AatonK to Launch at IBC
FilmLight, a developer of film scanning, colour grading and colour management technology, has formed a strategic partnership with France’s Aaton, a pioneering manufacturer of motion picture equipment, to market the new AatonK 2K|4K ultra high resolution digital film recorder. The AatonK marks a giant leap forward in film recording technology, outperforming the latest laser film recorders in speed, resolution and cost of ownership. It will be shown for the first time ever at the International Broadcast Convention (IBC), 12-16 September, in Amsterdam.
Under the terms of the agreement, FilmLight will handle sales, marketing, service and support for AatonK, while Aaton will manufacture the system. The partnership combines FilmLight and Aaton’s worldwide sales and support network with Aaton’s leadership in film innovation and will allow FilmLight to bundle AatonK with the Northlight scanner and Baselight colour grading system to offer the industry’s only true end-to-end 4K workflow.
“We believe there is still a place for a new film recorder in the market” said FilmLight Founder Wolfgang Lempp. “The AatonK sets a new benchmark — improvements in image quality at 4K; flexibility and performance for digital archiving and the ability to record direct to print, position the AatonK as the premier choice for leading post-facilities, totally outperforming other film recorders.”
“AatonK establishes a new standard for performance in digital film recorders,” added Aaton Founder Jean-Pierre Beauviala. “This system brings both higher speed and exceptionally high image resolution with extremely stable densitometric characteristics. Even when upgraded with the latest technology, laser recorders yield only half the speed of the AatonK. For archiving film on black & white separations — an important business for years to come — the AatonK is nine times as fast as current laser recorders.”
The AatonK utlilises a revolutionary diffraction limited telecentric lens and sensor system to increase recording speed and resolution. The system employs no moving parts during frame exposure and records several times faster than any other 4K capable systems; it also delivers nearly twice the MTF (a measure of resolution) at 4K for colour inter-negative and positive films.
The system’s 16K CCD reflex analyser provides automatic self calibration, eliminating the need for frequent wedge shoot-outs and densitometer sessions, and ensuring absolute consistency from one job to the next and one machine to the next.
The system supports output to intermediate, camera negative, direct to print, colour reversal and black & white, making it possible to offer the best output option for each project.
Aaton has also designed the system to avoid some of the service issues that plague other film recorders. “The AatonK has no moving imaging parts, no lasers or CRT that require periodic replacement,” said FilmLight Director of Sales Mike Grieve. “That results in lower support and operating costs for the life of the machine.”
AatonK can be seen at IBC at the Aaton (6.A18) and FilmLight (7.A11) stands. FilmLight will also be demonstrating Northlight 2, the latest version of its 8K film scanner. Aaton will show its new lightweight extremely quiet 2Perf/3Perf, Penelope, made for the 35mm Digital intermediate age.
Contact – Deepa Parbhoo ([email protected]) +44 20 7292 0400
About Aaton
Based in Grenoble, France, AATON has been at the forefront of motion-picture innovation for over 35 years. Founded by Éclair engineer Jean-Pierre Beauviala, Aaton initially broke new ground in the ’70s with its Aaton 7 camera, which introduced the Super 16mm format. Aaton’s pioneering work in the synchronization of cameras with audio recording equipment and the use of time-code liberated filmmakers and enhanced the filmmaking process. Innovation has continued to be the hallmark of Aaton in recent years, through its development of such tools as the Aaton 35-III precision camera, the Aaton Penelope 35mm camera and the Aaton Cantar 8-track digital audio recorder. For more information visit www.aaton.com.
