While RED has been pretty tight-lipped about its planned RED RAY product, some footage shown off at RED's NAB party gave a sizable hint that RED RAY could be much more than meets the eye -- specifically a $1,000 device that can play cinema-quality 4k video off of standard DVDs. At the party they played an uncompressed showreel of 4k footage on a Sony 4k projector, which clocked in at 1.3GB per second, and then showed that exact same footage under the "RED RAY" codec at a mere 10Mb/s (megabits, not bytes; about half the bitrate of SD DV), at a compression rate of 700:1. Attendees claimed they could see zero visible compression, though a projector in a ballroom isn't exactly the best case scenario to test that sort of thing. Unfortunately, there's little other info about how they're achieving this (we hear "wavelets" come into the equation at some point), or to what nefarious aims, but with compression like this the implications for content distribution are pretty stunning: 1080p+ streaming for all. Naturally, the down side of all of this is probably some pretty hefty processing power on the consumer end, but we'll cross that I/O bridge when we come to it.

[Thanks, Ben H]

With NAB just about to get started in Las Vegas, CoolCameraGear is getting out ahead of the crowd with a newfangled adapter sure to please those who find themselves offloading gobs of RED footage. The R2E LEMO to eSATA cable essentially takes the burden away from your FireWire 800, FireWire 400 or USB 2.0 bus by enabling bits and bytes to flow over eSATA. RED camera users simply plug in their RED-Drive or RED-RAM using the original power adapter, then plug the LEMO end of the R2E cable into the drive and the other end into a standard eSATA port. Boom. Just like that, RED owners have instant access to eSATA transfers. For those unaware, eSATA support on camcorder is still a rarity, though the benefits are obvious for pros shuffling through multiple takes. Interested consumers can check this one out when the CoolCameraGear website goes live on April 20th for $230.

After a morning of drip-fed images, RED just went official with its DSMC (Digital Stills and Motion Camera) System. The system starts with your choice of the professional Scarlet or "master professional" EPIC brains which can then be bunged into about 2,251,799,813,685,248 possible camera configurations, RED only half-jokingly chides. The brains are built upon Mysterium-X and Mysterium Monstro sensors which start at 2/3-inch and end at a whopping 6x17-cm -- when a new sensor comes out you just upgrade the brain. Scarlet will launch in 4 choices ranging from $2,500 (and possibly less) to $12,000 with a variety of lens mounts (yes, Canon and Nikon) capable of shooting 3K @120fps on up to 6K @30fps. Epic will offer similar mounts with capabilities spanning 5K @100fps ($28k) to 9K @50fps ($45k) -- a 28K system hitting 25fps is expected in 2010 for $55k. Still image resolutions will range from 4.9 megapixels to a freakish 261 megapixels. The first Scarlet systems could come as early as Spring of 2009 while EPIC should arrive by summer. Of course, the brain is just the beginning of the costs. RED also introduced a 3D camera today in true, "one more thing" fashion. See all the details in the gallery below, 3D camera after the break.

While the announcement isn't scheduled for another 7 hours and change, RED's Jim Jannard is whipping his fanbase into a frenzy with a steady stream of fragmented pictures. The one above looking every bit the 5D Mark II-killer we've been expecting. Jim's even dropping facts about Scarlet and EPIC being "completely modular and upgradeable in every way." What's more, he's offering hope to RED ONE owners who might feel cheated by today's introduction of Scarlet and EPIC. After all, he did promise to make "Obsolescence Obsolete" with his modular approach to camera building. So in addition to a TBD upgrade price for RED ONE owners to make the jump to a Mysterium-X sensor, owners will also have the option of trading in their cams for a $17,500 value towards the purchase of "any EPIC" (there's more than one?) or keep the RED ONE and receive a 12% credit on a Scarlet system. Nice... expensive, but nice. Check the gallery for all the images including one that looks like a telephoto lens for a RED DSLR.

P.S. Jim confirmed that, "Scarlet and RED EPIC are part of the same DSMC system." While you may not know what DSMC stands for, we're pretty sure that Canon and Nikon are well aware that DSMC means Digital Still & Motion Camera.

Update: Three-pound Scarlet and four-pound EPIC Mysterium-based "brains" capable of shooting 3K and 5K video, respectively, pictured after the break -- choose the brain then build a system around it. What look to be final (and complete!) product shots added to the gallery.

And to think, just over a year ago we all thought 1080p surgery was the future. Recently, Steven F. Palter, MD of Gold Coast IVF in Syosset, NY teamed with RED and Sony in order to "film and project a surgery and microscopic images in 4K, which represents its first uses in medicine and biology." During the digital cinema presentation, the 1,600+ surgeons in attendance were able to view the procedure in nauseating detail, giving the crowd the ability to almost be right there inside the operating room from afar. Additionally, the session included a projection of the "largest high-definition 3D surgical images ever," which we can only imagine led to at least a few dozen fainting episodes.

[Image courtesy of Surgery Encyclopedia]

Ready for the tease? RED just announced an announcement. According to RED Prez, Jim Jannard, "no one has any idea how incredible this announcement will be." A stream of words, specs, and renderings, we presume, all cobbled together on November 13th with a promise to put the "RED ONE announcement to shame by comparison... the biggest, most exciting and incredible thing." So mark your calendar for November 13th -- that's the day RED DIGITAL comes clean with its Scarlet and Epic programs. We're sure Nikon and Canon will be watching to see if RED launches its DSMC (Digital Still & Motion Camera) aimed squarely at the DSLR market, or not. Even if we have to er, settle, for a 3K Scarlet or 5K Epic video cameras, those aren't bad consolation prizes, eh?

[Thanks, Brad]

You heard that Nikon busted out a DSLR with a 720p movie mode, right? Even that is going to pale in comparison to RED's alternative, or at least that's what RED would have you to believe. In a recent post over at the REDuser forums, Jannard points out that its DSLR "replacement" should be ready to rock by late 2009, and while an official name has yet to arrive, it's going by DSMC (Digital Still & Motion Camera) for the time being. Also of note, Jannard casually mentioned that this piece would be more advanced than Nikon's D90 and an undisclosed 1080p DSLR from Canon; that's the first we've heard of such a beast, but given the natural progression of technology, we suppose it fits. C'mon guys, 3K 4K 5K shooting in a DSLR, we know you can do it.

You wouldn't think that anyone in the market for a $3,000 handheld camera capable of shooting 3K HD at 100MB/s would somehow get confused enough to end up with a mediocre LG plasma TV, but it seems like the folks at RED are worried -- the company's lawyers are preparing an opposition to LG's filing for the "Scarlet" trademark, and they've filed for their own mark. It looks like RED is getting pretty serious about protecting its marks -- president Jim Jannard is politely asking RED fans to include a trademark disclaimer when they post about the company's products, and he says that the proceedings against LG are "just the tip of the iceberg." Honestly, we think RED's going to have a tough time selling a judge on the likelihood of confusion between a consumer-oriented HDTV and a decidedly pro-grade camera, but we've been surprised in the past -- we'll see how this one plays out.

Read - Jim Jannard forum post
Read - Request for extension of time to file opposition

From the word go, amateurs and professionals alike were hot for RED's (relatively) minuscule Scarlet. After all, can you really go wrong with a 3K camera in one hand and a Dairy Queen dipped cone in the other? (No, no you cannot.) Nevertheless, those anxious to see more as the run-up to its early 2009 release continues can feast their eyes on an all new rendering. Oh, and if you're the talkative type, tag the read link and join in the 8+ page discussion about that image you're eyes are still fixated on above.

[Thanks, anonymous]

Just last week, we heard that Digital Playground was going true blue. Now it's going RED? Yes indeed, the adult film powerhouse has committed to using the 4k RED ONE camera to shoot its future films. Reportedly, the high-resolution camcorder has already been used to capture ten films in the past two months (staying busy, aren't we?), and apparently the results have been so, um, crystal clear, that the outfit is planning to continue using them. Talk about staying one step ahead of the curves.

RED's trifecta of hot new gear announcements at NAB wrapped up with the RED RAY optical disk drive, which promises to play back 4K video from the RED ONE, 3K video from the new Scarlet and the usual assortment of HD formats from RED Disc and RED Express media, as well as native R3D RAW files from CompactFlash. 5K video from the new EPIC isn't supported, though. As with all of RED's announcements today, specs are promised to change, but the clever name of the drive has us thinking that it's based on Blu-ray -- we'll keep digging for details.

RED is really going all out at NAB this year. In addition to that Scarlet 3K "pocket" camera, the RED ONE is getting seriously one-upped by the new top-of-the-line RED EPIC. This 5K camera has a full-frame S35mm Mysterium X sensor, and pretty much matches 35mm film resolution -- RED ONE topped out at 4K. FPS is limited to 100, which is to be expected with all those pixels to handle, but other features match that of other RED cams. Of course, the promise of the RED ONE "rendering obsolescence obsolete" has been slightly trampled by EPIC, but the good news is that RED will allow ONE customers to trade in their cameras for a full $17,500 credit towards the EPIC when it ships in 2009. Price? About $30,000.

RED just unleashed its promised Scarlet "pocket professional" camera at NAB 2008, and it's certainly a sight to see. The teensy 3K resolution camcorder is based on a 2 / 3-inch Mysterium X sensor, can shoot at 1 to 120 FPS and records to dual CompactFlash cards, which can handle up to 100MB per second of REDCODE RAW HD video. You can preview your shot on the 4.8-inch LCD, and there's a 8x RED zoom lens included. HMDI, HD-SDI, FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 inputs are built in, and the device is compatible with "many" RED ONE accessories. WiFi control is also included. In typical RED fashion, the only promises about the final product is that "specifications, delivery dates and design are subject to change... count on it," but this is certainly a good start. No pre-orders are being accepted at this time, but the price is purportedly to going to be a bit under $3,000, and the release is slated for early 2009.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HDNet holds a special place in our hearts because it was one of the first 24 hour HD channels, and back in the old school days of HD, it was either that or the PBS loop. Sure we watched that same PBS loop over and over again too, but HDNet always had the better programming and most of the time better quality. It appears that Mark Cuban wants to continue to set the bar high and has announced that he has already pre-ordered a few of those new 4k Red Digital Cameras that it seems everyone can't stop talking about. The reason there is so much buzz about these new cameras is because they record at 4520x2540 and offer professional quality at a fraction of the cost, sure they still cost $17,500, but evidently that is less than current Hollywood grade digital cameras can be rented for today.

[Via Camcorderinfo.com]

You know the RED camera that has been making all the noise lately? Well, the first public footage of what the cam can do has been released to the public via their website. The clip weighs in at just over 100MB's at 1k resolution but is well worth your bandwidth. You may want to give the servers some time though as they seem to be slammed right now and while the clip is downloading on our systems, it is 1998 dial-up slow. Give it a chance though as this camera is suppose to revolutionize the industry.

[via DVguru]