HyperDeck Shuttle 2 supports ProRes 422 (HQ)

Blackmagic Design has taken advantage of InterBEE, held November 14-16 in Tokyo, to present the HyperDeck Shuttle 2 with its new software update.

The main new feature of the 3.6 update is that it adds support for recording and playback of the Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) codec. The HyperDeck Shuttle is an SSD (solid state drive) recorder for media storage. Now, thanks to this new feature, uncompressed file sizes can be significantly reduced, while preserving full frame, 10 bit 4:2:2, so you can record up to six times more.

A 64GB SSD costs less than $70, and working with ProRes 422 (HQ) you can record about 50 minutes. Therefore, you also manage to reduce costs (compared to other professional recording media). Also note that ProRes is one of the most commonly used codecs in post-production and broadcast, so you also get a more efficient workflow right from the shoot. (All these questions about ProRes and more codecs are the topics to be covered in the Codecs, Formats and Workflows Course).

Logically, we may not be interested in recording our material with this codec, so HyperDeck Shuttle is also capable of recording in DNxHD (MXF or MOV) and Quicktime without 10-bit compression, which it can achieve thanks to its SDI and HDMI (input and output) connections. In addition, the SSDs can be connected to an eSATA port for immediate media access, making them one of the most flexible recording media on the market.

With the addition of the Apple codec, Blackmagic Design wants to demonstrate that it remains open to third parties and gives its customers the freedom to work with both compressed and uncompressed formats.

In addition, support for closed captions has also been included on all HyperDeck models. It works on 1080HD video, and allows closed captioning data to be input via SDI while recording. This data is saved in .mcc files, which are compatible with most closed captioning software, such as Maccaption. Then, when playing back from HyperDeck, this file is read and the data is embedded through the SDI output, so full closed caption recording and playback is achieved.

HyperDeck Shuttle 2 version 3.6 is now available, from this link, as a totally free upgrade for those who already have theirs (for those who don’t, the recorder is priced at $345).

If you want to know more about the HyperDeck Shuttle 2 you can check out all the features and technical specifications on the HyperDeck Shuttle 2 page.