The Studio at B&H Assists Customers In 4K Transition

4K has established itself as the wave of the video future and those working in the industry are preparing themselves for the transition. That fact has become evident at broadcast consulting and design groups such as The Studio-B&H, where 4K has become a growing part of the video conversation.

“Within the past, I would say, six or eight months it’s really become a very prominent level of inquiries that we get from a number of customers; broadcast, cinema, and postproduction,” says Michel Suissa, manager of The Studio at B&H.

“I think on all levels, people are trying to inquire about what it takes for them to be ready, because they anticipate a 4K transition in the future.”

In response, The Studio-B&H has widely expanded its 4K offering to customers, fully stocking its shelves with 4K gear for everything from camera acquisition to signal processing to postproduction to delivery.

On the camera side, The Studio-B&H has a strong relationship with Sony, whose F5 and F55 4K cameras have become a fixture on Fox’s NFL Sunday A game coverage. Sony 4K equipment also took center stage at this summer’s FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Sony’s F-55 4K cameras recently saw action at X Games L.A.

“The F5 and F55 are two of The Studio-B&H’s most asked about cameras featured in our Technology Center,” says Suissa.”It isn’t really a surprise given the versatile nature of the technology behind the camera systems. Technically, these cameras were created for feature films and television production, but they also represent the future of 4K and UltraHD broadcasting.”

In addition, The Studio-B&H offers the Canon C500 and the For-A FT-ONE. The C500 has found a following on the baseball diamond. It has been used on 4K tests for MLB Network at the World Baseball Classic and Fox Sports at this year’s MLB All-Star Game.

The increased usage on live sports broadcasts have led to a flood of inquiries about 4K technology at The Studio-B&H.

“It’s been very widespread,” says Suissa. “We have customers on the broadcast side who are asking us, what’s the best way to start capturing in 4K; even if its not live broadcasting but the acquisition needs to be in the higher resolution format. People are also really interested in what is involved in the workflow too. How do they actually handle signal processing and postproduction?”