4K wireless transmission system "Spark 4K" without delay appears from Teradek

REPORT◎Ichiyanagi

Delay-free 4K wireless system "Spark 4K" from TERADEK

Nowadays, wireless transmission systems for monitoring are a hot topic in the field of video production. This is a genre that has been rapidly declining in price.

Originally, this genre was preceded by Teradek's technology. For this purpose, Teradek's Bolt series has often been used. Teradek also has Ace 500, which is low cost and can send in full HD/60p without delay, which Video Salon reported two years ago (here). Recently, other companies have entered this genre one after another, and low-priced products are increasing.

The new product from Teradek this time is a surprising wireless system "Spark 4K" that is 4K, no delay, and more compact. I thought the Ace 500 was compact, but the Spark 4K is even more compact. It feels like a gadget rather than equipment for professional video production sites, and it is a product that not only videographers but also YouTubers can buy and use.

The price is also reasonable. This kind of product was rented and operated, but this is a product in the price range purchased and operated by individuals. The price of Spark 4K is the selling price of the distributor's RAID, ・ TX / RX set product: 172,000 yen excluding tax (189,200 yen including tax) ・ Single TX (right): 87,000 yen excluding tax (95,700 yen including tax) ) ・ RX alone (left): ¥ 87,000- (tax included: ¥ 95,700-). To recap: Transmits 4K/30p video with less than 1ms delay, to receivers up to 500 feet away in a compact design with built-in antenna.・The transmission method is not compressed codecs such as JSCC (Joint Source Channel Coding), H.264 or H265, but efficient uncompressed transmission.・Built-in 2600mAh battery in the TX (transmitter), can be driven for about 2 hours at 1080P/about 1.5 hours at 4K30.　The versatile USB-C connector enables charging and power supply. Transmitter weighs only 158g and receiver weighs 187g, perfect for gimbals and camera rigs of all sizes.・Multicast with 1 transmitter and 2 receivers is possible.・Video transmission can be set with a smartphone app using a Bluetooth connection (2.4GHz) in the 5GHz band. It has become. Let's take a look at the actual machine. The transmitter is very compact and this one has a built-in battery. It has a small fan. The sound didn't bother me at all.

On the receiver side. Both transmitter and receiver are HDMI Type A and HDMI 1.4b. Supports up to 4K/30p. The receiver side is powered by an external 6-18V terminal instead of a battery. It would be realistic to turn it from the power supply that supplies the monitor or camera.

Let's put the transmitter on the camera. It's so compact that it doesn't feel out of place when paired with the EOS R5.

Operation image. There is a small window where the signal is displayed, and you can tell if the input is 4K or HD.

Attach the receiver to the back of the monitor. It's powered by the bebob V-mount battery that powers the 4K monitor.

Check on SamllHD's 4K monitor. It has good resolution. The number of cameras with 4K or higher is increasing in the field, and the number of final finishes in 4K is increasing, and there are voices saying that they want to check the focus in 4K. was. With Spark 4K and a compact 4K monitor, you can easily set up an environment for 4K monitoring.

Latency is said to be less than 0.001sec. The slight delay may be due to the delay in the HDMI output itself in the first place, not the transmission. Color sampling is 4:2:2 10bit and compression is visibly lossless, but there is no problem at all for monitor use.

As soon as I can get the demo machine, I would like to put it in the field and report it.

Since 4K video can be sent to the projector without running cables, it seems to be suitable for home theater applications.

RAID will be on sale from October 6, 2021 Teradek product page https://teradek.com/pages/spark-4kRAID special page https://raid-japan.com/< wbr>shopbrand/ct1295/

Colorado Tripod tripod and Arca-Swiss plate

By the way, the compact tripod introduced in this system is not a video head, but it is very small and lightweight. The texture as a thing was good, and it seemed convenient to carry. Aspen Ballhead from a manufacturer called coloradotripod, which RAID deals with as an agent. The camera plate is Arca-Swiss standard.

What was even more surprising was that Arca-Swiss plates come in three different types to match the shape of the camera and the position of the screw holes.

Canon R6 / R5: Designed for Canon R6 and Canon R5 cameras.Nikon Z7 / Z6 ARCA: Designed for Nikon Z7 and Nikon Z6 cameras.KOMODO ARCA: Designed for RED Komodo Cameras.

This is a plate for RED KOMODO.

The case design is irresistible. It's very playful.

Breakthrough Filter

Breakthrough Filter is also made by RAID's filter manufacturer. It is a filter designed to match the color science of Blackmagic Design's cinema camera sensors, and is said to be a filter that corrects the reddishness of dark areas and improves color development. I would like to verify this somewhere.

This Breakthrough Filter also has a product called Cinema DFM that can incorporate a drop-in filter. There are various types of drop-in filters such as ND in the range of 1 to 20 stops, variable ND, Rota-Pola, etc. Below is the state where the variable ND is loaded. On the camera body side, you can choose from RF mounts such as KOMODO, RED's MONSTRO, DSMC2, and RAPTOR. The lens side mount has PL (photo) and EF.

For product information and purchasing, please visit RAID-JAPAN.com