Blackmagic Releases New Hardware Ultimatte Keyers

[cookietub]

Blackmagic has released not one, but four Ultimatte hardware keyers!

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/ultimatte

And from the sound of the blurbs, the technology is truly state of the art.

It will be interesting to see whether they're really as good as they claim.

I hope they are.

[BTM_Pix]

The Ultimatte 12 HD Mini in particular is very interesting.

As they all include frame stores so they can be used 'in line' as it were with a camera, then with the 12 HD Mini being €500, it brings the cost of a four camera fixed virtual set system down to well under €3000 depending on what ATEM you get to switch them with.

OK, it won't be an all singing all dancing system with tracked movements as the background will be pre-rendered and static, but for a lot of applications that will be perfectly acceptable.

Incredible value for money.

 

[majoraxis]

is this feature a big deal? 

“You can also use Ultimatte 12 to layer computer generated augmented reality foreground objects into a scene, complete with realistic transparency that your talent can walk behind”

Could unreal engine 5 in real time to render both the landscape/background and a foreground image the transparency, while changing how in focus the foreground is based on the distance of the subject is from the camera based on AFX focus distance determination? 

Thanks!

[cookietub]

If there's a way to get the focus info of the physical camera into Unreal (in real time) so that it can be applied to the virtual camera, the answer is probably, yes.

The question I have, is how do you get the foreground object AND it's matte out of Unreal as two separate video signals so they can go into the Ultimatte?

[BTM_Pix]

The internal foreground layers are only stills so it can't be done directly on the unit itself for motion.

Also, unfortunately, the Mini does not have the Holdout Matte function so even a static version is not possible with that one which is a great pity but I get why the cheap one can't have all the bells and whistles.

That doesn't mean to say that Unreal can't be used in combination with some automation to do that where you would then just use the Ultimatte as a very good keyer to put in front of it.

Again, multiple cameras would then also be possible with a little bit of automated integration with a switcher.

 

 

 

[cookietub]

It's true the internal layers are for stills only, but I'm not sure that is the whole story. If you examine the rear of the 4K unit, you'll see video inputs for Layer IN and Layer Matte IN. There's also H Matte IN, which I assume means Holdout Matte. So, there seems to be a lot of potential here.

[BTM_Pix]

5 minutes ago, cookietub said:

It's true the internal layers are for stills only, but I'm not sure that is the whole story. 

Sorry, yes, I was keeping my comments in reference to the Mini.

From the HD model upwards, there is a Holdout Matte input.

There is an 80% price jump from the Mini to the HD though so it increases the cost of a multi camera setup considerably but it is still very good value for money for anyone needing the facility.

With some thought, dual background and foreground elements could be coaxed out of Unreal.