Convergent Design has found yet another way to enhance the Odyssey and Apollo monitor/recorders. The Titan HD Extract option, available in October if all goes according to plan, lets you define two HD windows in a 4K feed, and live-switch between them and the full 4K image (downrezzed cleanly to HD, as Convergent has previously shown). All three “iso feeds” plus the live switch are recorded, and the software even saves an EDL so you can change your mind later.

According to Convergent, the two HD windows can be panned smoothly through the 4K source (presumably via simple onscreen taps ‘n’ drags). It’s not yet clear whether the sizes of the windows can be set to anything other than 1:1 extractions—and, if so, whether such zooming can be done live. Folks at IBC 2016 may be able to get these answers: the Titan option will be shown on Convergent’s stand 12.A34.

The full press blurb follows…

Introducing Titan

Many cameras can shoot in 4K today, but most clients still want HD.  How can a 4K camera become an enhanced HD device?  Introducing Titan.

Titan is the latest option for the Odyssey & Apollo monitor/recorders.  Titan uses one 4K camera to create three HD video signals.  One frame is a SuperSample of the full image area and two are windows selected from within the original input.  These windows can be panned smoothly through the 4K field and the three angles can be Live-Switched.  All four HD signals can be recorded simultaneously in Apple ProRes with matching timecode and file names.

• Shoot a two-subject interview using one camera and Titan and record a Live-Switch of a two-shot plus separate close-ups.
• Record a panel presentation with a wide master plus a single on the moderator and another of the panel, all from one camera.
• Cover a House of Worship service with a shot of the clergyman, another of the chorus, and a wide view of them all – done with the modest investment of one camera and Titan.
• With Titan and a single installed camera capture an entire football field from the 50 yard line, plus follow a player as he runs the course of the field.

Eliminate the render time of reframing in post.  Deliver edited content as well as the complete separate angles to your client at the end of the shoot.  Shoot a multi-cam job with a kit you can fit in a single backpack.

Titan accepts 4K video signals over HDMI and SDI (original Odyssey7Q limited to 3G-SDI).  Titan also accepts 4K RAW data from the Sony FS5, FS7 & FS700 cameras. Live-Switching is available as cuts and dissolves, and an Edit Decision List is generated as an .EDL file for conforming an edit in post.

Titan is an option for the Odyssey7Q+, Odyssey7Q and Apollo monitor/recorders.  Other options (Odyssey RAW Bundle or Apollo) are not required for Titan.

Titan list price is $1295, but Convergent Design will offer Titan for a limited time at an introductory price of just $995.  Titan is expected to be available around the beginning of October.

For more on Titan, visit the Convergent Design website and check out this video introduction.

IBC: Visit Convergent Design at Booth 12.A34

Stop by booth 12.A34 to see Titan’s IBC show debut. To register for free, use code #16246. Download the IBC 2016 App and add Convergent Design to your My Show Planner. If you can’t make it to the show, you can still enjoy our IBC Special online from anywhere!

Disclosure: I’ve done Odyssey beta-testing for Convergent Design, but this is the first I’ve heard about Titan.

If I’d been on the beta list for Titan, I’d probably have answers for all the questions about how it’ll work.

But I’d probably be under NDA anyway, so I couldn’t say even if I did know.