IRVINE, CALIF.: Fast Forward Video 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. The sideKick HD will be on display at this year's NAB Show.

Occupying only a half RU in width and 2 RU in height, the sideKick HD Studio targets 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 ingest or transcoding. Users can ransfer field footage 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.

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.

The 2012 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 14-19. Fast Forward Video will be at booth C6313.