Blackmagic Design Wireless System

Bear with me on this one. I have a few parts.

WIRELESS CAMERA CONTROL
--Wireless Bluetooth Apps--
Understandably we do have this with the Official Blackmagic Design App, and Bluetooth+, which is a third party app. Bluetooth+ is currently the best option. Hands down. However, I see room for growth in the entire system. Especially with Blackmagic RAW. More on that in a second.

--Wireless Video Assist Camera Control--
I've already preached this subject a few places. But I have further reasoning for wanting this. This is so that the camera operator can use an external monitor while also still controlling camera settings. The Video Assists should be the go to on camera monitor system. They should be an extension of the built-in LCD, but with better screens with better luminance and color than the built-in LCD. This helps justify the cost being higher. Especially having Wireless Camera Control.

--Wireless Camera Control--
Can go a step farther. I'd love to be able to save Blackmagic RAW profile presets for the RAW Controls you get in Resolve. I'd love to be able to primarily control this from an iPad while looking at a fantastic on set color calibrated display. I've worked on sets with Flanders Scientific Monitors and they are the best. But maybe Blackmagic can take their Production Displays to that next level for having Wireless Video built in to receive the signal from a Blackmagic Wireless Video Transmitter. I'll get to that more in a second.

But, back to Blackmagic RAW. The Blackmagic app can take all the great ideas from the amazing Bluetooth+ app like multi-camera control, but also go to the next level for having Blackmagic RAW control. Use the app on an iPad while watching the Blackmagic Design 32" Production Monitor HDR. There you can control all the settings from the DaVinci Resolve RAW Control Tab with BRAW selected. The controls enable you to make changes the same way with color temperature and tint located there. But also the profile can be saved as a Preset you save internally in the camera. I think I've previously asked for BRAW Presets.

Now back to...

--Blackmagic Wireless Video Transmission and Reception System--
That's a mouthful. But I think if Blackmagic goes this route for ultimate camera and image control it will be the perfect solution. Built into their Video Assists and the BMD Production Monitors are new Wireless Video Receivers. There's a wonderfully built Blackmagic Design Wireless Video Transmitter that can go between the camera body and the camera battery plate. It's powered off the same battery. Just buy more batteries, sorry.

This can give the camera the ability to send relevant video to these displays where at least BRAW settings can be adjusted with the app. But with a Video Assist you can actually watch the monitor and control these settings internally in the camera as well with the Built-In LCD. So it really opens up what happens internally in the camera as well. Far more control.

This could also be a neat way for Firmware Updates to happen if Blackmagic makes the feature be part of the App. You could simultaneously Update the Cameras and the Video Assists. You could do the Wireless Video System Pairing Control from the app.

Wait? What?

--Wireless Video System Pairing Control--
Beyond camera control the app could potentially control the entire Blackmagic Wireless Network. A system that allows control of multiple cameras on set, control multiple video assists, and production monitors. All feeding metadata all throughout that is ultimately recorded by the cameras as part of the BRAW file. On a per frame basis as well.

Having a Dual Monitor System would enable two cameras. It would be nice to have enough control to set up BRAW Presets per camera on set while looking at the images side by side for ultimate on set matching. Just saying...

LUTS could also be created still using Resolve's Micro Panel to control the areas usually needed for the HDR Palette in Resolve. That LUT file can still be shared to the various devices and stored as well, but it's just metadata and not permanent. Just like now.

But the Pairing System could mean bigger implementation that ever before.

All this is to take us to a new level of Blackmagic Design Cinema Cameras and Cinema Camera Tools. Bridges the gap a bit more into Post Production as well...

--Blackmagic Design Slate Metadata--
Oh, did you think I forgot you? Slate Metadata you pesky thing. Haven't I asked for more control of you forever? I'm a perfectionist, and I also love to beat a dead horse. Maybe I took the wrong lesson out of the horse head in the bed from The Godfather. I digress.

Slate Metadata has become a common part of these requests over the years. But yes, all the Video Assists and the Blackmagic App should be able to control the Slate Metadata. Attached to Multiple Cameras it can at least make sure to be saved in Camera with the proper letter designation. Nonetheless, Scene, Take, and all that goodness. I believe I requested some updates for better integration with Resolve a few years back.

Each Video Assist should of course be paired with a camera as I have illustrated above. So each Video Assist can update the Slate Metadata of the camera. But, the App should be able to handle multiple cameras and update it for all those so that the operators don't have to focus on that. The person doing slate in front of camera should ultimately be the person handling this part of the job.

--Multiple Users--
Oh, yeah! This is a crazy idea. As part of the Slate Metadata logged in is each user. So an Camera Operator is logged in, an AC is logged in, the DOP/Cinematographer is logged in, and all that information is recorded in camera as part of the Metadata. Technically most of this is already done, but only the Director and Camera Operator is logged with the rest of the Project Metadata. But nonetheless, the Resolve Project Metadata is far more expanded and wouldn't add too much of a larger file size to the video files to add that extra metadata in camera.

Nonetheless Roles can be controlled by the Administrator who keeps everything organized on set. This really would be the DOP/Cinematographer, who should have the control and be the one able to adjust those BRAW settings to craft the image that that individual wants. Ultimately the other roles are controlling different parts.

--FIZ Lens Control--
And, not to leave out this part. But I do still want the Blackmagic Wireless Lens Control System I said a while back. A Focus Puller per camera is obvious, and logged in they are part of everything. The FIZ details of a lens should be able to be mapped with the Blackmagic Wireless Motor and FIZ Control System. That profile should be able to be saved and part of a database that Blackmagic has for their cameras. Imagine something else...

Depth of Field details calculated on to the Video Assist. Using the sensor size information being fed from the camera to the hand units and Video Assists. When a certain sensor area of the camera is selected that information can be shared enough that with certain lens mapping feeding the focus puller's monitor's the depth of field range of what is in focus could be displayed. Enough so that with knowing the lens's aperture and focal length the details should be able to help based on the focus distance that the focus motor recognizes the lens is currently at. That is being fed to the camera by the lens motors, which are powered from the camera.

There is a lens port at the front of the camera already. Why not double tap into that. It is there already. So that feeds to motors and powers them while exchanging this metadata information.



And, I think I've rambled on enough. A lot of information shared. A lot of ideas. I know the roadmap to this is a long haul. But, I had to share the entire idea with the Blackmagic Camera Team.

--Audio--
Oh, damn! He's not done? No, my brain forgot about it.

This is more of an add on. But, wireless audio syncing could also be a part of this because wireless camera syncing timecode should also be a part of this. More or less Wireless Audio can also be fed into this system I've put up above. Timecode should be shared throughout. So adding in a mixer/recorder system makes sense to me.

So making syncing super easy in post makes sense. Right?

Networked camera.

You basically want a networked camera, an ethernet port, WIFI and maybe even eSIM capability.

The obvious video transmission is really the same as streaming. Only issue will be LATENCY. Especially if you're expecting to pull focus from it.

JB

Networked camera.

You basically want a networked camera, an ethernet port, WIFI and maybe even eSIM capability.

The obvious video transmission is really the same as streaming. Only issue will be LATENCY. Especially if you're expecting to pull focus from it.

JB

Not a Networked camera. Wireless control for the camera. This will keep down or eliminate the spaghetti cables around the added attachments to control the camera.

I like the idea but I have learned that no matter what you asked of BMD in this forum, unless you are JB , not gonna happen in my lifetime. I hope they prove me wrong someday.

I’d settle first for BRAW settings control over Bluetooth and saving the Presets in camera. We can still use a Teradek to the FSI DM240 and adjust the BRAW settings looking at that monitor.

Either way, there’s a lot more ideas all throughout this. But the main thing I want is more wireless control of everything. And, I’m pitching for Blackmagic to down the road do wireless video wireless lens control.


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