Codex Portable Offers New Field Storage Solutions for Broadcastby David KenderPublished on Jun 22, 2007 8:45 AM 
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June 22, 2007 – Codex Digital, the London-based broadcast equipment manufacturer, yesterday announced the Codex Portable, an extremely compact field recorded capable of capturing video form virtually any camera. Weighing in at only 9 lbs (4 Kg), the recorder features numerous ports, full-frame playback, and a touch screen control. It is expected to ship in late 2007 at an undisclosed price.
The new Codex Portable is expected to be compatible with most formats ranging from standard definition to HD to 4K, with ports for two dual-link 4:4:4 connections, Infiniband and Ethernet connections, 10Gbps optical I/O, timecode and control, and eight audio channels. Codex stated that the recorder will support the 4K data-mode of the Red One camera when it becomes available. The device will also feature a special “Mutter Track” mic input that allows for a commentary track for logging and notes.
The recorder includes special benefits for multi-camera shooting and the growing stereoscopic production field. It can simultaneously record to two 4:4:4 inputs as A and B cameras, or paired for 3D acquisition. Stereoscopic production has begun to hit mainstream as new camera and display technologies are improved. It can also simultaneously record four 4:2:2 inputs.
The Codex Portable is powered by camera batteries and can be carried on shoulder straps or mounted to a camera rig. Up to three hours of the highest quality video can be stored on a series of hot-swappable, shock-mounted RAID diskpacks. Up to six Codex Portable devices can be synchronized. With found 4:2:2 cameras, the allows for up to 24 video tracks and 48 audio tracks.
To output, the Codex Portable connects to a Codex Transfer Station. Output formats include DPX, BMP, BWAV, QuickTime, AVI, and MXF.
The company has made no announcements on price. The units are expected to ship later this year. More details are forthcoming at Codex Digital's site.
