At NAB 2014, Átomos announced its under-US$2k Shogun 4K 4:2:2 recorder/calibratable 7″ 1920×1080 monitor with scopes, HDMI and 12G-SDI, and XLR<>Lemo balanced audio breakout cable. (More about that cable ahead in this article.) Átomos also made a joint announcement with Sony regarding the A7s 4K camera, which is aimed to compete with the Panasonic’s GH4, both of which work with the Shogun. Details ahead…
Átomos: passionately committed to video recorders
While two other leading progressive video recorder manufacturers now seem to be more interested in developing their new cameras than continuing to enhance their standalone recorders (i.e. AJA & Blackmagic), Átomos announced a new recorder model in the first quarter of 2014 (the Ninja Blade, which I covered here), and yet another two models at NAB in April! Those two are the Shogun (covered in this article) and the Ninja Star (which I’ll cover in a separate article). (SoundDevices also showed two new progressive video recorders at NAB, which I’ll cover in a separate article.)
Shogun: several firsts for Átomos
- Shogun is Átomos’s first 4K video recorder, which can also record 1080p, 720p, and even 1080i (in case anyone really wants interlaced video)
- Shogun is Átomos’s first recorder to offer recordings up to 1080/120p (yes, 120 progressive frames per second!) with a capable camera like the Sony A7s, which is useful either to create organic slow motion in post-production, by conforming it to the desired delivery framerate, be it it 23.976p, 25p, or 29.97p.
- Shogun is Átomos’s first recorder to offer balanced audio inputs, using a XLR<>Lemo breakout cable. I am extremely curious about this, as you’ll see ahead.
Unconfirmed information about the XLR<>Lemo breakout cable
I didn’t see the breakout XLR cable on display at the Átomos stand at NAB, and as of publication time of this article, Átomos public relations has not been able to confirm whether the mentioned breakout cable will come standard with the Shogun or be an optional accessory. I presume that it will actually have two female XLR connectors at the end of the cable.
Other unconfirmed 4K information
The Shogun web page and press release offer 4K recording at 23.976p, 24.000p, 25p, 29.97p. or even the extremely uncommon 30.000p. However, there is no confirmation as to whether this is full 4K at 4096×2160, Ultra HD at 3840×2160, or either of the two, depending upon what the camera happens to be outputting. I’ll publish a followup article on the Shogun once I receive the answers from Átomos’ press relations.
Beyond ProRes 422
Beyond ProResn422, the Shogun recorder/monitor can also record CinemaDNG (raw) and Avid DNxHD.
Calibrated 709 monitor
Like the Ninja Blade and Samurai Blade models I covered here, the Shogun too offers a 709 calibrated (and calibratable) SuperAtom IPS monitor. In the case of the Shogun, it’s 7″ (seven inches) diagonal.
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