole optical-electrical system is perfectly matched to get the best possible quality," said Marc Valentin, president of the Grass Valley business within Thomson. "Grass Valley has been a leader in image acquisition for many years, and continues that tradition of excellence with the new Xensium sensor."
About the Xensium CMOS Sensor
Building on its long history of success in image sensor design, Grass Valley has devoted a multi-disciplined team of experts in the fields of image sensors, analog electronics, integrated circuit design and process engineering to develop Xensium, a sensor that combines the excellent noise and sensitivity performance normally associated with CCD imagers with the low-power benefits of CMOS technology.
Re: Final specs for Grass Valley Infinity - NOT shipping in the near future by Mads Nybo Jorgensen on Feb 13, 2007 at 11:17:43 pm
Hey Peter.
Interesting. In the UK Grass Valley (Thompson) has just announced that the shipping date is being slipped again (Broadcast Magazine last week). They are expecting to release an initial 100 test units over the summer of 2007 - but the release date has yet to be finalised.
They did comment that feedback on power-consumption, cooling system and a new sensor was the reason for the slip.
However, they are also adding remote control and various other nifty new stuff - so it could be worth waiting for.
All the Best
Mads
London, UK
Mac Million Ltd. - HD Production & Editing
Blog: http://blog.myspace.com/bigflopproductions
Re: Final specs for Grass Valley Infinity - NOT shipping in the near future by Peter Corbett on Feb 13, 2007 at 11:23:58 pm
Yeah I hate delays too, but I suppose it's better to get it right then rush to the street (although RED is bordering on the ridiculous). I hear they are adding Bluetooth interconnectivity to the camera as well. When I tested a beta in December it had a 2" 16:9 viewfinder which was good. It looked as clear and sharp as the Panasonic HD VF.
Re: Final specs for Grass Valley Infinity - NOT shipping in the near future by Peter Corbett on Feb 13, 2007 at 11:40:37 pm
Yes Mads, it's going to a hot summer for camera buying. I like the fact that you can record to elcheapo 35gb standard off-the-shelf Iomega REV discs and two high-speed consumer flash cards simultaneously. Great for backup or giving an identical shooting copy to a third party on location while keeping a copy.
And with 8gb cards around 100 bucks and falling, and 16gb's about to be released, it makes other shooting media like P2 a bit expensive.
The GV guy on the mac blog says testing is working well with FCP, so I may have to migrate from Premiere Pro if that is the case. Still, there's a few months to go. I am heartened though that Grass valley seems really committed to the new camera.
Peter
Peter Corbett
Powerhouse Productions
www.php.com.au
