4K Output

Next-generation performance, present-generation compatibility

The 4K cameras offer powerful control of resolution, color, bit depth, and file format. For connectors, see the interface page.

Output Format

Camera Output Formats Color Encoding Color Space Mbytes/s1
4K Output (4096 x 2048)
  Protocol: 4xInfiniband over fiber optic
Raw Native, 16 bits per pixel (16 total), linear Bayer pattern2 - 402
Notes:
  1. Megabytes per second @24 frames per second, uncompressed.1
  2. Color reconstruction required in postproduction.2

Resolutions

4K. The cameras' main output is 4096 x 2048 pixels (2:1 aspect ratio), of which 4000 x 2048 are optically active (1.96:1). The sensor has optically dark columns to provide dark references for signal processing. This data is delivered across four fiber optic strands (inside one 1/4" cable) using the Infiniband protocol.

Reconstruction

Bayer pattern The 4K sensor has a Bayer mosaic color filter (GRGB). This single chip approach, standard in the best professional digital still cameras, allows the use of standard cinema lenses because it does not introduce a complicated beamsplitter prism. The camera outputs raw data (16 linear bits per pixel) which is reconstructed externally. Note that until it is reconstructed, the data does not have a color space. The Bayer-pattern data is in effect a "digital negative" of the original material. It is an ideal original archive format, preserving exactly what the camera recorded, with no alterations or conversions. It is also a form of lossless data compaction, requiring only one third the storage or bandwidth of RGB, with no loss of image data.

Bit Depth and Architecture

16-bit linear. The cameras' native data mode is Bayer-pattern (raw) 16-bit linear output. 16-bit linear data preserves the highest image quality with the finest nuances in detail and contrast. It is worth noting that while many digital intermediate tools accept and output 10-bit log data, they manipulate it internally using 16-bit linear representations.

File Formats

Our 4K cameras output each frame as a DPX file with 16-bit linear data.

Bandwidth

The output table above lists the bandwidth requirements of the cameras' various output modes.

4K Products