FFV Launches sideKick HD Studio™

Straight-to-Edit Digital Video Recorder Designed for Base Stations and Studios

Newest member of sideKick HD family delivers highest possible image quality and supports seamless movement of content into editing and playout workflows.

Fast Forward Video (FFV) today announced the launch of the sideKick HD Studio™, a rack-mounted version of the company's groundbreaking new sideKick HD family of multiformat, straight-to-edit digital video recorders (DVRs). Designed for use in base stations and studio locations, the sideKick HD Studio delivers unrivaled image quality for video captured by today's state-of-the-art camcorders. Also, by recording video directly into industry-leading NLE codecs such as Avid® DNxHD and Apple® ProRes, the sideKick HD Studio enables the seamless movement of high-quality content directly into studio editing and playout workflows.

"Throughout its 27-year history, FFV has been focused on image quality — and now, with the sideKick HD family, we've taken that quest for the absolute highest quality several steps farther by enhancing camera-to-edit production workflows," said Paul DeKeyser, founder of FFV. "With our earlier introduction of the sideKick HD and now sideKick HD Studio, we're at the beginning stages of an entire range of products that will bring unprecedented workflow improvements to digital video productions of all types and sizes."

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Occupying only a half RU in width and 2 RU in height, the sideKick HD Studio is ideal for fixed production environments such as studios, base stations, and OB trucks that require the smoothest possible workflows for acquiring and editing raw camera footage and then playing it out to air. Like the camera-mounted sideKick HD, the sideKick HD Studio is able to record at 220 megabits per second at only 7:1 compression, delivering significantly higher image quality than the internal recording systems of even the most advanced camcorders.

Because the sideKick HD Studio records directly onto 2.5-inch SSD drives in native DNxHD or ProRes formats, files can be uploaded directly into the NLE environment without requiring time-consuming ingest or transcoding. Users can easily transfer field footage recorded by the camera-mounted sideKick HD into the sideKick HD Studio and immediately begin editing. They can also use the sideKick HD Studio to record video from other content sources such as satellite feeds and studio cameras. In further support of file-based workflows, the sideKick HD Studio features a 1Gb Ethernet port for fast and easy uploading of content directly into editing workstations.

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For playback and playout, the sideKick HD Studio features an intuitive front panel offering familiar DVR/VTR functions, as well as scrub and jog capabilities. The system also includes a 4.3-inch on-board confidence monitor, genlock, 4:2:2 sampling, and timing control. With industry-standard RS422 control, operators can connect the sideKick HD Studio to a standard machine controller to enable extended functionality such as cueing, slow-motion play speed control, and reverse play.

At the 2012 NAB Show, the sideKick HD family will headline FFV's full range of durable, user-friendly DVR solutions, each designed with customer requirements in mind and focused on delivering the highest quality output possible.

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